Minton & Japonisme: The Victorian Obsession With Japan

The Minton factories had the artistically widest-ranging output of any ceramics makers in the Victorian era. As with most visual arts at the time, Rococo Revival was the basis of Minton’s popular and commercial success. Mintons, however, were committed to innovative design both as a moral imperative and for corporate prestige in a highly competitive environment. From the late 1860s to the late 1880s, Japanese forms and motifs were key factors in fashionable Western design. This lecture will explore how the Minton factories used this source material, and what role it may have played in their overall marketing strategies.

Image: Moon Flask, England, Stoke-on-Trent, Minton, c. 1870-80, Bone china with overglaze enamels in imitation of cloisonne, gilding, Designed by Christopher Dresser,  (1834-1904), Gift of N. Robert Cumming, G98.1.28