Posts Tagged ‘variable quality’

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

Later Japanese ceramics
In 1853 Commodore Nlatthew Galbraith Perry of the United States Navy entered Japanese territorial waters, forcing the country to accept diplomatic relations and trade with the West after over 200 years of seclusion. One of the effects of this exposure was the introduction of western technology, and this, coupled with the ambitions of the new Meiji Government after 1868, encouraged expansion. The town of Arita, the traditional home of Japanese porcelain, responded not only by making increasing numbers of conventional wares but also with brilliant showpieces suitable for display at international exhibitions and trade fairs, such as those held in London in the 1860x, in Paris ( 1867), and in Philadelphia ( 1876). The potters in the most important ceramic centres – Kaga, Satsuma, Kyoto and Seto – also benefited from the liberal policies of the Meiji Government. Vast quantities of pottery and porcelain saturated the markets in Europe Lind the USA. Such was the craze for all things Japanese that both impressionism and the Aesthetic Movement were inspired by the imported wares.
The range of Meiji ceramics is vast and includes extraordinarily elaborate and over-decorated earthenwares and the most delicate and flimsy eggshell porcelains. The majority arc generally considered to be of variable quality, especially the blue-and-white Arita and Imari porcelains. The mass-produced wares for the export market rarely correspond to the canons of the traditional Japanese aesthetic; the designs are mostly very busy and often lack coherence. They appear either to reflect a Western picture-postcard view of Japan or to be re-creations of earlier export porcelains. The emphasis was on space-filling decoration such as millefiori (thousand flowers) or overlapping panels of various shapes filled with diverse ornament.
ARITA
Late Imari porcelain (made in or around the town of Arita) consists mainly of decorative vases, bottles, bowls, and dishes; figures or useful tablewares
were rarely if ever made. The majority v of the production was f off-white, poorly levigated
porcelain covered in a thinnish
glaze. Surface pitting, iron flecks, and smudged cobalt indicate the somewhat
casual nature of this mass-produced output. Designs are often partly stencilled with outlines in a variable Underglaze blue, which were then infilled with an orangey iron-red, green, turquoise and gilding. The surface decoration featured either a main subject within complicated borders, or an all-over design made up of small panels showing various non-concordant subjects. For such wares the emphasis was on ornamentation –the “more-is-better” school of thought. Output includes enormous Indian dub-shaped vases with flared and frilled necks; small shallow saucer dishes; globular bottles with tall narrow cylindrical necks; multi-lobed, high-shouldered jars; and large dishes moulded in the form of a chrysanthemum. These wares arc generally unmarked, although many have impressed characters. The best Imari wares at this time were made by the Fukugawa family. In 1894 Chuji Fukugawa founded the Fukugawa Manufacturing Manufacturing Co. in Arita, which produced very refined wares -with symmetrical, soft, smoky -blue underglaze decoration.
Blue-and-white Arita wares are made of the same material as the Imari type, but the designs are not compartmentalized in the same way, relying instead on ordered floral, bird, or animal subjects. Some of the flatwares, especially the smaller dishes, were decorated entirely using stencils.
KAGA AND SETO
Although Kaga on the island of Honshu was a major centre for stoneware, it produced little porcelain of note Until the 19th century. The porcelain from the region around Kaga is known as Kutani ware. There are two basic styles of this: the first uses dark washes of green, purple, yellow, and black; the second, which was made specifically for export to the West, is known as “Red Kutani”. This export ware has a red ground and grisaille decoration showing people in romantic land- and riverscapes enjoying the delights of the season; decoration may also be heightened with gilding. another common type of Kutani ware does not use red.
By the end of the 19th century there were 434 kilns in Seto in Owari Province, producing mainly export wares. The potters generally appear to have made blue-and-white porcelains, some very close in feeling and design to the Chinese porcelains produced during the reign of Emperor Kangxi (1662-1722). Output consisted of thinly potted ornamental vases and teawares, which were sent to Tokyo for decoration.
SATSUMA AND KYOTO
Although Satsuma was an important centre of ceramic production from the 16th century, the town is synonymous with the highly decorative export wares made from the mid-19th century. These cream-coloured earthenwares with finely crackled glazes and thickly applied enamelled and gilded decoration were also produced in the town of Kyoto. Satsuma and Satsuma-type wares were first shown outside Japan at the international exhibitions, resulting in a huge demand for them in the West. While some are of the very highest craftsmanship, many are of rather mediocre or poor quality, intended for sale in department stores.
In Satsuma the Seikozan studio, and in
Kyoto such potters as Kinkozan IV (1824-84) and Yabu Meizan (1853-1934), made extremely fine panelled wares decorated with miniature scenes depicting people carrying out everyday activities like fishing, playing, or strolling in parklands or along riversides. Landmarks such as Mount Fujiama were also depicted, together with animals including monkeys, cranes, pheasants, peacocks, and cockerels, and flowers
Such as chrysanthemums, irises, proms blossom,
and wisteria. Around these panels the ground was embellished with complex patterns or overlapping designs. Wares included koro (incense burners), vases, wine or sake ewers, howls, covered jars, and figures. The most sophisticated wares with the finest-quality decoration appealed to followers of the Aesthetic Movement in Europe and the USA. Most of these wares are clearly signed on the base.
NORITAKE
In 1891 the McKinley Tariff Act passed by the American Congress declared that all Japanese wares imported into the USA should be clearly marked with the word “Nippon” (the Japanese name for
One of the most important factories that produced what were known as “Nippon” wares was the Noritake Co., established in 1904 in Nagoya by Icizaemon Morimura 1875). The company specialized in the production of porcelain wares, at first copying debased Rococo-style European wares decorated with flowers, fruit, foliage. in
and landscapes i pale pastel tones with gold relief highlights. During the 1920s such well-known designer-, as the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1956) were commissioned to supply designs reflecting the current vogue for Art Deco-style tea, coffee and dinner services. After 1921 the American government decided that the Nippon marls was to be changed to “Japan” or “Made in Japan”.

Arita
• BODY porcelain
• GLAZE usually fairly thin with surface pitting
• TYPES blue-and-white and Imari-style wares
• DECORATION Imari: busy; blue and white
Kaga and SetoBody
• porcelain
• DECORATION Kaga: loosely painted with predominant iron red or grisaille; Seto, mainly delicately, drawn natural themes in clear, bright g
underclaze blue
Satsuma and KyotoBODY
• fine earthenware
• GLAZE Satsuma: warm, creamy, crackled glaze
• PALETTE enamelling in bright colours, gilding
DECORATION landscapes; people carrying out everyday activities; flowers; animals
Marks
Kyoto: seal mark for Yabu Meizan
NoritakeBODY
• at first a grey Seto body; from the each- 1920s a pure white porcelain similar to that made at the French factory of Limoges
• TYPES good quality utilitarian wares of European/ American form intended for export
Marks
Mark used on many Noritake Nippon wares (C.1911-1921); “M” is for Morimura