Fluorspar and Blue John

A colored stone with crystalline reflections, fluorspar was used to create particularly luxurious objets d’art in the second half of the 18th century. Enriched with gilt bronze mounts, it was particularly appreciated by the European aristocracy.

Fluorspar is a type of fluorite with large crystals in a variety of colors, from gray to violet and yellow. It has been known and appreciated since Antiquity. Extremely rare and luxurious, this stone was mined only in Iran, and was believed to possess special powers, including the ability to change the taste of wine. It was reserved for the nobility: Emperor Nero is said to have spent over a million sesterces on a small cup carved from this stone.

In the early 18th century, fluorspar deposits were discovered in England near Castleton in Derbyshire. It remained relatively unknown until the second half of the century, when the nearby town of Buxton became a popular spa resort for the English aristocracy. Bathers acquired small objects made of fluorspar, making it fashionable.

The fluorspar mined in the area is known as Derbyshire fluorspar. From the 1760s onwards, it became known as “Blue John”, a name possibly derived from the French “bleu jaune” [blue yellow], as some of the finest stones are mixed with yellow and violet veins. The Blue John then entered the richest interiors: the architect Robert Adam (1728-1792) used it to decorate the fireplace in the music room at Kedleston Hall, circa 1760-1765.

Blue John was especially appreciated to create objets d’art. Bronzemaker Matthew Boulton (1728-1809) made this his specialty, acquiring great renown in the process. From 1760, he became the main customer for Derbyshire mines, and in 1762, with his partner John Fothergill (1730-1782), founded a manufactory in Soho near Birmingham. Until 1780, they produced a large number of Blue John objects, which they adorned with delicate gilt bronze mounts in a neoclassical taste close to that of Robert Adam. They developed numerous models, collected by the English aristocracy: the “ram’s head” vase, the “Cleopatra vase”, cassolettes and clocks, recorded in their Book of Patterns . Their success was such that Boulton was received by King George III and Queen Charlotte in February 1770. The sovereigns commissioned him to produce a large number of objects in Blue John: a new garniture for the Queen’s bedchamber, as well as several vases and a clock. Sir William Chambers (1722-1796), the king’s principal artistic advisor, designed several models for this purpose, which he exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1770 under the title “Several vases etc. to be executed in ormolu, by Mr. Boulton, for their Majesties”.

Fluorspar objects were sought after by the European aristocracy during the second half of the 18th century. Fothergill toured the continent promoting the Soho manufactory’s creations, and they were often presented as diplomatic gifts. Blue John was imported to Paris and adorned by marchands merciers with sumptuous gilt bronze mounts, such as the important garniture in the Wallace Collection. The Russian imperial family, particularly fond of mounted stone objects, owned a remarkable collection. On the advice of Baron Grimm, Empress Catherine II acquired some superb pieces in fluorspar, some of Boulton’s finest. In 1771, she sent the Russian ambassador Alexey Musin-Pushkin to visit the factory to identify pieces for purchase, and several orders followed in the 1770s.

Particularly attractive for its vivid colors and crystalline appearance, fluorspar enjoyed great success in Europe during the second half of the 18th century, driven by talented craftsmen such as Matthew Boulton. It found its way into the finest royal and imperial collections, and is still admired by connoisseurs today.

Bibliographie

Wolfram Koeppe, Annamaria Giusti, Art of the Royal Court. Treasures in Petre Dure from the Palaces of Europe , The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2008

N. Tretyakov, Pavlovsk. Art collections , The State Museum Pavlovsk, 2010

Jane Roberts, George III & Queen Charlotte: Patronage, Collecting and Court Taste , Royal Collection Publications, 2004

State Hermitage Musuem, Treasures of Catherine the Great , Hermitage Rooms at Somerst House, 2001