History before 1945
The history of Bolesławiec has been closely tied up with the pottery craft for over 350 years. The region of the town and neighbourhood in the basin of the rivers Bóbr and Kwisa abounds in rich sources of clay which lends itself very well to production of pottery in the temperature 1280-1300°C. There are also different types of clay used for glazing, which result in a brown, slightly glassy surface. It is the so called clay glaze, typical of products made in Bolesławiec.
The first mention of a potterer from Bolesławiec can be found in the municipal books of Świdnica already in the year 1380. Potterers unified themselves into a craft at the beginning of 16th century.
The Town Hall of Bolesławiec after the drawning of F.B. Werner from 1745
The collection of pottery from this region that can be seen in the Museum of Ceramics comprises over 2000 items. The oldest works date back from the first half of 18th century. They are hand-made pitchers with round bulgy trunk, smooth or with slant grooves.
The pitchers are covered with brown clay glaze, characteristic of products made in Bolesławiec. Tin lids are fastened to the ear of the pitches. They frequently bear dates or initials.
Pitchers made on potters wheel, clay glaze, 18th century
Picher decorated with sticks, the end of 18th century
Pitchers embellished with sticks come from the second half 18th and 19th centuries. These decorative elements of white clay that contrast with the dark background are a novelty characteristic of Bolesławiec.
Fragment of a pitcher with the emblem of Bolesławiec, the second half of 18th century
Apart from pitchers and tankards, great popularity was enjoyed by coffee pots decorated with sticks. There was a variety of forms of those sticks – the emblem of Bolesławiec, Adam and Eve (the emblem of potterers), heraldic signs, birds, floral motifs, etc.
Fragment of pitcher with the figures Adam and Eve, the second half of 18th century
Johann Gottlieb Altman was the one who introduced the greatest changes to the production of local pottery. He was the first to manufacture whole products made of white clay mass that had been so far used only for making sticks. He also introduced antique decorative motifs.
In the second halt of 19th century, next to brown – glazed pitchers appeared white vessels covered with a colourful decoration rendered initially with a sponge, then with a rubber stamp. Among the designs there were circles, dots, scales, clover leaves.
Clay pitchers decorated by stamps, turn of 20th century
On the initiative of the town in 1897 was established Professional School of Ceramics in Bolesławiec. The first headmaster of the school was dr Wilhelm Pukall, a renowned craftsman, the technical director of the Royal Manufacture of Porcellain in Berlin. Thanks to innovative works of the school, the practical technical values of improvements and new methods of work were appreciated as well as artistic efforts to refine the form and discover a new expression for the decoration based on local traditions.
It should be observed, that if Bolesławiec was called “town of good clay” it could be largely attributed to the local school.
School of Ceramics in Bolesławiec on a postcard from 1899
At the school were educated mostly sons of local potterers who then put to practice the knowledge and skills they had acquired at the school in their own workshops. The influence of the school is most striking in the manufacture of Julius Paul, which was established in 1893. Paul was the first person so keen to put to practice the ideas of the director Pukall. That is why he enjoyed his special favours.
Paul’s workshop produced whole breakfast and dinner sets, candlesticks, flower pots, bowls, vases which were frequently decorated with sponge and stamp designs. A new kind of ornamentation appeared in the second decade of 20th century, namely by means of shower-bath through a stencil.
Julius Paul, a vase, around 1910
A significant role in setting artistic standards of contemporary potterry played the Hugo Reinhold Company. It realised projects of the School of Ceramics in Bolesławiec.
Apart from the decorative techniques already in use what was new of these products were vessels with colourful designs, mat glazes, decorated with gilding in the secession style.
Hugo Reinhold, a vase, around 1915
The workshop of Carl Werner introduced towards the end of 20th century floral motifs next to colourful design forms. They were rendered by means of stencil, chiefly on sets of pottery.
Vase, colourful design glaze, Carl Werner, around 1920
In the year 1936, on the initiative of Professional School of Ceramics was established a cooperative of 6 ceramic workshops, called “Bunzlauer Braunzeug”.
A characteristic feature of products made under this common trademark are brown pots with a white decoration made by the means of stake.
Pitcher, clay glaze, decorated by the means of stake, 1936-45
