Throughout the nineteenth century the majority of fine, decorative earthenware and porcelains used in the Australian colonies were imported from Britain. From the 1870s, the English firms of Wedgwood and Doulton in particular produced tableware decorated with Australian flora to further strengthen their position on the Australian market (Wedgwood links with Australia date back to 1789 when Josiah Wedgwood issued Sydney Cove medallions made from clay collected from Sydney Cove and sent to England by Captain Arthur Phillip). Both factories continued the tradition of using Australian flora motifs well into the next century, with Doulton being particularly active due to the efforts of John Shorter, Doulton's Australian agent from 1892. In the second decade of the 1900s, these firms were joined by the Royal Worcester Porcelain Company which also produced series of outstanding tableware for the Australian market. Objects painted with Australian views however, are extremely rare as only one other vase, also painted by Bentley and made by Doulton, has been located. It shows a panoramic view of Sydney's Circular Quay. Two other Doulton vases painted by Bentley with New Zealand views, 'Mount Cook and Hookers Glacier' and 'Wellington Harbour', are also known, as is one depicting the Windsor Castle in England.
Today, Leonard Bentley (active 1882-1926, intermittently) is mostly remembered as a skilled painter of floral designs particularly those in Doulton's 'Spanish' style. The five painted vases reveal his broader interests and it is possible that Bentley came to Australia and New Zealand in the 1880s and that the views on his vases were based on original sketches he took during his travels. Alternatively, the scenes could have been based on drawings provided by local artists or on prints or photographs.
The painting on the vase is of particular importance to this Museum as it shows the Garden Palace, the Museum's first home. It is in fact the only known example of painted ceramics, as opposed to transfer printed souvenirs, depicting the palace. The Museum was established in 1880 and its first collections drew on exhibits from the 1879 Sydney International Exhibition, Australia's first. The Garden Palace was a huge Victorian structure built to house the exhibition. After the exhibition closed, its upper gallery was converted to the Technological, Industrial and Sanitary Museum (our first name). In 1882, before the Museum's public opening, the building and its collections were destroyed by fire.
Acquired in 2000, the vase is one of the earliest examples of Burslem products in the Museum's renowned collection of Doulton ceramics.
Eva, Czernis-Ryl, 2005
The vase was painted by Leonard Bentley (active 1882-1926 intermittently) in 1882. Bentley was a Doulton (Burslem) painter of flowers, birds and butterflies in many different styles. A small number of vases painted by him with landscapes and urban views has also been located. Cecil J. Noke, Doulton's Art Director from 1936, studied under Bentley when he first joined Doulton in 1920.
The vase was made at the Burslem works, Staffordshire, of Doulton & Co about 1882.
The Doulton pottery was established in 1815 in Lambeth, South London. First known as Jones, Watts and Doulton and then Doulton and Watts, the firm specialised in salt glazed stoneware sanitary, chemical and domestic articles. Managed by Henry Doulton (1820-1897), in 1854 the firm began to trade under the name Doulton and Co. At the 1862 London International Exhibition, it exhibited the usual range of wares and an important addition, a large decorative stoneware salt cellar. The exhibition was a turning point for Doulton and marked the beginning of the production of decorative stoneware known as 'Doulton Ware' which were to win the firm international recognition. From 1866 the pottery was closely associated with the Lambeth School of Art whose students, including George Tinworth, provided innovative models for, and decorated vases, sculptural ornaments and plaques; even large-scale fountains were made.
The success of Doulton's studio wares shown at the 1867 Paris International Exhibition encouraged Henry Doulton to establish an art department to design unique pieces for international exhibitions. In December 1877 Henry Doulton entered into a partnership with Thomas Shadford Pinder, the proprietor of an earthenware pottery in Burslem, Staffordshire, and the merged firms traded under the name of Pinder, Bourne and Company. The partnership with Pinder dissolved in 1882, Doulton and Co now operated in two locations: Lambeth and Burslem. In 1879 an impressive selection of Lambeth objects was shipped to Sydney for display in Australia's first international exhibition. Winning the company two first degrees of merit, these works were purchased by the new Technological, Industrial and Sanitary Museum, now known as the Powerhouse Museum. In 1882, the Garden Palace, which housed both the exhibition and the Museum's first collection, was destroyed by fire. In 1833 a splendid replacement collection was provided by Doulton which now forms part of the Museum's renowned collection of Doulton ceramics.
Under the management of John Bailey and artistic guidance of John Slater, the new Burslem factory soon proved to be a great success and a group of gifted designers was engaged, including Leonard Bentley. A new bone china department was constructed in 1884. A small range of floral painted wares was exhibited at the 1892 Paris Exhibition and was awarded the Grand Prix. A spectacular range of works was sent to the 1893 Chicago Exhibition in America securing Doulton seven of the highest awards, the most given to any ceramic firm. By 1890, a total of 345 people were employed at Burslem. George Tinworth was joined by Hannah, Arthur and Florence Barlow, Frank Butler, Eliza Simmance, Mark V. Marshall and others. These artists developed a wide range of decorating techniques including incised and applied relief and pate-sur-pate painting. These developments complemented distinctive wares created in Lambeth such as Faience, Impasto, Silicon and Marqueterie wares. Henry Doulton died in 1897, and in 1899 a limited company was formed. Two years later King Edward VII granted the firm the rare privilege of using the word 'Royal' on its products.
During the first half of the 20th century, the utilitarian wares and decorative stoneware continued to be produced at Lambeth, and the Burslem works were busy with the tableware series ware and later also with figurines. One of the most significant developments at Burslem was the rediscovery of the ancient techniques used by Chinese potters. Charles Noke, art director from 1914, had experimented since the late 1890s with transmutation glazes and was largely responsible for the success of rouge flambe, crystalline and titanium wares, and Sung and Chang series. Following the closure of the Lambeth works in 1956, Royal Doulton divided its interests into four major subsidiaries covering the areas of decorative porcelain ('fine china'), industrial porcelain, sanitary porcelain and vitrified pipes. Today, Royal Doulton is the word's leading supplier of premium ceramic tableware, giftware, collectibles and crystal. Its brand portfolio includes Royal Doulton, Royal Albert, Minton and John Beswick.
The vase is dated by the artist (Leonard Bentley), '1882'.
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