Joannes de Mol
Encyclopedia
Joannes de Mol was a Dutch minister, Patriot and porcelain manufacturer in the second half of the 18th century. De Mol - like many of his contemporaries - had a great interest in poetry and scientific experiments.
, near Harlingen
and, like his father, studied theology in Leiden
. His first post was at 's-Gravenpolder
in Zeeland
, before moving in 1752 to Oud-Loosdrecht. There he got to know one of the richest women in Amsterdam, Anna de Haze who had a country house in the village and a collection of Meissen
porcelain. In 1774 De Mol bought a clay part, stored in the Muiderslot
, left over from the porcelain factory in Weesp
. That factory started in 1759 by Bertrand Philip, count of Gronsveld
, bailiff
of Muiden
and member of the Admiralty of Amsterdam
. The factory was declared a failure in 1770, and hardly produced a little more for its last two years.
De Mol began with experiments in his garden shed behind the parsonage, opposite the church in Oud-Loosdrecht. In 1774, he started producing porcelain
as a way of creating employments for the local population in the impoverished peat district. A part of the production process, however, was sited in Bilthoven. On a country estate, property of the youngest brother of Belle van Zuylen, stood a "pletmolen met stamperij" (mill with grinding facilities), where feldspar
, but possibly also cheap Chinese porcelain was added and ground up. The raw materials were mixed up with suitable white clay (from England?) and quartz
in a cellar in Utrecht
, and shipped to Oud-Loosdrecht.
The factory at Oud-Loosdrecht employed sixty men, of which twenty acted as painters and 25 were children, who also were trained in drawing. Under the foreign employees was Louis Victor Gerverot
, then known as a painter of exotic birds on porcelain. To finance the business, a few regents in Amsterdam, along with his sister-in-law, Eva de Mol-van Eibergen, acted as guarantor, jointly invested 200,000 guilders in the factory.
In 1779, De Mol was laureated by the Economics Branch
for the care of his workforce. De Mol took former soldiers from Surinam to employ. The managers of the Suriname Company had made contact with him and convened in his business. J.G. Eichhorn, a German, who had a stiff right arm, was given a salary of two guilders per week and the Association provided a same sum . Nevertheless De Mol - who had in the meantime become a patriot - had major difficulties keeping his head above water. His products were expensive: a cup and saucer costing seven guilder, then more than a week's salary for most.
De Mol's main fear was his competitor Anton Lyncke in the Hague, who imported white porcelain from Germany to the Hague for painting. De Mol organised special lotteries to finance his work, but in 1781 was again forced to borrow money from the Amsterdam banker and art collector Jan Hope
. Barbara van der Hoeven, Hope's wife, came into the possession of 25% of the shares in the Manufactuur Old-Loosdrecht (M.O.L.).
: Joachim Rendorp, John Hope, Abraham Dedel and Cornelis van der Hoop. His creditors put in place a new manager, Frederik Daeuber. De Mol died two weeks later at a prestigious lodging de Rondeel on the river Amstel
. The innkeeper tried to take possession of de Mol's stock in the warehouse on Singel
.
Johannes de Mol always had the illusion that his son would follow in his footsteps. In 1783, however, Huibert fled to Germany with a 19-year-old (under age) noble girl from Maarssen
. In 1784, porcelain production was moved to Amsterdam. It received the protection of Louis Bonaparte
, in 1806 the first king of the Netherlands. About 1820, it ceased porcelain production.
Life
De Mol was born in 1726 at MidlumMidlum, Friesland
Midlum is a small village in Harlingen in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has around 600 citizens. Midlum-Herbaijum station was on the Harlingen - Stiens line of the North Friesland Railway, which opened on 1 October 1903 to Tzummarum and Harlingen on 2 May 1904. The passenger...
, near Harlingen
Harlingen, Netherlands
Harlingen is a municipality and a city in the northern Netherlands, in the province of Friesland at the Wadden Sea. Harlingen is an old town with a long history of fishing and shipping....
and, like his father, studied theology in Leiden
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
. His first post was at 's-Gravenpolder
's-Gravenpolder
s-Gravenpolder is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Borsele, and lies about 21 kilometres east of Middelburg.'s-Gravenpolder was a separate municipality until 1970....
in Zeeland
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
, before moving in 1752 to Oud-Loosdrecht. There he got to know one of the richest women in Amsterdam, Anna de Haze who had a country house in the village and a collection of Meissen
Meissen
Meissen is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche...
porcelain. In 1774 De Mol bought a clay part, stored in the Muiderslot
Muiderslot
The Muiderslot is a castle in the Netherlands, located at the mouth of the river Vecht, some 15 kilometers southeast of Amsterdam, in Muiden, where it flows into what used to be the Zuiderzee...
, left over from the porcelain factory in Weesp
Weesp
Weesp is a town and a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It has a population of 17,533 .Weesp lies next to the rivers de Vecht and Smal Weesp and also next to the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal. It is in an area called the "Vechtstreek"...
. That factory started in 1759 by Bertrand Philip, count of Gronsveld
Bertrand Philip, Count of Gronsveld
Bertrand Philip Sigismund Albrecht, Count of Gronsveld-van Diepenbroick-Impel was a former Dutch envoy in Berlin to Frederick the Great....
, bailiff
Drost
Seneschal of the Realm, Riksdrots , Rigsdrost , or Valtakunnandrotsi is a Danish and Swedish name of a supreme state official, with at least a connotation to administration of judiciary, who in medieval Scandinavia was often a leader in the government.The word drots/drost...
of Muiden
Muiden
Muiden is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It lies at the mouth of the Vecht and is in an area called the Vechtstreek.-Population centres :...
and member of the Admiralty of Amsterdam
Admiralty of Amsterdam
The Admiralty of Amsterdam was the largest of the five Dutch admiralties at the time of the Dutch Republic. The administration of the various Admiralties was strongly influenced by provincial interests...
. The factory was declared a failure in 1770, and hardly produced a little more for its last two years.
De Mol began with experiments in his garden shed behind the parsonage, opposite the church in Oud-Loosdrecht. In 1774, he started producing porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
as a way of creating employments for the local population in the impoverished peat district. A part of the production process, however, was sited in Bilthoven. On a country estate, property of the youngest brother of Belle van Zuylen, stood a "pletmolen met stamperij" (mill with grinding facilities), where feldspar
Feldspar
Feldspars are a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals which make up as much as 60% of the Earth's crust....
, but possibly also cheap Chinese porcelain was added and ground up. The raw materials were mixed up with suitable white clay (from England?) and quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
in a cellar in Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, and shipped to Oud-Loosdrecht.
The factory at Oud-Loosdrecht employed sixty men, of which twenty acted as painters and 25 were children, who also were trained in drawing. Under the foreign employees was Louis Victor Gerverot
Louis Gerverot
Louis Victor Gerverot was a French porcelain painter and businessman.-Early life:Gerverot was born in Lunéville. His father was a "musicus" at the court of Stanisław Leszczyński, former king of Poland, who became in 1737 the duke of Lotharingen. His mother, Barbe Oubert, sent him to the porcelain...
, then known as a painter of exotic birds on porcelain. To finance the business, a few regents in Amsterdam, along with his sister-in-law, Eva de Mol-van Eibergen, acted as guarantor, jointly invested 200,000 guilders in the factory.
In 1779, De Mol was laureated by the Economics Branch
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences is an organisation dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands...
for the care of his workforce. De Mol took former soldiers from Surinam to employ. The managers of the Suriname Company had made contact with him and convened in his business. J.G. Eichhorn, a German, who had a stiff right arm, was given a salary of two guilders per week and the Association provided a same sum . Nevertheless De Mol - who had in the meantime become a patriot - had major difficulties keeping his head above water. His products were expensive: a cup and saucer costing seven guilder, then more than a week's salary for most.
De Mol's main fear was his competitor Anton Lyncke in the Hague, who imported white porcelain from Germany to the Hague for painting. De Mol organised special lotteries to finance his work, but in 1781 was again forced to borrow money from the Amsterdam banker and art collector Jan Hope
Jan Hope
John Hope , also known as Jan Hope, was the son of Thomas Hope and Margaretha Marcelis, first cousin of Henry Hope, father of Thomas Hope, and a follower of the Scottish Enlightenment, who is best known today for his Groenendaal Park in Heemstede, Netherlands, where he summered from 1767 to his...
. Barbara van der Hoeven, Hope's wife, came into the possession of 25% of the shares in the Manufactuur Old-Loosdrecht (M.O.L.).
Old age
Because of weak health and output problems, De Mol had to sell his factory in 1782 for 12,000 guilder to four Amsterdam regentsRegenten
In the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the regenten were the rulers of the Dutch Republic, the leaders of the Dutch cities or the heads of organisations . Though not formally a hereditary "class", they were de facto "patricians", comparable to that ancient Roman class...
: Joachim Rendorp, John Hope, Abraham Dedel and Cornelis van der Hoop. His creditors put in place a new manager, Frederik Daeuber. De Mol died two weeks later at a prestigious lodging de Rondeel on the river Amstel
Amstel
The Amstel is a river in the Netherlands which runs through the city of Amsterdam. The river's name is derived from Aeme stelle, old Dutch for "area abounding with water"....
. The innkeeper tried to take possession of de Mol's stock in the warehouse on Singel
Singel
Singel is an old Dutch word meaning a circle , and hence is the name of a number of circular canals in the Netherlands.*Singel *Singelgracht *Singel...
.
Johannes de Mol always had the illusion that his son would follow in his footsteps. In 1783, however, Huibert fled to Germany with a 19-year-old (under age) noble girl from Maarssen
Maarssen
Maarssen is a town and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht, along the river Vecht. It lies in an area called the Vechtstreek.On January 1, 2011 Maarssen merged with Breukelen and Loenen to Stichtse Vecht....
. In 1784, porcelain production was moved to Amsterdam. It received the protection of Louis Bonaparte
Louis Bonaparte
Louis Napoléon Bonaparte, Prince Français, Comte de Saint-Leu , King of Holland , was the fifth surviving child and the fourth surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino...
, in 1806 the first king of the Netherlands. About 1820, it ceased porcelain production.
Sources
- This article is based entirely or partially on its equivalent on Dutch Wikipedia.