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In order to illustrate the nature of Rothwell’s engraving style we have
illustrated some examples of his later engravings made for magazines and
other publications as opposed to pottery.
This is not an exhaustive summary of Thomas Rothwell’s engravings but it
does reveal the extent of his work and, of course, the style of his work,
which, in turn allows us to look at his engravings on pottery in a much
more informed manner.
In order to confirm the attribution of the early engravings on Swansea
Pottery to Thomas Rothwell there are a number of issues which need to be
examined. Obviously one of these is whether the style of engraving on
Swansea Pottery can be compared favourably with his work previously to
his advent at Swansea and after leaving the Pottery.
In order to ascertain whether this be accurate it is first necessary to
examine what Rothwell’s engraving style was, bearing in mind that as
engraving was then a hand craft, style will develop and change both with
experience and with the ultimate destination of the final engraving, i.e.
pottery or paper; after all Pottery and paper are two entirely different
media. Much more detail can be utilised on an engraving destined for
paper whereas with pottery less is more and there is also the problem of
curved and rounded surfaces. This can be seen by examining the large
amount of fine detail on the Swansea topographical prints which could
never be done on pottery of the time.
Much of Rothwell’s work at Liverpool and Birmingham was of decorative
figures in arcadian landscapes with shepherds and shepherdesses. All one
has to do to confirm this is to see the creamware bowl which was in the
Stretton Collection* This bowl has a black print of Shepherd and a
shepherdess in a rural landscape and again typical of the period is the
black print of Minerva surrounded by clouds and symbols on a teapot in
Liverpool Museum. Another teapot in Liverpool Museum with a scene of
‘The Haymakers’ is typical of the period. These engravings all engraved
by Thomas Rothwell.
That Thomas Rothwell was conversant with current artistic trends is
shown by the mug again in Liverpool Museum signed ‘Rothwell sculpt.’
which bears a black transfer print taken from Benjamin West’s ‘Death of
Wolfe at Quebec’ –a painting which was exhibited at the Royal Academy
in 1771. Interestingly Rothwell continued this practice at Swansea. In the
*English Ceramic Circle Transactions Vol.6 part 3 Plate 150
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