Plaque
Callowhill, renowned for his decorative raised-gold-paste technique, was an important decorator at the Worcester Royal Porcelain Works in England. He, his equally gifted brother Thomas, and his son Sidney emigrated to the United States in the 1880s and worked for important art potteries such as the Faience Manufacturing Company in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and the Willets Manufacturing Company in Trenton, New Jersey, decorating wares in the Aesthetic style. Although James later moved to Boston to complete a major commission for Louis Prang’s lithographic firm, he continued to decorate ceramics. This plaque, painted in polychrome enamel with a bird on a branch among elaborate flowers and foliage and enriched with raised gold paste, is characteristic of Callowhill’s best work and may have been exhibited at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.
Artwork Details
- Title: Plaque
- Artist: James Callowhill (1838–1917)
- Date: ca. 1890–1900
- Geography: Probably made in Trenton, New Jersey, United States
- Culture: American
- Medium: Earthenware, enamel, and gold
- Dimensions: Diam. 18 in. (45.7 cm)
- Credit Line: Gift of Emma and Jay Lewis, in memory of David Goldberg, 2001
- Object Number: 2001.765
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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James Callowhill
Willets Manufacturing Company
ca. 1887–90
James Callowhill
Willets Manufacturing Company
ca. 1887–90
James Callowhill
Willets Manufacturing Company
ca. 1885–90
James Callowhill
ca. 1889–1900
James Callowhill
ca. 1885–86
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