Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
Bow and Longton Hall
British 18th-century porcelain factories followed their own paths and often aimed their products at very different markets. The proprietors of Bow, to the east of London, responded to the metropolitan demand for Oriental porcelain, which it closely imitated. Longton Hall, in rural Staffordshire, was far removed from the changing fashions of London and produced very individual porcelain with a charm of its own.
Meissen figures, although in comparison with the elegance and sophistication of Chelsea figures, those produced by the Staffordshire workmen hired by Bow were clumsy – as typified by the work of the “Muses Modeller”, an unknown sculptor, whose work, however,
has a distinctive rustic charm. The bright colours on later Bow figures, combined with a strong underglaze blue, resulted in highly decorative ornaments that sold well at the time. The Bow factory remained in production for nearly 30 years but fell victim to an economic recession in the mid-1770s, when figures became unfashionable and the Rococo style that so suited Bow gave way to the Neo-classical taste. The factory closed in 1776.
LONGTON HALL
William Littler (1724-84) founded the Longton Hall factory c.1749 and developed his first porcelain recipe just ust prior to 1750. This porcelain had a thick, semi-opaque white glaze that has earned the nickname “snowman class” for early Longton Hall figures. By c.1752, however, Littler had perfected his formula to produce porcelain that could be moulded quite thinly –ideal for making the forms such as fruit, vegetables, and leaves that dominated Longton Hall’s characteristic, brightly painted dishes, jugs, and tureens. The figures, which are not dissimilar from those of Bow and Derby, show the influence of Meissen. The variable quality of Longton Hall porcelain, coupled with heavy kiln losses, led to the factory’s bankruptcy and closure in 1760. Littler moved to Scotland, where he later opened a new porcelain works at West Pans, near Musselburgh.
BOW
The discovery of Bow’s porcelain recipe resulted from years of experimentation by the potter Edward Heylyn (1695–c.1758) and the artist Thomas Frye (1710-62). They took out their first patent for a porcelain formula c.1744, but Bow porcelain was probably not on sale before 1748. In 1750 the factory was styled “New Canton”, and the influence of China and Japan dominated Bow’s useful wares. Bow porcelain was coarser than hard-paste porcelain and less durable
than that invented a few years later at Worcester, and the burnt animal bones (bone-ash) used as a principal ingredient at Bow created a body that was liable to stain. Competition from rival makers who used
soapstone in their porcelain led Bow to turn its attention to ornamental wares, especially figures. Bow followed the successful example of Chelsea in copying Bow
• BODY soft-paste porcelain containing bone-ash; coarser than true porcelain and liable to stain
• GLAZE soft and slightly blue with a tendency to pool around the base
• DECORATION underglaze, powder-blue ground; blanc-de-Chine sprigged prunes blossom; Kakiemon palette; the “quail” pattern (two quails with rocks and foliage), which became Bow’s most popular design
• FIGURES press-moulded rather than slip-cast, and therefore rather heavy; early figures left in the white, later examples decorated in colourful enamels
Marks
Early Bow is generally unmarked, but after c.1765 this “anchor and dagger” mark was painted in red enamel on colourful pieces that were possibly decorated outside the factory
Longton Hall
• BODY soft-paste porcelain; sometimes, like Chelsea, the body contains “moons” – tiny air bubbles that appear as pale spots against a strong light
• STYLE the factory specialized in colourful jugs, dishes, and tureens in the form of leaves, fruit, and vegetables
• DECORATION Meissen-style flowers are attributed to an artist known as the “trembly rose painter”, although many artists painted in this manner
Marks
No mark was used; pieces marked with two crossed “L”s in blue, formerly attributed to the factory, are now known to come from Littler’s later venture at West Pans
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Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
Chelsea
The first successful British porcelain factory was founded c.1744 at Chelsea, then a village on the outskirts of London, by the Huguenot silversmith Nicholas Sprimont (c.1716-71). Unsurprisingly, the Shapes of British silverwares were to have a considerable influence on the porcelain made at Chelsea. Production at the factory falls into five periods, four of which are named after marks used at the time.
THE TRIANGLE PERIOD
During the “Triangle” period (c.1744-9), Chelsea porcelain was of a beautiful white glassy body, and the shapes were mostly copied directly from British Rococo silver. Early Chelsea porcelain was difficult to control during firing; wares were small-scale and included cream-jugs, beakers, and teapots. The factory was proud of the pure white appearance of its porcelain, and painted decoration was therefore kept to a minimum.
THE RAISED ANCHOR AND THE RED ANCHOR PERIODS
Changes were made to the body and glaze in the second phase (c.1749-52), known as the “Raised Anchor”
iraised from the mark of a tiny anchor embossed on a sed pad. The body was now more robust, and tin Oxide was added to the glaze to opacity it, which alsogave
it a silky feel. Popular decoration included copies Of 17th-century Japanese Kakiemon porcelain, and landscapes painted in the style of imported European wares from the factories of Meissen in Germany and Vincennes in France. Scenes from Aesop’s Fables, painted in rich colours, became a Chelsea speciality. A few figures and models of birds were also produced at this time, but these are rare.
During the “Red Anchor” period (1752-6) original forms of decoration were introduced, as well as others copied from Meissen. This period is famous for its dessert table settings, especially covered tureens in the forms of fruit, vegetables, animals, birds, and fish. painted botanical decoration, a Chelsea invention, was used on “Hans Sloane” wares, named after Sir Hans Sloane, an eminent scientist and patron of the Physic Garden, a botanical garden in Chelsea. Chelsea also made small “toys” – tiny scent bottles and seals in the form of fruit, animals, and people.
Figures became an important part of the factory’s production, owing to the skills of the Flemish modeller Josef Willems (c.1715–66). When held up to a strong light, Red Anchor porcelain should exhibit the famous Chelsea “moons” – bubbles trapped in the paste, which appear as lighter spots in the body.
GOLD ANCHOR PERIOD
The coloured grounds and Rococo shapes of the French factories of Vincennes and Sevres were the dominant influences in the subsequent “Gold Anchor” period (c.1756-69), when the factory’s anchor mark was neatly applied in gold rather than red. The use of gilding was significantly increased. Figures, designed for display on mantelpieces or in cabinets and intended to be viewed only from the front, became more elaborate, with masses of bocage (small modelled trees and flowers). Although at the end of the 19th century Gold Anchor wares were extremely valuable, their popularity has decreased throughout the 20th century.
Economic problems coupled with the ill health of the founder led to the closure of the Chelsea factory in 1769. John Heath and William Duesbury, the owners of the Derby porcelain factory (est. c.1748), bought the works in 1770 and ran the two premises in London and
Derby in tandem. This period of production
is known as the “Chelsea-Derby”
period. The factory finally
closed in 1784.
Triangle period (c.1744-9)
• BODY white, glassy, and translucent
• FORMS based on British silverware shapes
• DECORATION often left uncoloured
• COLLECTING wares arc rare and valuable
Raised Anchor period (c.1749-52)
• BODY milky white and silky; contains impurity specks
• GLAZE tin oxide added to glaze to opacify it; silky feel
• FOOT-RIMS ground flat
• DECORATION based on Japanese porcelain, Vincennes, and Meissen
Red Anchor period (c.1752-6)
• BODY creamy white with dribbling glaze; “moons” appear in paste-firing support marks (”spur marks”)
• DECORATION Meissen-style flowers
Gold Anchor period (c.1756-69)
• BODY creamy, prone to staining; bone-ash was added
• GLAZE clear, thickly applied; pools and tends to craze
• STYLE Rococo; influenced by Sevres
• FAKES beware of 19th-century fakes, usually made in French hard-paste porcelain, the body of which is too white and glassy; they are often marked with gold anchors far bigger than those on genuine pieces
Marks
c.1744–c.1749: usually incised or painted in underglaze blue
c.1749-52: anchor embossed on a raised pad 1752-6: the mark of a very small anchor in red enamel appears on the backs of figures and on the bases of plates and cups
c.1756-69: anchor painted in gold
c.1769-84: Chelsea–Derby mark
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