Marc-Louis Solon
Encyclopedia
Marc-Louis Solon was a French artist who moved to Stoke-on-Trent
in 1870. He remained resident in England until his death.
He is probably best remembered as a leading exponent of the technique of ceramic decoration called pâte-sur-pâte
. His work commanded high prices in the late Victorian period. One of his vases, believed to be his largest, is on display at Osborne House
.
, Tarn-et-Garonne
. Despite some family resistance to his becoming an artist, he studied with Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran
. Some of Solon's work came to the attention of the art director
of the Sèvres Pottery
. Solon was employed there as a ceramic
artist and designer, and he learnt the technique of pâte-sur-pâte.
. He found employment at Mintons Ltd, and settled at Nº1, The Villas, Stoke-on-Trent. Mintons experienced more demand for pâte-sur-pâte ceramics than Solon could meet working on his own, and from the 1870s he trained a number of English apprentices including Frederick Alfred Rhead
.
transformed the industry. Solon describes items of pottery which he had collected in his spare time while living in Staffordshire.
He also collected books about ceramics, and after his death the library was acquired by the local technical college with funds provided by the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust
.
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
in 1870. He remained resident in England until his death.
He is probably best remembered as a leading exponent of the technique of ceramic decoration called pâte-sur-pâte
Pâte-sur-pâte
Pâte-sur-pâte is a method of porcelain decoration in which a relief design is created on an unfired, unglazed body by applying successive layers of white slip with a brush...
. His work commanded high prices in the late Victorian period. One of his vases, believed to be his largest, is on display at Osborne House
Osborne House
Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat....
.
Early life
Solon was born in MontaubanMontauban
Montauban is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse....
, Tarn-et-Garonne
Tarn-et-Garonne
Tarn-et-Garonne is a French department in the southwest of France. It is traversed by the Rivers Tarn and Garonne, from which it takes its name.-History:...
. Despite some family resistance to his becoming an artist, he studied with Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran
Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran
Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran was a French artist and teacher.He was born in Paris. Boisbaudran was admitted in 1819 to the École des Beaux-Arts where he studied under Peyron and Guillon Lethière...
. Some of Solon's work came to the attention of the art director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
of the Sèvres Pottery
Manufacture nationale de Sèvres
The manufacture nationale de Sèvres is a Frit porcelain porcelain tendre factory at Sèvres, France. Formerly a royal, then an imperial factory, the facility is now run by the Ministry of Culture.-Brief history:...
. Solon was employed there as a ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
artist and designer, and he learnt the technique of pâte-sur-pâte.
Move to England
Solon moved to England at the time of the Franco-Prussian WarFranco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
. He found employment at Mintons Ltd, and settled at Nº1, The Villas, Stoke-on-Trent. Mintons experienced more demand for pâte-sur-pâte ceramics than Solon could meet working on his own, and from the 1870s he trained a number of English apprentices including Frederick Alfred Rhead
Frederick Alfred Rhead
Frederick Alfred Rhead was a potter working in North Staffordshire, England. He is not to be confused with his son Frederick Hurten Rhead who was also a potter, and who worked mainly in the USA. His other children included the pottery designer Charlotte Rhead.Rhead's father, G.W...
.
Collecting activities
In 1883 he published "The Art of the Old English Potter", a book about pottery produced before Josiah WedgwoodJosiah Wedgwood
Josiah Wedgwood was an English potter, founder of the Wedgwood company, credited with the industrialization of the manufacture of pottery. A prominent abolitionist, Wedgwood is remembered for his "Am I Not A Man And A Brother?" anti-slavery medallion. He was a member of the Darwin–Wedgwood family...
transformed the industry. Solon describes items of pottery which he had collected in his spare time while living in Staffordshire.
He also collected books about ceramics, and after his death the library was acquired by the local technical college with funds provided by the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust
Carnegie United Kingdom Trust
Carnegie United Kingdom Trust is a charitable foundation based in the United Kingdom, established by Scottish-born American steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie on the model of his U.S. foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York....
.
External links
- Potteries Museum & Art Gallery Examples of pâte-sur-pâte are to be found in the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Hanley, Staffordshire, whose collection includes items from the former Minton museum. The website has a search facility which allows you to view images of pâte-sur-pâte (if you type in the keyword "Solon").