Table decoration in white marble and gilt bronze in the form of Venus and Cupid with a torch, the central column surmounted by an urn, decorated with a battle scene in a medallion, height 26 cm, Matthew Bolton, circa 1775
Matthew Bolton Georgian style and the industrial revolution.
Matthew Bolton, English industrialist in furniture and Josiah Wedgwood in ceramics.
Pair of quartz amethyst vases in gilded bronze setting 32 cm high Matthew Bolton circa 1772.Pair of gilded bronze candlestick vases 20 cm high thought to be an early work by Bolton circa 1765 1770.
Biography
Bolton was the son of a Birmingham maker of small hardware: buckles, buttons, cane heads; which at the time were called “toys”.
By the age of thirty, Bolton managed to create his own business for the manufacture of silverware, gilded bronze and other decorative and applied arts. In partnership with John Fothergill, he built a manufactory in Soho near Birmingham, where he introduced the latest technologies into production.
Pair of Sevres porcelain vases in gilded bronze 57 cm high Matthew Bolton and John Fothergill circa 1775.
In the 1770s, the factory employed about 800 workers. For wealthy customers, the manufactory produced products from sterling silver, and for the middle class – from silver-plated copper, the so-called Sheffield silver. The Sheffield silver technique, developed in 1742, involved the process of rolling silver onto one or both sides of a copper plate.
Ormolu production declined after 1772–1773 due to the high cost of raw materials and production. After that, Bolton directed his resources to the manufacture of silverware. In many cases, the same molds were used for both silver and silver-plated items.
Potpourri vase Narcissus in white marble gilded and patinated bronze height 30 cm Matthew Bolton circa 1775.
Bolton founded the Mint in Soho. He received a contract in 1797 to mint British copper coins. The first batch of coins included large copper British pennies, which continued to be minted until decimalization in 1971. Bolton applied modern coinage techniques, producing millions of coins and medals for Britain and other countries.
Bolton retired in 1800, although he continued to run his mint, he died in 1809. His portrait, along with that of James Watt, appears on the 50-pound note of the Bank of England.
Products by Matthew Bolton
Pair of potpourri tripods with gilded bronze winged caryatid supports 19.5 cm high Matthew Bolton circa 1779.Pair of white marble cassettes in gilded bronze 22 cm high Matthew Bolton and John Fothergill circa 1772.Blue John fluorite candelabra vase in gilt bronze setting height 57 cm Matthew Bolton 1770 71 from the British Monarchs Collection Kings Bed Room Windsor Castle.Blue John fluorite royal mantel clock in gilded bronze setting 48.7 cm high Matthew Bolton 1770 71 from the British Monarchs Collection.Pair of Blue John fluorite potpourri vases in gilded bronze setting 32 cm high Matthew Bolton 1770 71 from the British Monarchs Collection.Blue John fluorite potpourri vase with three griffins in a gilded bronze setting 32 cm high Matthew Bolton design by William Chambers circa 1770.Pair of jugs with Bacchic masks in Blue John fluorite in a gilded bronze setting 47.5 cm high Matthew Bolton 1772.Potpourri vase Lyra in white marble in a gilded bronze setting 30 cm high Matthew Bolton circa 1772.Diana clock in white marble in a gilded bronze frame 35 cm high, circa 1775.Pair of faceted silver mounted oil and vinegar vessels 25 cm high Matthew Bolton and John Fothergill 1773.Racing cup in silver gilt 35 cm high Matthew Bolton and Plate Co.Pair of rococo tureens in Sheffield silver length 23 cm Matthew Bolton Co.Egg cup in silver 20 cm wide, circa 1790.Pair of white marble cassettes in gilded bronze height 19 cm by Matthew Bolton and John Fothergill plinths decorated with biscuit medallions circa 1775.Apollo and Diana candelabra in patinated and gilded bronze 66 cm high, circa 1778.Pair of cassettes in gilded bronze with blue enamel believed to be the work of Matthew Bolton circa 1775.The Trafalgar medal issued by Matthew Boltons factory at his own expense and intended for the sailors who participated in the battle.Monument to Bolton Watt and Murdoch chief engineer of the company in the center of Birmingham.
