French Grand Masters – Joseph Theodore Deck (1823-1891)

Joseph-Théodore Deck (1823–1891) was a 19th-century French potter. He was born in Guebwiller and began learning pottery in his early 20s. Deck was the first of the artist potters to explore historical styles in the name of progress in ceramics. In 1856 he established his own faience workshop with his brother Xavier and his nephew Richard. “Atelier Deck” became a design laboratory promoting ceramics as an art form, experimenting with the Islamic style of ceramic making, and in particular the Iznik style. Well known is also the “bleu de Deck,” his famous deep-turquoise blue glaze, using potash, carbonate of soda and chalk- Metropolitan Museum NY.