Aesthetic Movement Doulton Faience Shaped Botanical Pottery Vase Signed by Artist Mary M Arding

Details

Description

The Painter’s Panel: Doulton Faience Botanical Vase by Mary M. Arding
________________________________________

This is an exceptional and highly collectible Doulton … Read more The Painter’s Panel: Doulton Faience Botanical Vase by Mary M. Arding
________________________________________

This is an exceptional and highly collectible Doulton Faience Vase, a product of the Doulton factory’s art pottery studio at Lambeth. It is notable for its unusual, molded shape and is personally signed by one of the renowned female decorators of the era, Mary M. Arding.

• Form and Style: The flat-sided, molded vase has an inverse pear-shape (or reverse baluster) body, set on a slightly flared, rectangular foot. The neck is similarly flared. The design is a textbook example of the Aesthetic Movement (c. 1870–1890), which emphasized "Art for Art's sake" and celebrated natural motifs and unconventional color harmonies.

• Decoration: The vase is decorated with contrasting hand-painted panels:
o Side 1 (Daffodils): Features a full cluster of yellow and cream daffodils and green leaves against a deep, mottled dark brown ground.
o Side 2 (Cherry Blossom): Features delicate white cherry blossoms and brown/ochre foliage against a contrasting, vibrant aqua-colored panel.

o Frame: The pictorial panels are framed by a lighter ochre ground with bands of brown, and the narrow sides feature an abstract, geometric pattern reminiscent of stained glass or marquetry, connecting the piece to the broader Arts and Crafts influence.

• Artist Mark: The hand-painted monogram MMA clearly identifies the decorator as Mary M. Arding.
• Manufacturer: Doulton Lambeth (London, England)
• Artist: Mary M. Arding (active 1878–1883)
• Date: Early 1880s (Dating from the artist's tenure at Doulton)
• Style: Aesthetic Movement / Art Pottery
• Material: Faience Earthenware, Polychrome Enamels

• Dimensions: 13 inches (33.02 cm) High x 8 inches (20.32 cm) Wide x 3 1/4 inches (8.26 cm) Deep

• Marks (Reverse): Circular printed mark with LAMBETH/ DOULTON/ FAIENCE and four interlocking D's; also painted MMA/1171 (pattern/model number) and 553 (batch number).

• Provenance: Private New York Collector, bearing a paper label for the Whitley Collection.

Historical Context: Women in the Art Pottery Movement

This vase is a significant piece from the Doulton Faience department, a high-end line created by Sir Henry Doulton for the flourishing market of artistic ceramics.

Mary M. Arding (MMA)
Mary M. Arding was one of the talented, often unheralded, female ceramic artists who defined the Doulton aesthetic. Working at Lambeth from 1878 to 1883, her style, characterized by delicate and naturalistic floral designs, was a direct expression of the Aesthetic Movement's reverence for nature. Her skill was recognized internationally, culminating in a silver medal at the 1883 International Exhibition in London. The use of her personal monogram and a unique pattern number underscores the importance Doulton placed on their decorators as individual artists.

Doulton Faience
The term Faience refers to the line of finely painted tin-glazed earthenwares produced by Doulton, distinct from their more common salt-glazed stoneware. The Faience line attracted artists who specialized in painting, allowing the factory to produce highly colorful and detailed artistic vases and plaques that are now key collector items representing late Victorian design.

References
• Dennis, Richard. The Doulton Lambeth Wares. (Standard reference documenting the Doulton artists' monograms, including Mary M. Arding, and the Faience line).
• The Victorian Web and other sources documenting the work of female Doulton artists and the Doulton Faience line at the Paris Exhibition of 1878.
• Doulton Factory Marks: The printed mark with the four interlocking D's dates the factory production to the late 19th century, fitting precisely with Arding's tenure.

(Ref: VM98525) See less