Charles Vyse
Encyclopedia
Charles Vyse was an English studio potter
, noted for producing colourful figurines of characters seen on London streets.
Charles was part of a Staffordshire family that had traditionally been involved in the pottery industry. He was apprenticed to Doulton
in Burslem
at age fourteen as a modeller and designer, and trained by Charles Noke. Henry Doulton
saw his potential and steered him to the Hanley Art School where he won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art
in London. At the RCA he studied sculpture: his years there were from 1905 to 1910, including a travelling scholarship to visit Italy in 1909. In 1911 he became a member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors
and married Nell (1892-1967). In 1912 he studied at the Camberwell School of Art.
In 1914 Vyse executed a frieze depicting potters and miners above the entrance to a new technical college in Stoke-on-Trent
(now Staffordshire University
). The frieze is in Hollington
sandstone
, and shows the influence of the New Sculpture
movement.
Doulton produced designs by Vyse in the inter-war period, for example a figurine called "Darling". However, Vyse is best-remembered for the thousands of pieces produced by a studio pottery at Cheyne Walk
in Chelsea
, which he started in 1919 with his wife. Here they produced figurines based on ordinary people seen in London. These slip
-cast statuettes proved to be extremely popular and a number of women were employed to produce them. Their studio pottery also produced two other types of ware: revivalist oriental forms and glazes, and art deco
hand-decorated functional stoneware.
Vyse's neighbour, George Eumorfopoulos
, had amassed a large collection of Chinese Sung
, Korean and Persian pottery. These caught Vyse's interest, and he started experimenting in the Sung style. Nell, who had trained as a singer, had also studied German and French, enabling her to decipher 19th century works on early Chinese glazes and Charles to reproduce chun (an iron glaze used in Chinese celadon
ware), tenmoku
and T'zu-chou stoneware glazes. Their experiments with oriental glazes established that the blue in celadons was due to iron and not copper as had been thought. Their work was sold at Walker's Gallery in New Bond Street.
The Cheyne Walk studio was bombed in the blitz
of 1940 obliging Vyse to teach at Farnham School of Art. His relationship with Nell also ended at this time, and she devoted herself to left-wing politics
, having been a suffragette
in her early years. When the war ended, he resumed making the character figurines with the assistance of one of the Farnham students, Barbara Waller. His annual exhibitions at Walker's were resumed from 1950 up to his retirement in 1963.
Charles' and Nell's work is to be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum
, York City Art Gallery, Aberystwyth University and Stoke-on-Trent.
Studio potter
A studio potter is one who is a modern artist, who either works alone or in a small group, producing unique items of pottery in small quantities, typically with all stages of manufacture carried out by themselves. Studio pottery includes functional wares such as tableware or cookware, and...
, noted for producing colourful figurines of characters seen on London streets.
Charles was part of a Staffordshire family that had traditionally been involved in the pottery industry. He was apprenticed to Doulton
Royal Doulton
The Royal Doulton Company is an English company producing tableware and collectables, dating to 1815. Operating originally in London, its reputation grew in The Potteries, where it was a latecomer compared to Spode, Wedgwood and Minton...
in Burslem
Burslem
The town of Burslem, known as the Mother Town, is one of the six towns that amalgamated to form the current city of Stoke-on-Trent, in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, in the Midlands of England.-Topography:...
at age fourteen as a modeller and designer, and trained by Charles Noke. Henry Doulton
Henry Doulton
Sir Henry Doulton was an English businessman, inventor and manufacturer of pottery, instrumental in developing the firm of Royal Doulton....
saw his potential and steered him to the Hanley Art School where he won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
in London. At the RCA he studied sculpture: his years there were from 1905 to 1910, including a travelling scholarship to visit Italy in 1909. In 1911 he became a member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors
Royal British Society of Sculptors
The Royal British Society of Sculptors is a registered charity whose aims are to promote and support sculpture. It has a worldwide membership....
and married Nell (1892-1967). In 1912 he studied at the Camberwell School of Art.
In 1914 Vyse executed a frieze depicting potters and miners above the entrance to a new technical college in Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
(now Staffordshire University
Staffordshire University
Staffordshire University is a university with its main campus based in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and with other campuses in Stafford, Lichfield and Shrewsbury.- History :...
). The frieze is in Hollington
Hollington, Staffordshire
Hollington is a village in the English county of Staffordshire.The nearest town to Hollington is Uttoxeter to its south-east.The quarries at Hollington produce the notable red and white 'Hollington stone' which has been used for centuries in the construction of churches and stately homes...
sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, and shows the influence of the New Sculpture
New Sculpture
The New Sculpture refers to a movement in late 19th-century British sculpture.The term "New Sculpture" was coined by the first historian of the movement, the critic Edmund Gosse, who wrote a four-part series for the Art Journal in 1894...
movement.
Cheyne Walk
Cheyne Walk , is a historic street in Chelsea, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It takes its name from William Lord Cheyne who owned the manor of Chelsea until 1712. Most of the houses were built in the early 18th century. Before the construction in the 19th century of the busy...
in Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
, which he started in 1919 with his wife. Here they produced figurines based on ordinary people seen in London. These slip
Slip (ceramics)
A slip is a suspension in water of clay and/or other materials used in the production of ceramic ware. Deflocculant, such as sodium silicate, can be added to the slip to disperse the raw material particles...
-cast statuettes proved to be extremely popular and a number of women were employed to produce them. Their studio pottery also produced two other types of ware: revivalist oriental forms and glazes, and art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
hand-decorated functional stoneware.
Vyse's neighbour, George Eumorfopoulos
George Eumorfopoulos
George Aristides Eumorfopoulos , was a British collector of Chinese, Korean and Near Eastern art....
, had amassed a large collection of Chinese Sung
Sung
Sung may refer to several things:*The Song Dynasty, a dynasty of Ancient China.*An alternate transliteration of the Korean family name Song.*An alternate transliteration of the Korean family name Seong.*The Korean family name Sung....
, Korean and Persian pottery. These caught Vyse's interest, and he started experimenting in the Sung style. Nell, who had trained as a singer, had also studied German and French, enabling her to decipher 19th century works on early Chinese glazes and Charles to reproduce chun (an iron glaze used in Chinese celadon
Celadon
Celadon is a term for ceramics denoting both a type of glaze and a ware of a specific color, also called celadon. This type of ware was invented in ancient China, such as in the Zhejiang province...
ware), tenmoku
Tenmoku
Tenmoku is a dark glaze with a surface that resembles oilspotting.It is made of feldspar, limestone, and iron oxide. The more quickly a piece is cooled, the blacker the glaze will be...
and T'zu-chou stoneware glazes. Their experiments with oriental glazes established that the blue in celadons was due to iron and not copper as had been thought. Their work was sold at Walker's Gallery in New Bond Street.
The Cheyne Walk studio was bombed in the blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
of 1940 obliging Vyse to teach at Farnham School of Art. His relationship with Nell also ended at this time, and she devoted herself to left-wing politics
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
, having been a suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
in her early years. When the war ended, he resumed making the character figurines with the assistance of one of the Farnham students, Barbara Waller. His annual exhibitions at Walker's were resumed from 1950 up to his retirement in 1963.
Charles' and Nell's work is to be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
, York City Art Gallery, Aberystwyth University and Stoke-on-Trent.