Taxile Maximin Doat (1851–1939) was a French potter who is primarily known for his experimentation with high-fired porcelain (''grand feu'') and stoneware using the ''
pâte-sur-pâte
''Pâte-sur-pâte'' is a French term meaning "paste on paste". It is a method of porcelain decoration in which a relief design is created on an unfired, unglazed body, usually with a coloured body, by applying successive layers of (usually) white p ...
'' technique. His book on these techniques ''Grand Feu Ceramics'' was published in 1905 and helped spread his discoveries internationally. His influence is apparent in the types of
glazes and approaches used in
studio pottery
Studio pottery is pottery made by professional and amateur artists or artisans working alone or in small groups, making unique items or short runs. Typically, all stages of manufacture are carried out by the artists themselves.Emmanuel Cooper, ...
in the twentieth century.
Doat worked at the
Manufacture nationale de Sèvres
The ''Manufacture nationale de Sèvres'' is one of the principal European porcelain factories. It is located in Sèvres, Hauts-de-Seine, France. It is the continuation of Vincennes porcelain, founded in 1740, which moved to Sèvres in 1756. It ...
from 1877 to 1905, and was one of the artists who introduced the
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
style. Starting in 1895, Doat began working in a house at 47 rue Brancas in the village of
Sèvres
Sèvres (, ) is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Île-de-France region. The commune, which had a population of 23,251 as of 2018, is known for i ...
. These studio ceramics were different from the pieces he produced at the Sèvres factory, which often had small heads or figures in a Renaissance style, placed on fields relying on glaze effects for interest. He now replaced the typical classical subjects: garlands, gods, and drapery with new forms derived from the
Japonisme
''Japonisme'' is a French term that refers to the popularity and influence of Japanese art and design among a number of Western European artists in the nineteenth century following the forced reopening of foreign trade with Japan in 1858. Japon ...
that influenced French art pottery in the 1890s. He also began producing organic forms based on gourds, and employing new, grand feu glazes he invented.
In 1909, Doat was one of the three international leaders of ceramics hired as a professor, along with
Frederick Hurten Rhead
Frederick Hurten Rhead (1880–1942) was a ceramicist and a major figure in the Arts and Crafts movement. A native of England, worked as a potter in the United States for most of his career. In addition to teaching pottery techniques, Rhead wa ...
and
Adelaïde Alsop Robineau
Adelaide Alsop Robineau (1865–1929) was an American china painter and potter, and is considered one of the top ceramists of American art pottery in her era.
Early life and education
Adelaide Alsop was born in 1865 in Middletown, Connecticut. Sh ...
, at the ''Art Academy and Porcelain Works,'' founded in a St. Louis suburb,
University City, Missouri
University City (colloquially, U. City) is an inner-ring suburb of the city of St. Louis in St. Louis County, Missouri, St. Louis County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was measured at 35,065 by the 2020 United States Census, 2020 c ...
.
Doat brought with him a collection of 172 examples of his work, which by this time was mostly in his vegetal style. He continued to work in this style in
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
, making a limited number of shapes in molds, rather than being hand-thrown, with the examples differing greatly in terms of their individual glazing. However, he also taught his old pâte-sur-pâte style there, and some fine examples were produced by his students.
[Frelinghuysen, 290] He had a considerable influence on
American art pottery
American art pottery (sometimes capitalized) refers to aesthetically distinctive hand-made ceramics in earthenware and stoneware from the period 1870-1950s. Ranging from tall vases to tiles, the work features original designs, simplified shapes, an ...
.
The founder of University City,
Edward Gardner Lewis
Edward Gardner Lewis (March 4, 1869 – August 10, 1950) was an American magazine publisher, land development promoter, and political activist. He was the founder of two planned communities that are now cities: University City, Missouri, and Ata ...
, went bankrupt in 1911, and was no longer able to support the pottery studio. Doat was able to continue pottery production during 1912–14.
[David Conradsen and Ellen Paul Denker, ''University City Ceramics: Art Pottery of the American Woman's League'', ]Saint Louis Art Museum
The Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM) is one of the principal U.S. art museums, with paintings, sculptures, cultural objects, and ancient masterpieces from all corners of the world. Its three-story building stands in Forest Park in St. Louis, Mi ...
, 200
/ref>
File:Clevelandart 1984.188 (cropped).jpg, Bottle with figures, 1895, Sèvres porcelain
File:Dish MET DT6046 (cropped).jpg, Dish with pâte-sur-pâte
''Pâte-sur-pâte'' is a French term meaning "paste on paste". It is a method of porcelain decoration in which a relief design is created on an unfired, unglazed body, usually with a coloured body, by applying successive layers of (usually) white p ...
cameo inserts, 1900, Sèvres
File:Plaque, Taxile Maximin Doat designer, Sèvres, 1901 - Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art - DSC08976.JPG, Plaque with pâte-sur-pâte
''Pâte-sur-pâte'' is a French term meaning "paste on paste". It is a method of porcelain decoration in which a relief design is created on an unfired, unglazed body, usually with a coloured body, by applying successive layers of (usually) white p ...
cameo inserts, 1901, Sèvres porcelain
File:Dish MET DT5921 (cropped).jpg, Dish with classical head, 1905, Sèvres porcelain
File:Dish MET ES3458.jpg, Back of previous dish, with marks
File:Céramique Taxile Doat Gemeentemuseum Den Haag 16022016 1 (cropped).jpg, Dish with figures
File:Céramique Taxile Doat Gemeentemuseum Den Haag 16022016 2 (cropped).jpg, Dish with head
File:Vase (USA), 1913 (CH 18618561) (cropped).jpg, Vase, 1913 (USA)
File:Art Academy of People's University.jpg, Doat (at far right), Frederick Hurten Rhead
Frederick Hurten Rhead (1880–1942) was a ceramicist and a major figure in the Arts and Crafts movement. A native of England, worked as a potter in the United States for most of his career. In addition to teaching pottery techniques, Rhead wa ...
(far left), and others at the Art Academy of People's University (now the Lewis Center) in University City, Missouri
University City (colloquially, U. City) is an inner-ring suburb of the city of St. Louis in St. Louis County, Missouri, St. Louis County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was measured at 35,065 by the 2020 United States Census, 2020 c ...
, celebrating its first high-firing kiln in April 1910
File:Studio of Taxile Doat.jpg, In his studio, published 1912
File:Ausstellung 2014 im Hetjens Museum über den französischen Keramiker Taxile Doat.jpg, Exhibition on Doat, Museum Kunstpalast, Hetjens Museum, Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
, 2014
References
*Frelinghuysen, Alice Cooney, ''American Porcelain, 1770-1920'', 1989, Metropolitan Museum of Art, , 9780870995408
fully online
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doat, Taxile
1851 births
1939 deaths
American potters
French potters
French emigrants to the United States
Art Nouveau designers
Art pottery