Thomas Denstone, kilnman at the Benthall Pottery, with a barbotine vase against a stack of saggars, 1905.
- Barbotine is from the French, meaning ’slip’ or ‘liquid clay’. Coloured slip was painted onto the clay body of a pot in the manner of oil paint. It is a similar technique to impasto, used in painting.
- Slip was thickly applied to create a textured, relief, surface.
- An advertisement in The Severn Valley, 1882, mentioned this range: “The ware known to connoisseurs as ‘Barbotine’ has also been very successfully produced here.”
- The Wrexham Advertiser, 21 December 1883, in commenting on Christmas stock displayed in the glass and china department of Bayley & Co., 51 Hope Street, Wrexham, said:
“Foremost, however, amongst the attractions in this department is the Salopian Barbotine, being the productions of the Salopian Art Pottery Company. These articles, which embrace flower pots, vases and drawing room ornaments – exquisitely enamel painted gold and bronze with beautiful effects, the colouring, though rich, being judiciously blended and well subdued – are thoroughly well worthy a visit of inspection. The designs consist chiefly of fruit and flowers, elaborately treated, while some of the articles are perfectly plain in character, the whole, however, forming specimens of the most perfect workmanship.”
- Salopian Art Pottery barbotine pieces typically feature flowers, especially daisies, chrysanthemums, rhododendrons, clematis, and fruit blossom, often against a graduated background that fades from dark to light.
- The Benthall Pottery Company produced barbotine ware until the early years of the 20th century, as evidenced by a photograph of 1905 showing kilnman Thomas Denstone holding a large barbotine vase (see image, above right).
- Pieces were usually marked with the simple impressed SALOPIAN mark, though unmarked pieces are known but can be attributed to the Benthall Pottery Company on comparative grounds.
