Joseph-Théodore Deck (2 January 1823 – 15 May 1891) was a 19th-century French potter, an important figure in late 19th-century

art pottery Art pottery is a term for pottery with artistic aspirations, made in relatively small quantities, mostly between about 1870 and 1930. Typically, sets of the usual tableware items are excluded from the term; instead the objects produced are mostly ...

. Born in

Guebwiller Guebwiller (french: Guebwiller, ; Alsatian: ''Gàwiller'' ; ) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est currently in north-eastern France. It was a sub-prefecture of the department until 2015. It is situated northwest of Mulhous ...

Haut-Rhin Haut-Rhin (, ; Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; german: Oberelsass, ) is a department in the Grand Est region of France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine. Its name means ''Upper Rhine''. Haut-Rhin is th ...

, he began learning the trade in his early 20s, moving to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

at age 24. In 1856 he established his own

faience Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major a ...

( earthenware) workshop, Joseph-Théodore Deck Ceramique Française, and began to experiment with styles from Islamic pottery, and in particular the Iznik style. When

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. Japo ...

arrived in the 1870s he embraced this and other art pottery trends with enthusiasm, finally conquering the French establishment when he was made art director of Sèvres porcelain in 1887. Several important figures from the next generation were trained by Deck, including

Edmond Lachenal Edmond Lachenal (3 June 1855 – 10 June 1948) was a French potter. He was a key figure in the French art pottery movement,Sullivan, Elizabeth, "French Art Pottery", In ''Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History'', The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014onl ...

."Théodore Deck and the Islamic Style"
by Frederica Todd Harlow, from ''Aramco World''; Sullivan In the 1880s he also worked in the

Chinese pottery Chinese ceramics show a continuous development since pre-dynastic times and are one of the most significant forms of Chinese art and ceramics globally. The first pottery was made during the Palaeolithic era. Chinese ceramics range from construc ...

tradition, also collaborating with

Raphaël Collin Louis-Joseph-Raphaël Collin (17 June 1850 – 21 October 1916) was a French painter born and raised in Paris, where he became a prominent academic painter and a teacher. He is principally known for the links he created between French and Japa ...

, and other artists of the time. He died in Paris. In 1887 he published a treatise under the title ''La Faïence,'' which is available in facsimile online.

Gallery

File:Dish MET DT6917 (cropped).jpg, Dish, 1866 File:Vase with mythological scenes MET DP704009 (cropped).jpg, Vase with mythological scenes, 1869 File:Joseph-Théodore Deck - Large Plate - Walters 481909.jpg, Japanese inspired plate, c. 1875,

Walters Art Museum The Walters Art Museum, located in Mount Vernon-Belvedere, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, is a public art museum founded and opened in 1934. It holds collections established during the mid-19th century. The museum's collection was amassed ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

File:Beck-Borély-plantes grimpantes.jpg, Floral plate File:Unterlinden-Théodore Deck-Plat (1).jpg, Plate, decorated by Joseph Victor Ranvier, 1870s, Musée Unterlinden, Colmar File:Unterlinden-Théodore Deck-Vase (2).jpg, Faïence vase, ca. 1870s, Musée Unterlinden, Colmar File:Unterlinden-Théodore Deck-Plat (2).jpg, Japanese inspired plate, c. 1875, Musée Unterlinden, Colmar File:Unterlinden-Théodore Deck-Naïade au repos (2).jpg, Tile, decorated by Joseph Victor Ranvier, 1870s, Musée Unterlinden, Colmar File:Plate, Joseph Theodore Deck - Indianapolis Museum of Art - DSC00669.JPG, Plate, decorated by

Indianapolis Museum of Art The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is an encyclopedic art museum located at Newfields, a campus that also houses Lilly House, The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres, the Gardens at Newfields, the Beer Garden, and more. It ...

File:Unterlinden-Théodore Deck-Plat (3).jpg, Plate, decorated by

Paul Helleu Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, 1884, Musée Unterlinden, Colmar File:Deck 20050711.png, Vase, signed by Joseph-Théodore Deck File:Chat bleu deck.jpg, Egyptian-style faïence cat,
Musée Théodore Deck,

File:Hauswand mit Portrait von Théodore Deck in Guebwiller.jpg, A home in Guebwiller decorated with Deck's portrait

Sources

Ceramics Today, ''Théodore Deck and the Islamic Style''CBS Resource Library, ''Théodore Deck''

Bibliography

Théodore Deck, ''La faïence'', Quantin, Paris, 1887
300 p., complete text online at Gallica *''À la Mémoire de Théodore Deck. Érection d'un Monument à Guebwiller (Alsace), sa ville natale'', J. Dreyfus impr, Guebwiller?, 1911? *

Jules-Antoine Castagnary Jules-Antoine Castagnary (11 April 1830 – 11 May 1888) was a French liberal politician, journalist and progressive and influential art critic, who embraced the new term "Impressionist" in his positive and perceptive review of the first Impression ...

, « Théodore Deck », in ''Revue Alsacienne'', 1880 *Antoinette Faÿ-Hallé, Françoise Fournière, Brigitte Grenier ''et al.'' (dir.), ''Théodore Deck ou L'éclat des émaux, 1823–1891'' (exposition catalogue, Marseille, Centre de la Vieille Charité, 1994, organized by the Musée Grobet-Labadié), Musées de Marseille, Marseille, 1994, *André Girodie, « Biographies alsaciennes : Théodore Deck », in ''Revue Alsacienne illustrée'', 1903, vol. V *André Girodie, ''Un céramiste alsacien : Théodore Deck'', Art & Industrie, Nancy, 1912 *J. Loebnitz, Article nécrologique sur M. Théodore Deck, in ''La Céramique et la verrerie'', 1891? *Sandor Kuthy, ''Albert Anker, faiences, en collaboration avec Théodore Deck'', Marguerat, Lausanne, 1985 *Alexandre Meichler (intro.), ''Théodore Deck : magicien du feu (1823–1891)'' (exposition catalogue, Guebwiller, City Hall, 1976), Alsatia, Guebwiller, 1976 *''Théodore Deck'' (catalogue de l'exposition au Musée Cantini, Marseille, 1980), Le Musée, Marseille, 1979? *''Théodore Deck : la véranda des glycines'', Musée du florival, Guebwiller, 1989 *''Théodore Deck : 1823–1891'' (préface Charles Haby), Musée du Florival, Guebwiller, 1991,

External links

Musée Théodore Deck
Théodore Deck Museum, City of Guebwiller, France

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Deck, Joseph-Theodore 1823 births 1891 deaths French decorative artists French ceramists French potters People from Guebwiller Art pottery