Architectural ceramics of Vilnius homes: local and imported industrial products and their attribution in the 19th - early 20th century

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Architektūrinė keramika; Vilnius; Pramoniniai produktai; Architectural ceramics; Vilnius; Industrial products.

ENThe present article analyses the 19th - early 20th century architectural ceramics and specificsof its attribution in the city of Vilnius, the centre of the governorate of the Russian Empire at that time. The variety of supply is reflected in different shapes and forms of decor found in the surviving buildings. In Vilnius the ceramic decor was mostly used in tiled flooring, stovės and fireplaces. Facades were seldom decorated with ceramic elements. The article proposes a hypothesis that a wider spread of this type of decor was prevented by the production of five concrete factories that filled the market. The research revealed that at least five ceramic factories from Poland and Germany supplied their products to the citizens of Vilnius. The most prominent ones were "Villeroy & Boch", "Dziewulski i Lange", and "Marywil". The factories offered ceramic tiles for both the flooring and walls, yet majority of the surviving decor is ceramic flooring only. The article contains a comparison of both the ceramic and concrete ornaments, and an explanation of the signature markings of the factories. The analysis of the architectural ceramics of Vilnius buildings proves that only signature markings enable the most accurate Identification of the manufacturers, not ornaments or catalogues.This statement is based on the ехрегіепсе gained through research: small manufacturers wouldn't usually create original products themselves, būt сору the models created and tested by large manufacturers. Flooring tile manufacturers would сору patterns by Villeroy & Boch, while stove tile manufacturers followed models created by Berlin and Velten factories. The article also presents a sample of signature markings found on the stovės of buildings in Vilnius. Their analyses suggests that the ceramic products for the citizens were supplied by factories from the neighbouring governorates of the Russian Empire (Minsk, Grodno, Vitebsk, Livonia, Courland, the Kingdom of Poland) and Germany, which maintained good political and economic relations with the Empire. [lvb.lt]