Peasant Arts - Haslemere: Compton, Watts Artists Village

Sunday, 28 January 2018

Compton, Watts Artists Village - some parallels Part 2

Exhibitions
There are a few references in Studio: International art where the work of the Haslemere Peasant Art movement is reviewed at the Home Arts and Industry Association annual exhibition in the same paragraph as the work of Mary Watts' pottery. For example in 1898 and 1899:

· Reporting on the annual exhibition of the Home Arts and Industries Association at the Royal Albert Hall, reference is made to “the admirable embroideries of Mr. Godfrey Blount’s section, the furniture of the Hon. Mabel de Grey, the terra-cottas after designs by Mrs G.F.Watts…” (Studio: International art volume 14 (no. 64, July, 1898, p.129) )

Reporting on the HAIA 1899 exhibition “Those who have visited the exhibition ….year by year will quickly recognise those features of interest which become associated with certain class-holders and the districts they have worked. We know, for instance… for good textiles and tapestries from Ashridge, Aldeburgh, Windemere, and from the Haslemere industries organised by Mr. and Mrs. Godfrey Blount …while the little group of workers inspired by Mr. and Mrs. G.F. Watts at Compton and Limnerslease may be counted on for something worthy in the direction of terra-cotta modelling and the minor decorative branches of church architecture.” (Studio: International art volume 17 (no. 76, July, 1899, p.99))

Artistic Subjects
As well as exhibiting at the same events, some of the works of the Haslemere Peasant and the Compton Pottery, and Mary Watts, seem to be closely aligned. There have been two Compton pottery pieces over the last few years that bear some resemblance to the works of the Haslemere Peasant Arts movement.

1. In December 2017 a "fine & rare Compton Pottery Arts and Crafts Church Wafer Box" was briefly for sale. The vine leaf and grape design is reminiscent of the repeated vine leaf patterns of the Haslemere Peasant Arts movement.

Compton Pottery, wafer box
sold on eBay here

2. This Compton Pottery bookend is inscribed with the phrase "Arbor Vitae" or perhaps it says "Arbor Vitat". This reminds me of the title of Godfrey Blount's seminal design book Arbor Vitae. It appears that a tree of life might be growing out of the head of the girl reading the book, which again feels like an analogy that the Haslemere Peasants would draw.

'Arbor Vitat'
Compton Pottery bookend

The panel designed by Mary Watts to decorate the Cambridge Military Hospital chapel at Aldershot contains vine leaf and grapes designs that are reminiscent of the Haslemere Peasant Arts designs, and also of Franz Paukert's Die Zimmergotik (written on in this previous post here).