Henry Chapman Mercer and the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works [Paperback]

Cleota Reed (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1996

Henry Chapman Mercer (1856-1930) was one of the leading figures of the Arts and Crafts Movement in America. His unique ceramic murals, pavings, and sculptural reliefs were of great importance to the reform of architectural decoration early in the twentieth century.

This book documents all of Mercer's catalogued tile designs as well as his art pottery and the subjects of his major themes. The bibliography includes all of Mercer's publications in his several fields of interest and comprehensive lists of the literature about him, his work, and the ceramic art of his times.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The definitive work on Mercer, one of the leading figures in the Arts and Crafts Movement."—Philadelphia Inquirer

"Arts and crafts enthusiasts will be awed by the range of this book."—Art and Auction

"The author . . . fully exploits a rich lode of surviving papers, business and personal, in order to shed light on Mercer's diversified career as an archaeologist, scholar, collector, designer of reinforced concrete buildings, and tilemaker. . . . Ms Reed and her publishers have spared no expense in producing a beautiful book. Indeed, my satisfaction with Henry Chapman Mercer and the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works is complete."—Pennsylvania History

"Not only is this a fine reference book for the academic, but it will also interest anyone who likes ceramic tiles, since the author has done so much research and shows us Mercer's methods. It is a must for those interested in the early Arts and Crafts Movement in the United States. . . . Fine photographs."—New York-Pennsylvania Collector

"Immaculately researched, written, and illustrated."—Journal of Design History

About the Author

Cleota Reed is Research Associate in the Department of Fine Arts at Syracuse University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (June 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812216016
• ISBN-13: 978-0812216011
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,780,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Historical Reference, June 16, 2000

By 

Peter Melling (Doylestown, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Henry Chapman Mercer and the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works (Paperback)

This book is an excellent historical reference on Henry Chapman Mercer and the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works. Many fine photos accompany very informative writing.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and Fascinating, March 1, 2009

By 

Carolyn Hasenfratz (Brentwood, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Henry Chapman Mercer and the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works (Paperback)

My Mom and Dad visited Henry Chapman Mercer's home in Doylesville Pennsylvania last year and knew it was something I would like, and bought me this book for me later. Mercer was truly a "Renaissance Man" of the Arts and Crafts Movement and his home and tile works reflect his interests in world history, archaeology, architecture, and the culture of the ordinary people who built the United States, as reflected in their tools. His definition of the word tool was very broad and could include buildings and even ideas, as well as things we would normally consider to be tools, for example Pennsylvania Dutch stove plates, one of many things he collected with a passion.

Mercer was a "gentleman scholar" which means he came from wealth and could afford to work in whatever fields his personal interests led him to. Admirably, he committed his time, resources and considerable energies to scholarship and the arts. Eventually these interests led him to the Arts and Crafts Movement which in turn inspired him to found a pottery with the goal of reviving the dying folk art ceramics of his region. His first attempts at creating pottery vessels were not satisfactory and he soon turned to tile-making at which he was very successful both artistically and financially.

Cleota Reed's book does a good job of explaining what this very interesting man was all about. It includes an excellent biography and a thorough account of the development of his tile work, from his early experiments and working methods, his influences, the growth of his business and the construction of the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works building, his commercial output and commissions, and the construction and decoration of his extraordinary home. The book also explains how he was a pioneer in the field of concrete construction and how his tiles played a role in both the interior and exteriors of concrete buildings. The book is well illustrated with pictures of the work being discussed, in both black and white and color.

I recommend this fascinating and inspiring book for people who are interested in the Arts and Crafts movement, tiles and mosaics, ceramics in general, architecture of the early 1900s, and architectural decoration.