In 1898 Edward Richard Taylor, the Principal at the Birmingham School of Art, founded The Ruskin Pottery, named after John Ruskin (1819-1900) whose teachings and philosophy Taylor admired. Taylor’s son, William Howson Taylor took over the pottery in 1912. Howson Taylor was fascinated by ceramics from other cultures, especially high-fired Chinese stonewares and porcelains from the Song and Ming dynasties, with their rich, flambé glazes. He achieved great success in creating a range of high temperature glaze effects, which were of great influence in the development of English ceramics between the wars.On his closure of the factory, Taylor fulfilled a promise to his father that ‘no-one but the Ruskin Pottery would produce Ruskin wares’, and destroyed all his glaze and body recipes. |
