BIRDS AND BUTTERFLIES

Three Centuries of Decorating Ceramics with Winged Creatures

CURATORIAL TEAM

Patricia Begg
John Scarce
Margaret Cone
Harry Blackburn
Neil Keir
Jennifer le Messurier

Published by the Ceramics and Glass Circle of Australia Inc.
P.O. Box 243 Hawksburn 3142

© Copyright: Ceramics and Glass Circle of Australia, 1999

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Editor: Chris Begg
Photography: Patricia Begg

INTRODUCTION

"Birds and Butterflies" developed as a result of the 1997 Circle’s exhibition "Flowers of Fantasy". As the team worked with the very beautiful objects offered by our many lenders it became obvious that although they all had wonderful flower painting, many also had wonderful birds, butterflies and insects. The decision to separate the material into two exhibitions was made when we were confronted with a wonderful piece with exotic birds on one side and wonderful flower painting on the other. The theme of "Birds and Butterflies" within the decoration emerged as an obvious exhibition.

The Circle’s exhibitions are reliant on the content of both public and private collections offered to us, for this exhibition the offer of a fine Oriental collection opened up a second theme - the use of birds and insects within Chinese culture as important symbols for life.

The catalogue includes articles by Margaret Cone on symbolism and by John Scarce on the European fascination with birds and butterflies from the new lands.

In the Oriental cabinets we show two forms of decoration.

The first being famille verte which is a category of Chinese decoration so called because the predominant characteristic is brilliant transparent green enamel. The palette also includes under-glaze and on-glaze blue, on-glaze iron red, yellow and aubergine-purple. The best examples are from Kangxi (1662 - 1722), this style was sometimes copied in the West.

The second is famille rose which is a Chinese decoration developed around "Purple of Cassius" (derived from gold in 1685) and has the existing on-glaze famille verte colours made opaque to blend with pink to purple tones of the "Purple of Cassius". It was at its best in Yongzheng (1723 - 1735) and there after became increasingly more commercial. The palette and designs were much copied in the West.

The exhibition then moves to the West where in the eighteenth century we show the whimsical nature of the use of insects and birds. Sometimes there is just a Lady-Bird covering a flaw in the porcelain, at other times an exotic butterfly or imaginary bird being the primary part of the decoration. The limited eighteenth century palette of colour required imagination and artistry to produce such beautiful painting.

The nineteenth century with its extended colour range and flamboyant gold together with the increasing fascination with birds and butterflies of the new world now on show in the menageries and museums of Europe and England brought about the exotic painting of the Regency period.

The cover shows a pair Kerr and Binns (circa 1860) pilgrim flasks decorated with Australian birds (a Major Mitchell cockatoo and a green rosella) produced for an exhibition in Melbourne in 1869.

The fashion for birds as the primary part of decoration continued through to today. An example of contemporary painting is Marilyn Schofield’s bowl, commissioned to celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of Australia, and is painted with "Gouldian Finches of Australia".

The Circle wishes to thank the three public collections and twenty-seven private collectors from whom the pieces for this exhibition have been drawn. The public collections are: the Geelong Art Gallery, The Johnston Collection and Como Historic House and Garden (National Trust of Victoria). Such an exhibition would not be possible without the generosity of all these people.

By Patricia Begg