April30_2008

Botanical Glossary - Home - References Cited

Most Royal Doulton artists were trained within Doultons own factory but some like Charles Noke and Mark Marshall came to Doulton from other factories.

By 1884 Henry Doulton had agreed to allow his artists to spread their artistic wings and he was soon surrounded by one of the most outstanding teams of modellers, decorators and painters in the world of ceramics.

Mark V Marshall also had a soft spot for rabbits and they appear on several unique pieces from the early 1900's, ranging from a stylish art nouveau vase with rabbits in silhouette to a container in the form of a rabbit. Marshall often endowed rabbits with human characteristics and his Waning of the Honeymoon depicts a disenchanted rabbit couple with their backs turned on each other. The husband has his arms folded in resignation perhaps he has just discovered that his wife is a Doulton collector and her hobby has cost him a lot of money! It has been made in different colored stoneware and in matt Silicon glaze finish and would be a wonderful addition to any rabbit collection. Even rarer is Marshall's brown stoneware figure of a rabbit in a nightgown entitled The Yawn but this does not have as much charm as the jaded rabbit couple.

The Royal Doulton Company is one of the most renowned English companies producing tableware and collectibles, with a history dating back to 1815. Operating originally in London, its reputation grew in the area known as The Potteries, where it was a relative latecomer compared to other leading names such as Spode, Wedgwood and Minton. Today, its products include dinnerware, giftware, cookware, porcelain, glassware, collectibles, jewelry, linens, curtains, and lighting, among other items.

The company's three key brands are Royal Doulton, Royal Albert and Minton. Together, the three brands make up Doulton Home, which is now part of the Waterford Wedgwood group. Most of the pieces in these three brands are today manufactured outside the United Kingdom, in the Far East and Indonesia.

By 1871, Henry Doulton, John's son, had launched a studio at the Lambeth pottery, and offered work to designers and artists from a local art school. Their names included the Barlow family (Florence, Hannah, and Arthur), Frank Butler, Mark Marshall, Eliza Simmance, and George Tinworth.

Photos - As promised from yesterdays photo pages, the rest of the gargoyles from the display at Telus Convention Center in downtown Calgary, Alberta. These Gargoyles were once part of the adornment of the Calgary Herald Building, originally built in 1912. The Southam family commissioned Mr. Marshall who worked for the famous ceramic and pottery company Royal Dulton to sculpture the Gargoyles.

Center frame bottom Row: I awoke about 6:22 AM to look out the window of our room at the Bow Valley Delta Hotel with a fresh layer of snow. The sculpture I saw below me was the "Family Of Man" works by English artist Mario Armengol.

These statues were first built by Mario Armengol for Britain's Pavilion at Expo 67. The statues are 21 feet tall. The statues were purchased by Maxwell Cummings and Sons, who then donated them to the Calgary Board of Education.

In 1967, the World Fair was held in Montreal Canada. At this meeting of nations, titled Expo 67, Great Britain exhibited a curious piece of artwork created by sculptor Mario Armengol. The artist created the sculpture in response to the request for the creation of an art piece to express the serious task of resolving international issues. The result was Family of Man.
Family of Man is a lofty sculpture of 10 emaciated people appearing to communicate in a friendly manner. Standing 21 feet tall and constructed of aluminum, the people do not appear to portray a specific gender, nationality, emotion, or clothing. According to the artist, this anonymity symbolizes the unification of all the nations. The positive nature of their gestures was to reflect how the international issues would be resolved—by positive and constructive communication.

After the Montreal Expo, a private citizen by the name of Robert Cummings thought the sculpture would make an excellent addition to Calgary, Canada and so he purchased it and gave it to the city. After considerable thought, the city of Calgary finally decided to place Family of Man in front of the Calgary Board of Education.

In the summer of 2007, the Calgary City Council granted the Calgary Board of Education permission to have another building designed to replace the existing one. The council members believed that the building in which the administrators were housed was overdue for an overhaul and that building at a new location was best. It is uncertain where exactly the Family of Man sculpture will be moved, but it will live in a different location.

Click here for more photos of Calgary for this day.