Knowledge

Martin Brothers

Source 📝

233: 297: 261: 221: 273: 249: 285: 19: 102:, where it remained and several of the brothers were ultimately buried in the cemetery along the road. Walter Fraser Martin (1857-1912) supplied the technical expertise, specializing in coloured glazes and became the firm's specialist on the wheel; Edwin Bruce Martin (1860-1915) was the thrower and decorator whose work included most of the fish and flower designs; and Charles Douglas Martin (1846 - 1910) managed the shop. This was at 16 Brownlow St, 117:, which fused with the clay and gave a surface which could be glassy or matt depending on the conditions of each firing. Whereas many stoneware glazes are coloured and obscure the body underneath, the saltglaze method served to highlight the impressed and incised decoration on the surface of their pots. The colours included browns, greens, greys and blues, and this subdued palette is distinctive of Martinware. 79: 62:" vary, and do not represent any actual species, but generally have a large and rather fierce-looking beak, massive feet and talons, and a quizzical look in their large eyes, which have a rather human shape. Their heads lift off to reveal a cavity in the body, generally intended to store pipe tobacco. 65:
Martinware, especially the sculptural pieces, is very popular with collectors, and as of 2015 the record auction price was US$ 196,000 for a bird jar. In December 2018, a large anthropomorphic grinning crab was sold at Phillips in New York for a hammer price of $ 220,000 (£184,000). It was subject to
57:
pottery from the 1870s through to 1914, when their pottery closed, with a little work being produced through to 1923, when the last brother, Robert Wallace Martin, died. Their output included both vessels and figures. They were best known for their bird sculptures and bowls, vessels decorated with
131:
Robert Wallace Martin, the oldest brother, had worked for a while for the architectural sculptor J. B. Phillips of Vauxhall Bridge Road, and later took drawing classes at the nearby Lambeth School of Art. Walter and Edwin Martin also studied there, and both worked for a time at the
206:
Martinware has been popular with collectors, especially since the 1970s. A new record auction price of US$ 196,000 was set in 2015 (Phillips, New York) for a 14 inch high "wally bird" jar from 1889, supposedly one of a few caricaturing
232: 416: 220: 296: 260: 248: 66:
a temporary export ban from the UK and with the help of the Art Fund was purchased for £260,700 (total buyer’s costs plus VAT). It is now on display at
284: 272: 361: 120:
Their most flamboyant design period was from about 1880–1900, and after 1900 their designs simplified somewhat, under the influence of
349: 184: 401: 194:
Belgravia in 1978 did much to revive interest. There were Martinware exhibitions at the Cuming Museum, London in 2013 and
467: 477: 462: 482: 164: 46:, and they were one of the earliest potteries making this, but in modern terms they fit better into the 362:
https://www.artfund.org/supporting-museums/art-weve-helped-buy/artwork/14066/large-anthropomorphic-crab
447: 472: 176: 159:
Martinware pottery may be found in various ceramic museum collections. Up until its closure in 2015,
18: 113:
stoneware, fired at a high-temperature with salt thrown into the kiln during firing to create the
487: 435: 350:
https://www.antiquestradegazette.com/news/2019/martin-brothers-grinning-crab-barred-from-export/
208: 67: 211:. The previous record was £75,000 for another bird jar of 1898 (Woolley & Wallis, 2014). 214:
More typical prices for bird jars and good size vases were in the £10-20,000 range in 2018.
160: 329: 180: 47: 53:
The four brothers (Wallace, Walter, Charles and Edwin) produced a distinctive type of
456: 148: 144: 133: 114: 372: 58:
sea creatures, and tiles, fashioned in a whimsical but highly skillful style. The "
103: 191: 121: 78: 43: 239: 59: 417:"Fresh partnership kicks off with York sale of Soame Jenyns' Oriental group" 110: 99: 90:, London in 1873 by Robert Wallace Martin (1843–1923), who had trained as a 54: 94:. In 1877 the business was moved to Havelock Road, in the London suburb of 26:", 1896; with wood base, 20 1/4 in., 51.4 cm high, weight of pottery 15 lb 172: 125: 95: 91: 195: 140: 35: 168: 87: 38:
manufacturers in London from 1873 to 1914. In their own day their
77: 17: 342:
Record-breaking Martin Brothers grinning crab barred from export
23: 226:
Vase with birds and portrait, 1876, c. 23 in, 54 cm tall
171:. The remaining Martinware collection is now on display at the 151:, is the only commission by the Martin Brothers for a church. 106:, and opened in 1878, but closed after a fire there in 1903. 448:
Aberystwyth University, page with bio & nearly 40 images
254:
Wally bird jar, 1888, 12 3/16 in., 31 cm high, on base.
187:
exhibits examples of Martinware in its Art Pottery cases.
266:
Jar with four birds, 1892, 8 5/16 in., 21.1 cm tall
242:
plaque (wood frame) depicting a pottery workshop, c. 1882
82:
Walter F. Martin, Robert Wallace Martin and Edwin Martin
302:
Small vase with birds, 1905, c. 3 in, 8 cm tall
163:
displayed a wide range of their work in the Manor's
190:An exhibition, "The Martin Brothers Potters", at 70:, which has over 100 examples of Martinware. 8: 402:"Phillips set new high for Martin Brothers" 432:The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts 313: 216: 290:Pot with dragons, 1894, inscribed base 179:. A small selection is on show in the 50:category, which was invented later. 7: 185:Potteries Museum & Art Gallery 14: 404:, by Roland Arkell, 31 Dec 2015, 419:, by Terence Ryle, 29 Oct 2018, 295: 283: 271: 259: 247: 231: 219: 1: 74:History, wares and technique 155:Collections and exhibitions 86:The Pottery was started in 504: 198:(National Trust) in 2016. 136:Pottery, also in Lambeth. 109:They worked mainly with a 68:The Box museum, Plymouth 430:"Grove": "Martin", in 421:Antiques Trade Gazette 406:Antiques Trade Gazette 346:Antiques Trade Gazette 278:Pot with dragons, 1894 165:Hull Grundy Collection 83: 27: 81: 21: 238:Somewhat untypical 84: 28: 340:Chesters, Laura, 209:Benjamin Disraeli 42:was described as 22:Martin Brothers " 495: 468:Brother quartets 423: 414: 408: 399: 393: 390: 384: 381: 375: 370: 364: 358: 352: 338: 332: 327: 321: 318: 299: 287: 275: 263: 251: 235: 223: 161:Pitshanger Manor 503: 502: 498: 497: 496: 494: 493: 492: 478:English pottery 463:English potters 453: 452: 444: 427: 426: 415: 411: 400: 396: 391: 387: 382: 378: 371: 367: 359: 355: 339: 335: 330:Burslem Pottery 328: 324: 319: 315: 310: 303: 300: 291: 288: 279: 276: 267: 264: 255: 252: 243: 236: 227: 224: 204: 177:Dominion Centre 175:Library in the 157: 76: 32:Martin Brothers 12: 11: 5: 501: 499: 491: 490: 485: 483:Studio pottery 480: 475: 470: 465: 455: 454: 451: 450: 443: 442:External links 440: 439: 438: 425: 424: 409: 394: 385: 376: 373:Ceramics Today 365: 353: 333: 322: 312: 311: 309: 306: 305: 304: 301: 294: 292: 289: 282: 280: 277: 270: 268: 265: 258: 256: 253: 246: 244: 237: 230: 228: 225: 218: 203: 200: 181:Norwich Castle 156: 153: 75: 72: 48:studio pottery 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 500: 489: 486: 484: 481: 479: 476: 474: 471: 469: 466: 464: 461: 460: 458: 449: 446: 445: 441: 437: 433: 429: 428: 422: 418: 413: 410: 407: 403: 398: 395: 389: 386: 380: 377: 374: 369: 366: 363: 357: 354: 351: 348:, June 2019, 347: 343: 337: 334: 331: 326: 323: 317: 314: 307: 298: 293: 286: 281: 274: 269: 262: 257: 250: 245: 241: 234: 229: 222: 217: 215: 212: 210: 201: 199: 197: 193: 188: 186: 182: 178: 174: 170: 166: 162: 154: 152: 150: 149:Hertfordshire 147:’s Church in 146: 145:Ayot St Peter 142: 137: 135: 134:Royal Doulton 129: 127: 123: 118: 116: 115:ceramic glaze 112: 107: 105: 101: 97: 93: 89: 80: 73: 71: 69: 63: 61: 56: 51: 49: 45: 41: 37: 33: 25: 20: 16: 436:google books 431: 420: 412: 405: 397: 388: 379: 368: 356: 345: 341: 336: 325: 316: 213: 205: 189: 183:museum. The 158: 141:chancel arch 138: 130: 119: 108: 104:High Holborn 85: 64: 52: 39: 31: 29: 15: 473:Art pottery 167:, based in 122:Art Nouveau 60:Wally Birds 44:art pottery 457:Categories 360:Art Fund, 308:References 240:terracotta 202:Collectors 40:Martinware 488:Stoneware 192:Sotheby's 111:saltglaze 100:Middlesex 55:stoneware 30:The four 173:Southall 126:Japonism 96:Southall 92:sculptor 196:Standen 36:pottery 169:Ealing 88:Fulham 392:Grove 383:Grove 320:Grove 34:were 139:The 124:and 24:Bird 143:in 459:: 434:, 344:, 128:. 98:,

Index


Bird
pottery
art pottery
studio pottery
stoneware
Wally Birds
The Box museum, Plymouth

Fulham
sculptor
Southall
Middlesex
High Holborn
saltglaze
ceramic glaze
Art Nouveau
Japonism
Royal Doulton
chancel arch
Ayot St Peter
Hertfordshire
Pitshanger Manor
Hull Grundy Collection
Ealing
Southall
Dominion Centre
Norwich Castle
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
Sotheby's

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.