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The History of Barbotine Ceramics

The term “Barbotine” has become well-known in the antique market to refer to a type of ceramics with vibrant colors, a glossy finish, and decorations in slight or pronounced relief. These ceramics were abundantly produced by various French and European manufacturers from the second half of the 19th century until around the 1930s.

“Barbotines” or “Majolica”?

In reality, the term “barbotines” is more specific to France. In the international market, this type of old ceramics is often called “Majolica,” although the term is somewhat generic and imprecise. Especially in Italy and France, it is more associated with ceramics from the Renaissance period (ceramics from the 15th and 16th centuries produced in places like Gubbio, Castelli, Urbino, Faenza, Monteluppo).

Barbotine tea set shells

The Barbotine Ceramics in 19th Century England

This happened because in the mid-19th century, English potters in Staffordshire, especially the Minton factory, used the term “Majolica” to identify their glazed ceramics, directly referring to the ancient Italian production from the Renaissance period, particularly the polychrome terracottas of Della Robbia. As a result, the word “Majolica” became widely associated with this type of production.

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During the mid-19th century, the British Empire was at its peak, and its industrial and commercial power was dominant. In 1851, under the reign of Queen Victoria, London hosted the first international exhibition, in which industrial productions from various nations were compared.

Barbotine plate grapes

French Barbotine Ceramics

Four years later, Napoleon III, the Emperor of France, organized a Universal Exhibition in Paris in an attempt to surpass the English in terms of the grandeur and magnificence of the hosting palace, the Palais des Glaces. At this exhibition, the Englishman Herbert Minton presented a series of richly colored ceramics with high relief decorations reminiscent of the Italian Renaissance: urns, amphoras, candelabras, and fountains. The effect was immediate, and he achieved tremendous success, selling the entire exhibition in a short time. Quickly, other famous English potteries started producing “majolica” ceramics, and soon, French potteries like Choisy-le-Roi and Sarreguemines decided to offer them as well.

In 1867, the Second Empire was at its peak, and French capitalism had caught up with its English counterpart. French ceramics were now competing with English ceramics. A new Universal Exhibition was organized, where major French potteries showcased a wide selection of Barbotine ceramics in their stands.

Barbotine plate grapes wire

The significant social changes that led to the emergence of the “Middle Class” also brought about a substantial transformation in the market. The newly affluent social classes were no longer interested in old painted earthenware, and fine porcelain was still inaccessible to them. This led to the great success of fine paste ceramics in Europe. These ceramics lent themselves to various forms of craftsmanship in their different versions, and their plasticity made them suitable for creating Barbotine ceramics.

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