The World of Whimsy

This is the 'Jugler' vase made by Louis Solon of Mintons in 1900. He applied the porcelain decoration one layer at a time by carefully carving out the design, and then firing the vase. Some pieces had over ten layers - if there was a fault during firing, the piece was thrown away, and Solon had to start all over again.

It was meticulous, painstaking work and this vase took Solon over two weeks to complete.

Fifty years later, Wade Ceramics brought out their range of Whimsies: mass-produced, poorly-sculpted, and with paintwork that would not have passed muster at a primary school.

It was arguably the most egregious corner-cutting in the history of ceramics.