'Bush beauties' plaque handpainted by Louis Bilton
Object No. A3614
Before Louis Bilton (c1860-1910) took up employment as painter with Doulton & Co in Burslem (Stafforshire, England) in 1892, he travelled to Sydney in 1885-7 to make drawings of the native flora to illustrate 'The picturesque atlas of Australasia' , a monumental three volume set published between 1886 and 1888 by John Sands. The atlas sold a massive 50 000 copies. According to John Shorter Sr, Bilton secured this important commission "courtesy of Julian R Ashton [key contributor to the album alongside other artists such as Henry Fullwood, Tom Roberst and Marian Ellis Rowan]... as his effort to obtain employment at the Technical College failed, and the work given to him by John Sands, and as teacher of Keramic Painting were insuficient to support him"*. While in Sydney, Bilton was a member of the Royal Art Society of NSW and he exhibited his 'Bush Beautis' in the Society's eighth exhibition of 1887; the catalogue entry listed its price at 26.5 pounds making the plaque the most priced entry of the eleven works that featured in the 'original from nature' category . Bilton drew on his many Australian sketches to decorate Doulton pieces. Fine objects decorated by him contributed to Doulton's success at the 1893 Chicago Exhibition which secured the firm seven of the highest awards, the most given to any ceramic company. Doulton also later used various printed designs of Australian flowers based on Bilton's originals. Bilton painted a copy of his Sydney plaque in England in 1892 on a Doulton bone-china platter which is also in this Museum's collection. Eva Czernis-Ryl, Curator * J Shorter, 'Modern pottery: with some photographs', Art and Architecture, Vol II, no 6, Nov-Dec 1905, p.247
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Summary
Object Statement
Plaque, 'Bush beauties', porcelain / bone china, blank made by Wedgwood & Sons, England, c. 1885, handpainted by Louis Bilton in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1886
Physical Description
A large flat circular plaque, the entire surface painted with a sumptuous bouquet of Australian native flowers mostly waratah (four flowers) and the white/pink Wonga Wonga vine (Pandorea pandorana). A blue and brown butterfly completes the composition right at the top. Foot ring pierced in four places for hanging. Band of purple/brown along edge of rim.
DIMENSIONS
Height
25 mm
Diameter
350 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
This plaque was painted by Louis Bilton in Sydney in 1886 and fired in his own kiln in Dowling Street (according to John Shorter: Burton Street) Surry Hills. Exhibited in Melbourne obtaining gold medal first prize. Described by R T Barker in 1915 as : "A Waratah Plaque'; painted from living specimens by Douton artist Louis Bilton when visisting Australia in the Eighties" ( R T Baker, The Australian Flora in Applied Art, 1915)
HISTORY
Notes
John Shorer Sr thus recalled production of this work in 1905: 'That we can decorate pottery, however, when we have Keramic artists with British buli-dog pertinacity in their veins, I prove to you by the illustration no 1, of Louis Bilton's Plague of 'Bush Beauties'. This was painted in a corner of my own office (then in George Street) in 1885 (sic), and fired in a kiln Bilton erected in the back yard of his own lodginns in Burton Street, Surry Hills. The plaque and colours were sent to him by his old employers, Minton and Co." Eva Czernis-Ryl J Shorter, 'Modern pottery: with some photographs', in : Art and Architecture, Vol II, no 6, Nov-Dec 1905. p.247
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of Mr John Shorter, 1943
Acquisition Date
29 July 1943
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