Posts Tagged ‘stoneware’

FIRST HALF OF NINETEENTH CENTURY
1800-1850
THE year i800 is a convenient date in the history of furniture only in the sense that it marked the begin-
ning of a new century antique hexagon ladles . Apart from that it showed no sudden change in style any more than the start of any other century countries that art deco was very popular . The same king was on the throne and was to live for another twenty years, although for the last ten the Prince of Wales was to act as regent lion feet table . Furthermore, Sheraton, who published his first furniture book in the last decade of the eighteenth century (see p jennens and bettridge . 181), brought out his Cabinet Dictionary in 1803, and lived until 18o6 elephant mahogany antq . Change was taking place, but no more quickly than at any previous period j s henry furniture .
At the same time, the period 1800-1850 is momentous in that it saw the beginning of the industrial age in which the machine began to replace hand labour hinges leaves antique table . At first its effect was scarcely felt, for the machines themselves were crude and unreliable and had not stood the test of time “holland & sons” cabinet . Furthermore, no one had had sufficient experience in their use to use them to the best advantage hammered flatware crest urn . In any case, their early use was largely confined to Government departments such as shipyards 18th century rococo copper candlesticks . Being individually built, they were necessarily expensive 4 foot walnut drop leaf table .
The use of machines speeds up work and reduces costs, and that was largely the reason for their introduction scottish art nouveau inlay furniture . There was, however, another and, in the long run, a deeper-reaching effect 18th century soup urn . This was the influence on design itself circular extending dining table . When you install a machine its first use is invariably to quicken and ease the more back-breaking jobs, such as converting logs, ripping out parts, rough planing them, and so on wileman ironstone coffee pot . Very soon, however, other possibilities are realised, and you see that it can be used for other work which would be difficult or at least expensive by hand craftsman for wooden vitrine . Then comes the idea of adapting the machine for other operations, so that more and more handwork is avoided sheffield plate candelabra . At last hand work becomes a thing to be avoided, and then is born that insidious idea of making the design to suit the machine silver candlestick dated 1750 . In a broad sense this is inevitable because any change in technique of
FIG french drop front desk . 156 antique table porcelain top . MAHOGANY CHAIR WITH BRASS INLAY pre war veneer antique bureau . 18io-i815-
This is of special Interest in that the back legs are not set square with
the front but line up with the slope of the side rails (see plan) brass frame girandole images . This is a
feature not found in chairs of earlier date anglo-chinese furniture . See also F in Fig first antique table de chevet . 157 decorating with a pie crust antique table . Owing
to the pronounced side curvature this results in the bottoms of the legs
converging value of mahogany marble side table .
manufacture is bound to have its repercussions on design, but the evil comes when sound construction and form are sacrificed to suit the limitations of a machine poole pottery streamline coffee sets .
However, up to 1850 there had not been any serious sacrifice in this sense, and during the fifty years we are speaking about there was a great deal of sound and delightful furniture made, especially in the first twenty years of the century brass sideboard gallery .
For those interested in the subject the following few notes
FIG identifying furniture makers bookcase oak . 158 cassone with pastiglia . BLACK JAPANNED CHAIR WITH INLAY two tier rectangular victorian table . Mid antique square to round drop leaf table . i9th century mahogany tea caddy tripod leg .
The entire back is in papier mficU screwed to the
lower framing early tables . The back, legs, and seat rail are
inlaid with mother of pearl dresser with kneehole .
on early machines may be of value antique wood trestle table with leaves . It should be realised, however, that machines were not of necessity power driven black bone inlay dressing tables . Many of them required human labour to turn them aimone mfg co furniture . Even in 1914 some circular saws and bandsaws were still being made which were fitted with handles, and sometimes pedals, which either the operator or an assistant had to work antique maple desks . Some-times larger saws were propelled by horse labour, the animal being yoked to bar which revolved a centre pillar, which in its turn was geared to the saw rh vase austria . Water and wind power too were used antique sideboard with desk .
As early as the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries machine saws had been devised, these generally being reciprocating saws worked by cranks antique gate leg tables . They were exceptional, however, most cutting being done by pairs of sawyers over a saw pit italian 18th century cabinet makers .
FIG satin birch bow chest . 160 jacobean antique furniture . FULLY UPHOLSTERED COUCH sheraton period cutlery urn . About i85o marquetry tray brass handles .
This sketch was taken from a small model made about the middle
of the 19th century, and is typical of the period 18th century amboyna card table .
No doubt the reason for the development of woodworking machines in the nineteenth century was largely due to the tremendous importance of wood as a basic material for all purposes was there a change in arts in italy between 1920 and 1940 . It was needed for ships, vehicles, houses, some bridges, engineering, agricultural appliances, furniture, and so on antique continental porcelain . It was in fact in Government shipyards that the first serious and really practical machines were made american 19th century side boards .
Samuel Bentham developed the rotary system of cutting as distinct from the reciprocating, and designed saws, planers, boring machines, tenoners, and veneer-cutting machines antique swedish armchairs . These were mostly patented between 1791 and 1793, but it would have been many years after that such machines became generally available to the woodworking industry generally art deco harlequin fine china . Marc Isambard Brunel had also much to do with early machines, and had in fact patents on circular saws in 1805 and i8o8 czechoslovakia vases . A bandsaw was patented by Newberry in 1808, but its success was hampered by poor quality saws, and it did not become really practicable until 1850 when reliable saws were made round oak table dragon legs . Many planing machines were invented in the first fifty years of the nineteenth century, some in U antique gateleg table small .S antique divans .A pictures of expensive antiques . Most early machines had wood frames chinese qing porcelains . It was, in fact, not until the turn of the mid-century that all-metal frames were made 18th century marquetry bow front commode .
The refined and somewhat delicate style as exemplified in Sheraton’s works continued during the opening years of the century craftsman for wooden vitrine . The deterioration in his last designs, as shown in his Encyclopedia, 1804-1807, mentioned in Chapter X, was little more than a pandering to a passing fashion, and it is fortunate that the more grotesque items were not made in greater numbers antique william and mary oak dining room sets .
Other influences were at work, however, and to trace these we have to turn to France, where the Consulate and Empire periods in which Napoleon was the dominant figure was producing a marked style known as Empire russian chair lion . This is dealt with more fully in Chapter XV, but it had its counterpart here in a style sometimes known as English Empire wedgewook stonewear white . Its chief exponent was Thomas Hope, who published his Household Furniture and Interior Decoration in 1807 19th century lion claw pedestal table . This, like the French Empire, went back to Greek and Roman forms for its inspiration, and produced some rather severe designs, mostly in mahogany with brass mounts in the form of vases, laurel wreaths, helmets, honeysuckle, lyres, and so on antique oak draw leaf table . The style owed little to tradition, however, and, although much of it was well made and of good proportions, it seems to strike a foreign and somewhat jarring note antique writing box . Many of the shapes, especially chair and settee legs, seem curiously unsuitable for making in wood antique refectory tables .
An attractive chair of about 1810 is that in Fig french word for chasing . 155, and shows a high degree of skill in its manufacture pedestal dumb waiter . The shaping of the members at the back, which necessarily have compound curvature owing to the plan curving combined with the elevation shaping, is beautifully worked out gate leg vintage drop leaf tables . The back-ward curve of the front legs is characteristic of the period and suggests Hope influence biedermeier antique de .
Another chair of about ten years later in date and of somewhat similar style is that in Fig aristide colotte . 156 and is given because it embodies a feature not found in chairs of earlier date drop leaf table rectangle vintage . If any of the earlier chairs are examined, it will be seen that if a section is taken through the back legs at seat level the wood from which they are cut is invariably square with the front king george iv side board .

FIG bambocci antique . 161 drapery designs for dressing table . CIRCULAR DINING TABLE OF ROSEWOOD, BRASS
MOUNTED antique oval dutch table .
1810-1820 antique dealer furniture iron louis xvi .
The lyre motif of the centre pedestal was a common feature of the period egyptian figurine manufacturer in spain .
The ” strings ” are brass rods drop leaf table gate leg . A brass line is inlaid around the top
an inch or so from the edge antiquevenercoffeettableclawfeet . The latter is cross-veneered; also the
framework edging arabesque vertical plate racks - 2 tier .
Thus the chairs in Fig william france furniture maker . 4o are as shown at A, Fig what antique furniture maker marks under drawer front with number . 157 bureau bookcase writing desk display cabinet 1930s . Even when curved as in Figs 18th century plate racks . 77 or 107 they are still set square as at B and C, Fig fiddleback walnut louis xiv reproduction desk . 157, any convergence at the feet being arranged by reducing the length of the seat rail and cutting the shoulders at an angle sauce boats . Much the same applies to the chairs in Fig antique carved trestle table . 142 and to that in Fig neo-rococco cabinet . 155 tulip porcelain chamber pots . The only exception is in some Adam and Hepplewhite chairs, which have either round, oval, or hooped-shaped seats (see Fig antique half round side table mermaid . 132) chiffonier 19th century . In such chairs, owing to the shape, the rails are tenoned into opposite sides of the leg instead of into adjacent sides as in all other examples sheffield plate candelabra . As a consequence the back legs, owing to their backward curvature, are further apart at the bottom than at seat level forks and spoons in the 18th century . This is made clear at E, Fig french dining draw leaf table stretcher . 157 plain serving table .
Turning now to the chair under discussion, Fig colbolt blue plates and antique . 156, note from the plan that the legs are not square with the front, but are parallel with the sloping sides as at F, Fig marquetry roll top desk . 157 antique refrectory trestle table . As a result the legs are closer together at the feet than at the seat,
FIG chamberpot flap . 162 american oak drop leaf table antique . VICTORIAN DINING TABLE IN WALNUT queen anne antique dressing table . Mid johnstone and jupe table . 19th century 18th century metal chamber pot .
The top is veneered with figured walnut arranged in a quartered pattern cage leg antique table .
A huge bolt passes through the centre, Joining the tripod stand to the
pillar and sub-top framework art deco and exotic leather .
this being produced without any side curvature in the leg antique gothic table grotesque . The shape looks more elaborate than it actually is, the shaping being confined to the side elevation of the back iron and wood refectory tables .
The chair in Fig wedgwood keith murray slip two tone . 158 dates from about I85o and is more interesting than beautiful photo antiquities furniture in france . The entire back is in papier mftche, this being compressed to shape and fixed to the back of the seat, probably with screws antique sheffield piece marked “royal sheffield” . There is in fact considerable dishing and shaping in the back and, when it is realised that it is no more than I in scandinavian art deco furniture . to $9 in antique wrought iron candle sticks . thick in parts, it becomes obvious that such a back would be impracticable in wood “art deco” “dining table” french walnut extension . It is, in fact, an early example of a mass-produced chair and bears the marks of deterioration in design four pillar trestle table . As a matter of passing interest, note how the rails are tenoned into opposite sides of the back legs owing to the hooped shape, hence the divergence at the feet (see also E, Fig age of jazz shelley vases . 157) walnut gaming table with pillar legs .
A couch showing the classical influence of Greece is that in Fig antique replica, french victorian mahogany empire desk writing table . 159 napoleon leather and steel campaign chair . It belongs to the Hope period of the early
FIG heal and russell art deco antique furniture . 163 16th century small tables . SOFA TABLE VENEERED WITH AMBOYNA AND
MARQUETRY hongwu copper red .
About 1815 delatte nancy .
The flaps were invariably supported by brackets pivoted on knuckle or
finger joints cut in wood drop leaf table with pembroke leg value . The legs were usually dovetailed to the base,
and it was common practice to strengthen the joints with metal plates
screwed to the underside 19th century regency dwarf parlor cabinet value .
nineteenth century 19th century leather chest . Fig george speight porcelain . 16o shows the rather heavy and stuffy appearance of a fully-upholstered couch in the middle of the century antique serpentine swedish chest of drawers .
An interesting contrast in dining tables made within about thirty to forty years of each other is shown in Figs drop leaf sofa table . 161 and x62 lyre based sheffield candlesticks . The former, of the Regency period, has a certain grace and charm about it empire sideboard antique value . Here again we see the old classical Tables of the Mid-Nineteenth Century
influence in the lyre motif wooton chest . Light though it looks, the table is strongly built since the lyre-shaped pillar is not pierced right through, but is recessed at the surface only antique red stoneware spittoon . The legs are dovetailed to the base john widdicomb desk . The whole top pivots, so that the table takes up little space when not in use longcaseclocks chinoiserie 18.century .
In Fig vintage wooden handled three tined dinner forks . 162 we pass to a typical Victorian table of about 185o which, whatever one may think of the design, is beautifully made ashtray daum nancy france antique . To us it may lack the refinement and grace of the earlier table, but it is an interesting speculation as to what folk of A daniel quare 1674 tortoiseshell case pocket watches .D pilaster bookstand price . 2oo0 may think of it 17 century english stoneware . For years it has been the practice of people to speak of Victorian furniture with something like contempt (though no one really familiar with it would ever deny its soundness of craftsmanship) furniture canape antiques italian . Already, however, it is appearing in antique shops, especially early Victorian pieces, and it is quite on the cards that folk of the future will see beauty in what we now call heaviness and vulgarity 1925 antique floding desk . Fashions change, and nearly all generations are contemptuous of the works of their immediate forbears “myott son & co”+oriental . Presumably the Victorian designers did not intentionally design things they knew to be ugly—and for a matter of that who are we to talk in these middle years of the twentieth century r
A type of table popular during the period under discussion was the sofa table, an example of which is given in Fig antique pier tables . 163 name a piece of furniture that begins with v . It was a type made popular by Sheraton and had hinged flaps at the ends supported by pivoted brackets furniture + finmar ltd . There were invariably drawers beneath the top standing silver mirror candlestick styles . As the table was intended for use away from the wall the ” back ” frequently had dummy drawer fronts small dressing table with cupboard and drawers . Its form during the Regency period is shown in Fig queen mary mother ship tea dish antiques . 163, which shows the Greek influence of the period in the ornament antique 17th century gentleman’s dresser .
The Regency version of the sideboard generally had cellaret pedestals reaching down to the floor and joined by a centre table portion quite open beneath torror in france . There was generally a drawer beneath the top as in Fig small antique french writing cabinet . 164 yabu furniture . Tapered pedestals too were becoming popular, and the scrolled back shows the beginning of a feature which was often to assume quite gigantic proportions in the late Victorian period, and was often surmounted by an elaborate piece of carving, frequently of extremely fine craftsmanship antique wash stands .
Bedsteads in the late eighteenth century were generally of the four-poster type, but by the turn of the century two SIDEBOARD IN ROSEWOOD WITH BRASS INLAY
1810-X820 staffordshire figure home .
The tapered form of pedestal was popular in the Regency period how much is an oak butler’s tray table worth . The relatively large size of room in which
it would have been used is shown by the great depth, which is 29 in greek neoclassical porcelain . over the centre portion, and 251 in richard ginori doccia 1924 platter .
over the pedestals art deco console table black .
Bedsteads of the Nineteenth Century
kinds developed rectangular drop leaf sofa table . In the one the head-posts with abbreviated tester were retained and the foot-posts eliminated early ming porcelain . Frequently head curtains were used, and these could either be drawn right back or pulled a foot or so down the bed antique tilt top dinner table photos 1800 century . The other type owed its origin to the Empire style of France english refectory table . In this the bed was intended to stand with its side to the wall vintage wooden handled three tined dinner forks . There was a head and foot often sloped and having rather the appearance of a couch—the couch in Fig chinese porcelain shards . 159 is in fact suggestive of the general form, though this is necessarily on a smaller scale 19 century inventions . In some cases curtains were carried on to a shaped tester art nouveau origins .
CABINET WITH BOULLE MARQUETRY empire furniture.com .
Louis XIV antique tea table glass serving tray .
The work is carried out in brass and tortoiseshell, and is
decorated with some particularly fine mounts of brass 19th-century swedish table . The
top is of marble antique chippendale breakfast table . The accommodation consists of a centre
cupboard with door and four drawers at each side 19th century, federal mirror .

Art Deco Table Wares
Companies engaged in manufacturing products for preparing and serving food found it necessary to accommodate the new trends in modern design. Streamlined and angular shapes can be found not only in sets of china but in kitchen equipment as well. In this section, table wares are not confined to dishes but include other utilitarian and decorative pieces. Because of the great diversity of this category, it is possible to show only a sample of items, but the pieces illustrated should alert collectors to the many possibilities table wares offer. Photographs are arranged approximately in alphabetical order according to the function of the item, ranging from candle holders, centerpieces and crumbers, to pitchers and a toaster!
Table wares basically are made of pottery, glass or metal. Ceramics include earthenware or semi-china, stoneware and porcelain. Simplified decoration distinguishes Deco china from that produced during the Victorian years. Floral transfer patterns covering the entire surface of china gave way to colored line borders or abstract geometric patterns. Sometimes china was left undecorated with the shape or mold drawing attention to a modern image. Geometric shapes other than the usual circular form are seen here in the rectangular bowl and the triangular shaped cup and saucer.
Ceramic table wares can be found at all price levels. Pieces designed and handpainted by Clarice Cliff for the Royal Staffordshire Pottery during the late 1920’s and early 1930’s are highly regarded by advanced collectors. Price can reach several hundred to several thousand dollars for some examples, especially those with floral and landscape decor. “Bizarre,” “Geometric,” — and “Fantasque” were some of the pattern names. The English artist’s signature was included on most of her work. Pieces which do not have her name or signature as part of the mark are usually considerably lower in price. “The Biarritz” soup bowl shown here is one such example. Although the pattern is quite simple, it also merits consideration as a form of Deco table ware. Deco patterns by other English potters are also quite collectible. Many good examples in the moderate price ranges are surfacing. These may be found mixed in with other miscellaneous dishes by dealers who do not specialize in Art Deco.
“American Modern, ” designed by Russel Wright for the Ohio based Steubenville Pottery is also quite collec
tible and much lower in price. This line was made from about 1939 through the late 1950’s. Solid colored surfaces without other added decoration implied a modern concept. Many other European and American pottery and porcelain factories produced their own renditions of “modern” style. Japanese table ware companies used similar interpretations to reach the large American market. Deco patterned china made by the Noritake firm has been attracting many collectors during the last few years. Prices are still affordable but not inconsequential. Table china, however, is probably the largest source of Art Deco “sleepers” and possible bargains today.
Angular shapes or stylized designs cut or molded into glass table wares were made to grace the dining tables of the period. Art glass by French manufacturers is usually too expensive for moderate collectors. The large blue centerpiece bowl made by Daum and the smoke glass bowl by Verlys are two such examples. These would fall into the “investment” rather than the “fun” class of Deco collectibles. But, like ceramics, many types of inexpensive table glass were made during the 1930’s and 1940’s by American factories. Depression era glass collectors began to salvage pieces during the 1960’s. A number of the patterns have unmistakable Deco characteristics. “Manhattan,” a clear glass pattern made by Anchor Hocking is just one type finding its way into Deco collections. The ruby red, cobalt blue and deep green colored glass made by other American glass companies also qualifies as Deco. Quite a few pieces are very attractive, some are even elegant and others are just amusing.
Flatware, serving pieces and decorative table articles can be found in silver, brass, copper, chrome and plated metals. Chrome and plated metals are the least expensive. Nude or semi-nude figures were made into metal centerpieces or candle holders. Prices are competitive with other figural items and examples are just as much in demand. A number of metal Deco items were originally silverplated. Because the plating wears off, items become ugly and lose much of their value. Dealers have found it lucrative to have such objects stripped to the base metal which was usually copper or brass. The copper centerpiece with a pot metal nude is an example which was once silver plated. Do not automatically disregard badly worn plated pieces which have obvious Deco signs. It may be wise to have them stripped and polished by a commercial firm which specializes in that kind of work.

Worcester
Worcester was not perhaps the most obvious location for a major British porcelain manufacturer to be established because there were no local deposits of clay or coal; these had to be brought in by river. Nonetheless, it was there in 1751 that Dr John Wall and William Davis invested in a new porcelain factory.
1751-70
The new factory suffered heavy kiln losses, and in 1752 the partners bought up Benjamin Lund’s factory in Bristol and with it Lund’s secret porcelain formula that included Cornish soapstone. The use of soapstone gave Worcester porcelain increased durability, enabling its teapots to withstand hot liquids – those of most other British makers tended to crack in contact with boiling water. During the 1750s and 1760s Worcester specialized in teawares, sauceboats, pots for pate, meats and tarts, and pickle-dishes.
Early blue-and-white Worcester shows the influence of the Bristol factory, with shapes derived from British silver. Worcester’s coloured patterns were in the factory’s Unique form of chinoiserie that combined elements from China, Japan, Meissen, early Staffordshire, stoneware, and glass. This proved popular in the 1750s and is highly sought after by collectors today. By 1755 Worcester had perfected its blue-and-white wares by eliminating heavy blurring,
and was making fine tea services. Worcester can claim the credit for
the invention of printing on porcelain, and it used this technique extensively to produce overglaze black enamel and underglaze-blue printed decoration.
blue ground and also invented its famous “scale blue” (in which the underglaze blue ground was painted using a tiny fish-scale pattern) and developed other coloured grounds previously made famous by Sevres and Chelsea. The reserved panels on the coloured grounds were decorated with flowers and exotic “fancy birds”.
In the 1780s, with competition from Derby and imported French porcelain, and the influx of inexpensive Chinese wares, Worcester lost its premier position. Its recovery was slow, because the success of blueand-white printed pottery led to the decline of other, more expensive wares. In 1783 Davis, who had managed the firm since 1774, was bought out by
Thomas Flight, whose son, John
Flight, was to reverse Worcester’s ailing fortunes.
• BODY soft-paste porcelain with grey-blue cast
• GLAZE fully glazed inside the foot-rims and under the rims of lids
• FORMS teawares, sauceboats, and pickle-dishes
• DECORATION blue-and-white copies of Chinese wares; polychrome chinoiseries; overglaze black transfer-printing and underglaze-blue printing introduced
Marks
Most blue-and-white wares bear a workman’s mark, usually a simple sign of uncertain meaning
• GLAZE evenly controlled with slight yellow-green cast; under-rims of covers unglazed; to avoid glaze running down onto the kiln during firing it was wiped away from the inside of feet c.1758-83 in a technique known as “pegging”
• FORMS teawares, plates, dishes, and vases
• DECORATION blue-and-white printing, much of it for export; Chinese decoration less important; in London Giles decorated many pieces in Meissen or Sevres style
Marks
Mark used on printed wares (1758-85)
Mark used on blue-ground wares (c.1762-85)
“Pseudo-Meissen” mark used on some coloured wares in a European style (c.1760-70)
1774-92
• BODY paste declined in quality; a more straw-coloured or yellowish cast; not well controlled
• FORMS traditional styles continued to be made, but were not so well executed
• DECORATION very bright-blue printing, prone to blurring; slow transition from Rococo to Neo-classical decoration; greater French influence
Marks
Crescent mark still used in addition to this
cursive “W” printed in blue (c.1770-75)

Experimental porcelain
A great deal remains to be learned about the early years of British porcelain, although much is being revealed through research. The first attempts to produce porcelain in England can be traced back to
John Dwight ( 1635-1703), a
potter based in Fulham, London, who succeeded only in producing a fine stoneware. An itinerant chemist, Thomas Briand Id. 1747), is likely to have made some kind of porcelain in London in the early 1740s, and, although none has been identified, his experimental pieces may have contributed to the success of Chelsea from c.1744, since it is believed that it
was from him that the formula was acquired.
THE LONDON FACTORIES
During the 17th and 18th centuries Chinese porcelain found a ready market in London, and manufacturers were aware that the production of viable British substitutes would be extremely profitable. The founders of the factory at Bow on the city’s eastern outskirts received their first patent c.1744, although the works was probably not active until 1747. Joseph Wilson had established a factory at nearby Limehouse by 1746, when blue-and-white Limehouse porcelain was advertised for sale. No examples of Limehouse were identified until 1989, when archeologists discovered the site and dug up shards that had been discarded during manufacture. acture. These matched exactly a type of porcelain previously believed to have been made at the Liverpool factory of William Reid, which is now ascribed to Limehouse. Wares included shell-shaped pickle dishes, sauceboats, and teapots, with blue-and-white chinoiserie decoration. However, Limehouse porcelain clearly proved too difficult to manufacture, and the works closed in 1748.
Charles Gouyn, a jeweller and china retailer, operated a porcelain factory in St James’s from c.1749 to 1759, but to date no excavations have been possible to confirm the identity of the items produced. However, it is believed that Gouyn made the porcelain figures, scent bottles, and other miniature “toys” (small novelties) referred to as “Girl-in-a-Swing” wares (after the first such figures to be identified), now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
About 1752 Nicholas Crisp set up a small factory in Vauxhall on the south bank of the river Thames, making distinctive blue-and-white porcelain, the forms and decoration of which were influenced by Chinese export wares and British and Dutch Delftware. Vauxhall also made rare and very beautiful, brightly painted wares decorated with flowers executed in the style of
Meissen. In addition, the factory experimented with polyglaze printing – a form of overglaze printing using several colours at once – but very few of these wares survive. Vauxhall products, like those of Limehouse, were only recently identified, following the discovery of broken porcelain shards on the site of the original factory. The factory closed in 1764.
LUND’S BRISTOL
One of the proprietors of Limehouse moved to Bristol to join Benjamin Lund, and together they produced blu and-white porcelain from c.1749. Lund’s Bristol porcelain was not unlike that of Limehouse, but it was more durable owing to its secret ingredient: Cornish soapstone, a substitute for the petuntse (china clay) required to make true porcelain. At Worcester, Dr John Wall and William Davis realized the potential of soapstone and purchased Fund’s factory – together with its secret formula for porcelain – in 1752. Worcester became the most successful 18th-century British porcelain factory, and its proprietors went to great pains to protect their secret formula. However, a Worcester employee stole the formula and sold it in 1756 to Richard Chaffers, who made porcelain in Liverpool during the 1750s and I760s.
• BODY all the early factories made soft-paste porcelainGLAZE
• Vauxhall: glaze may be “peppered”
• DECORATION Vauxhall: underglaze blue may be inky, wet-looking, and rather smudged; polychrome painting and transfer-printing; designs inspired by Chinese export porcelain and Meissen; Limehouse: wares may resemble Chinese export porcelain unevenly fired
• COLLECTING early porcelain is very rare, and there is a great deal of interest especially in Vauxhall, Limehouse, and the earliest Worcester
Marks
Factory marks were very seldom used by the early porcelain manufacturers, which makes identification a challenge for new collectors; any marks that do appear must be treated with suspicion

The manufacture of earthenware by early colonists in North America began as a cottage industry and never grew on a scale consistent with the rapid growth in population and technology in the USA over the last 200 years. The relatively minor impact of domestically produced American pottery may be considered a testament to the extraordinarily high standards of European earthenwares, particularly the products of Staffordshire, which have been exported in enormous quantities since the declaration of American independence (1776). Although a few distinctly American forms and types of decoration emerged during the 19th century, the only pottery that can be considered uniquely American is that made by the Native Americans, the earliest examples of which pre-date European settlement by thousands of years.
EARLY POTTERY
Any domestically produced American pottery made before the mid-18th century is extremely rare. American pottery of this period is limited to simple, thickly potted red or buff earthenware. As the population grew in north-eastern America during the second half of the 18th century, distinctive pottery types were manufactured, all of which were useful. An industry developed for the manufacture of salt-glazed stoneware, which was superior to the porous and brittle common earthenwares. Early American stoneware (pre-1800) was mainly produced by German immigrants in the south-eastern states of Virginia and Georgia.
“Yellow-ware” describes any type of earthenware with an opaque, yellow glaze. This glaze was used in North America throughout the 19th century to make utilitarian wares including mixing bowls or “pans” (deep dishes for cooling milk). Of greater interest is slipware, sometimes erroneously termed “Pennsylvania slipware”, which refers to red-bodied (or occasionally buff) earthenware,
made largely in Connecticut, decorated with trailed Slip, usually of ochre or chocolate brown. Common forms are deep plates, “pans”, and pie dishes, which arc often worn through extended use, and so of little value. Common decoration is abstract, but additional inscriptions, dates, figural images, or highly accomplished patterns are particularly sought after.
“Spongeware” and “spatterware” were made throughout the 19th century and describe household mixing bowls, teaware, and platters with random, mottled patterns, typically in pale blues and
yellows. Small plates and mugs (often made in Staffordshire) with spattered borders and naively painted farm animals or figures are extremely
popular. “Mochaware” is of comparable collectability and interest, especially early 19th-century examples. The term describes glazed earthenware with “tree” forms in the pale glaze, which are caused by the capillary action of the brown slip. Mugs and jugs, most of which were originally made in Staffordshire for the North American market, are typical.
STONEWARE
Most North American stoneware of the 19th century was made in the north-eastern state of Vermont, principally by the Norton family of Bennington. The high standards and successful forms of Norton’s stoneware were imitated throughout New England until the beginning of the 20th century when stoneware became virtually obsolete. Two standard forms of “Bennington crock” were made (one of simple cylinder form with “ear” handles, and one of jug type) for the storage and transport of liquids, including apple cider, ale, and maple syrup. Other forms include covered pots, chamber-pots, spittoons, water coolers, and jugs, some of which were coated in brown glaze.
Decoration on American stoneware was rare before c.1830 and varied only subtly for the rest of the 19th century. It is typically in underglaze cobalt blue painted in a naive manner, sometimes over a scratched design. Usual images include flowers (least collectable), insects, ornamental numerals, birds, animals, landscapes, and commemorative designs, the latter being among the most desirable. Some types of decoration arc characteristic of a particular potter or date; for example, butterflies arc associated with the Norton family in the 1830x.
LATER POTTERY
In the late 19th century American commercial potters were established well beyond New England. New centres included Pittsburgh and other towns in Pennsylvania and neighbouring Ohio; Baltimore, Maryland; New York City; and Trenton in New Jersey, which by the 1880s was known as the “Staffordshire of America”. The output consisted entirely of utilitarian pieces. Much was in the form of “granite ware”, a highly practical, heavy, white earthenware of ironstone type, which was often left undecorated. Typical examples, which arc common owing to the robust nature of the ware, include tureens and tableware of all types, comparable to contemporary Staffordshire but larger in scale. Most tableware in daily use took the form of inexpensive transfer-printed wares imported from Staffordshire, the most collectable of which are those decorated with American scenes.
Rockingham-glaze ware – earthenware with a rich, sometimes lustrous, brown glaze – was produced extensively in the USA at this time, notably by the United States Pottery of Bennington, Vermont, founded by Christopher Fenton c.1840 and active throughout the century. Most examples are slip-cast, relief-moulded hollow-wares, including jugs, figural flasks, spittoons, furniture rests, and statuary. Pairs of “chimney dogs” (based on Staffordshire models but larger in scale) and recumbent lions are characteristic of the Bennington pottery and most desirable.
A uniquely American and fairly rare naive pottery, consisting of unusual `pinched” forms with applications under green glaze, was made by settlers in the Shenandoah Valley of the Virginias in the mid-19th century. The wares are well-potted, and innovative examples may bear scratched signatures or monograms. Much more common and widely collected is American majolica, which was produced at several factories from the 1860s until the beginning of the 20th century. The best majolica was made by the firm of Griffen, Smith Hill ( 1867-1902) in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.
NATIVE AMERICAN POTTERY
The majority of 19th-century Native American pottery that appears on the market today was made in the states Of the south-western USA by nations including the Hopi, the Navajo, and the Acoma. Most wares arc unglazed terracotta, and all items are of traditional design and manufacture – either coil-formed or thrown. Decoration is typically painted, with geometric patterns in faded earth tones. Collecting Native American pottery is a rapidly growing area of interest, and examples that can be dated to before the centennial of 1876 are especially sought after. However, dating can be very difficult owing to the continuous production of the traditional forms.
Early pottery
• YELLOW-WARE very collectable, particularly among admirers of folk art, but few pieces have significant value, and many arc of European origin
• SLIPWARE well decorated pieces arc most desirable
• SPONGEWARE AND SPATTERWARE reproduction and
restoration are quite common
• SIZE American wares are generally larger and more
heavily potted than contemporary English wares
• COLLECTING early wares are very rare and are usually so worn that they have relatively little value; examples that bear dates, arc well decorated, and arc unusual in form or decoration will raise collector interest
Stoneware
• COLLECTING made in large quantities; the most
desirable arc pieces with unusual decoration
Later pottery
• COLLECTING Rockingham-glazed wares are valuable if the form is unusual and figural; English majolica is more popular than American majolica in the USA
Native American pottery
• COLLECTING wares are difficult to date and arc often in fairly poor conditionMARKS
• signed examples arc usually 20th century

Korea’s close proximity to China has resulted in a marked Chinese influence in its ceramic production, ev ident in both the forms and the techniques used by potters. However, Korea has also produced stonewares and porcelains unique to its culture.
THE SILLA AND KORYO PERIODS
During the Silla kingdom (57 BC—AD 935) ceramic production in Korea consisted of grey- or brownish-bodied stonewares of distinctive architectonic form. Tall vessels with hemispherical bowls on an elongated spreading foot were decorated with geometric
windows and incised bands. Bowls were decorated with punched circlets, small repeated motifs, scratched geometric patterns, and, occasionally, animals or humans. Drawing inspiration from the Yue wares of south-eastern China, Korean potters developed celadon wares during the Koryo period (918-1392). Even if some of the forms are noticeably Chinese, there is almost always a distinctive Korean feel to them.
The green glaze is of a subtle tonality akin to the colour of the famous Ru wares of the northern Song Dynasty. However, er, the sangam celadons, which are painstakingly inlaid with black-and-white clays, are unique to Korea. A wide range of objects was made, including large blossom vases, ritual water ewers, and tiny covered boxes. Porcelain was also produced, albeit in very limited quantities, during the Koryo period.
CHOSON DYNASTY (1392-1910)
Developed from the sangam celadons of the Koryo period are the robust and often crude punch’ong wares, a greyish-green celadon-type stoneware made for about the first 200 years of the dynasty. Production ceased at the time of the invasion of Korea by the Japanese leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1592-8). The wares are decorated by stamping and washing through with slip. Decoration may feature tiny repeated motifs, flower-heads, or scrolls. Korean wares are generally very heavily potted with a curiously sticky glaze. The greyish-green glaze is thin, translucent, and mostly crackled, and it occasionally flakes. Choson whitewares were made throughout the period; earlier wares were often plain white, although many pieces can be painted in underglaze copper red, iron brown, or blue. Bulbous forms, often with faceted sides, are characteristic of the later Choson period, as are pierced vessels such as brushpots, pipe rests, and waterpots.
Early stoneware
• BODY dull dark grey or brown; potting tends to be very thick, and there is strong tendency for the items to warp
• FORMS “architectural”
• TYPES funerary wares
• DECORATION pierced and incised; often geometric patterns, rarely figures
celadon
• BODY generally a distinctive greyish blue-green like the classic Ru ware of the northern Song Dynasty
• GLAZE of greyish-olive tone; usually irregular; frequently crackled
• IDENTIFICATION celadon wares were fired on gritty kiln supports, often leaving crude patches on the underside of the foot-rim
• DECORATION the miniaturized inlay technique (sangam), using black-and-white clay, is unique to Korea
Porcelain
• BODY heavily potted; sometimes large pieces are warped or cracked; pierced and carved wares of the 18th and 19th centuries are very sophisticated
• GLAZE bluish or greenish irregularly crackled glaze
• DECORATION most common is the dragon; also cranes, tigers, and other animals
Marks
Most ceramics are unmarked before the late 19th century