Station: [6] Changing Times

The continuous rise of Bürgel’s pottery trade came to an abrupt end in around 1860. Germany was in the grip of industrialisation, and the market was flooded by large numbers of rival products made in factories.

First, there was the porcelain. It was considered more elegant and of higher quality, and was much more in keeping with the middle class taste in furnishings than rustic ceramics. The bottles produced by the glass industry provide more attractive storage options than their ungainly ceramic siblings. And enamelled tableware is more durable and doesn’t break.

In Bürgel, the locals wondered how to respond to this new market environment and secure their own sales. With support from the Grand Ducal State Government of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach, several factories were established. These operated as small-scale industrial units and not only produced utility ceramics, but also art pieces and decorative vessels. These new products harked back to the opulent, lavish forms demanded by the middle classes in the decades following the founding of the German Reich. In Germany, this period is known as Gründerzeit – a time of rapid industrial expansion in the third quarter of the 19th century.

Bürgel’s potters also opted for new artisanal techniques. They switched to casting processes. Take a look at the stove tile with the lion motif in the glass case – it illustrates the steps involved in casting. You start with a block of plaster-of-paris and make a maquette – or model – in the shape of the later product. The casting mould, also of plaster, is made from this maquette.

Then liquid clay is poured into the mould. The plaster draws the moisture from the clay and dries out its external surface, forming a thin, solid wall. After a few minutes, the excess clay can be poured off. After another brief waiting period, the mould is opened and the piece is removed for firing.

In 1880, the Bürgel Museum was established, both as a display collection and a source of inspiration. It documented the local tradition, but also transcended it. That’s because the museum also collected ceramics from other regions, giving local artisans access to products from elsewhere. At the same time, a school of modelling and drawing was set up, attended by local boys as well as apprentice potters. It taught the skills required to produce casting moulds.

However, the two lavishly decorated showpiece vases hint at a new dilemma facing the Bürgel potters in the late 19th century. These magnificent pieces, with their pseudo-antique ornaments, certainly bear witness to exceptional craftsmanship. But by around 1900, these fussy designs seemed passé. The potters of Bürgel were heading for another crisis.