Majolica

Updated September 5, 2010


Historical Society of the Phoenixville Area 204 Church St, Phoenixville, PA 19460 hspa@verizon.net 610-935-7646 www.hspa-pa.org or www.phoenixvillehistoricalsociety.org
Majolica
	The Phoenix Pottery, Kaolin, and Fire Brick Company was started in 1867 by the same men who owned the Phoenix Iron Works. They were looking for a nearby source of fire bricks for the plant's furnaces. Deposits of kaolin had been discovered at Third and Main Streets, along the road to Valley Forge and from a pit along the Pickering Creek. This clay was of a superior quality, almost pure, making possible fine refractory bricks and pottery in the kilns at Starr and Church Streets. David Smith, a potter from England, later joined the firm adding his talents to that of John Griffen (of the Iron Works and Griffen Gun fame) and David and Samuel Reeves. Later Griffen, seeking a business for his son, Harry, bought shares in the business. William Hill was a boss potter, who may have owned shares. By 1882, the firm was known as Griffen, Smith and Hill (GS & H), and it began manufacturing Etruscan majolica. In ancient times the Etruscans, or residents of the region around Rome, Italy, had excelled in making this form of pottery--all made by hand. GS & H added the word "Etruscan" to their logo. The firm had steam engines for pressing and grinding and devices to mold the table ware. The high gloss and brilliant colors came from glazes made from oxides to which tin and lead were added. Greens came from copper oxide, black from manganese, and blue from cobalt. The oxides were ground, added to liquid clay or slip and sand to make the glazes. Tin added to the lead in the glazes gave Phoenixville majolica its special brilliance. The glazes required the talents of carefully-trained artists, because the process allowed no retouching. Many local women went to work at the company and painted on the lovely blend of pearl-like colors that distinguish GS & H majolica. In 1890, there was a bad fire at the plant. Four months later it reopened as the Griffen Pottery Company and in 1894 became the Phoenix Pottery. William Hill left the firm in the early 1880's and Mr. Smith sold out in 1889 due to poor health. In 1894, at the World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition in New Orleans, two vases and a jug submitted by GS & H won the Gold Metal. Changing tastes and a market glut (majolica was given away for large purchases in A & P stores) lowered the demand for majolica. Nine different owners subsequently could not make a profit, and so the firm closed for good in 1903. Interest in majolica has revived in recent years. It is displayed in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Chester County Historical Society, and in some other museums as well. There are many fine private collections of majolica. Our museum has a small representative collection on display in our Miriam Clegg Room. Copies of a 1960 catalogue showing most of the Griffen, Smith & Hill pieces is available for sale at the Society. Click to return to Top of Page Click to return to Main Page