Rare Doulton Lambeth Persian Ware Vase by Harry Simeon or William Rowe circa 1919 -36

This Doulton, Lambeth Persian ware vase is almost without doubt by Harry Simeon born 1871 - died 1953 (designer) or William Rowe who collaborated with him.

They both worked on the new Persian Ware introduced by Doulton on the back of William De Morgan’s highly successful Isnik inspired designs of a couple of decades or so earlier. Introduced by Doulton at the Lambeth works around 1919/1920. Harry Simeon left in 1936.

They are probably amongst some of Doulton's most beautiful  “new” art wares introduced at the turn of the 19^th Century to get in the modern groove.

This fine and very rare, early example is hand painted on a pottery body - rather than the later stoneware (somewhat impersonal and mass-produced to my mind and eye) vases and chargers.

These early examples were only produced in small quantities due to the amount of work which went into them and are extremely sought after.

For an identical shaped vase go to the Victoria and Albert Museum online gallery:

http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O150586/persian-ware-vase-simeon-harry/

A Stunning Doulton Faience Vase dated 1882 "White Opium Poppies"

This is a large vase of 33 cm in height and weighing in at 2 kg - it is in stunning condition and should be valued way higher than it is today. Tastes do change but quality will always win in the end. Beautifully hand painted with stunning white opium poppy flowers on a Royal blue ground with gold  branches and berries motif applied. The quality of the decoration is outstanding.

If you want any further information or prices on any of the ceramic pieces shown on this blog then please contact me at nickcashin@yahoo.com

Stella Crofts (1898 - 1964) An Ocelot or Dwarf Leopard - catalogued, wrongly*, by salerooms as a Clouded Leopard (*see note below)

Stella Crofts (a potter and ceramic sculptor) is best known for her ability to capture the characteristics of both domestic and wild animals. Her meticulous eye for detail, sense for movement and familial bonds are realised in her extremely scarce ceramic figurines, which are second to none in the 1930's. As an aside it is interesting to note that she was a contemporary of Henry Moore at the RCA. And yet her work is as "endangered" and as little known as some of her subject matter.

This work of an Ocelot* (perhaps observed in Regent's Park Zoo, London) can be dated some time after 1932 when she and her family moved to Billericay in Essex, England. Strangely enough and hugely appealing to me, this obscure town was also immortalised in the Ian Dury (of the Blockheads fame) song of the late 1970's which starts:

(spoken)
good evening i'm from Essex
in case you couldn't tell
my given name is Dickie, I come from Billericay
and I'm doing very well

Courtesy of: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/i/ian_dury_and_the_blockheads/billericay_dickie.html

* For more expert information on Stella Crofts and her work visit http://www.stellacrofts.net/ 

An 18th Century Slipware Cat of Great Charm

Modelled in a local red clay this amusing little cat is decorated in a Whieldon-style cream and orange dappled galze  and sits on a small octagonal base. An unsophisticated Saffordshire country pottery figure of great charm which has survived 250 years relatively unscathed and still retaining its appeal.

If you want any further information or prices on any of the ceramic pieces shown on this blog then please contact me at nickcashin@yahoo.com

CH Brannam (1855 - 1937) "A Quizzical Cat"

Another Great British Cat. This one was made around 1900 at CH Brannam's Devon pottery by James Dewdney. The monocled cat is modelled in the local red clay found near Barnstable and was made for the new discerning  tourists who began to visit the Romantic coast of North Devon in ever increasing numbers.Of great charm and humour it would have been an appealing memento of their visit returning to London or one of the rich, industrial cities of the Midlands or the North of England.

However these cats at over 12" in height and weighing in at nearly 4 lb were a very expensive souvenir. The "country" pottery was sold at Liberty of London, shown at international exhibitions and patronised by Queen Victoria - she was, in fact, "very amused".

For another great, witty example of the C H Brannam Pottery use the blog archive on your left and go to the entry for 15 June 2012.

If you want any further information or prices on any of the ceramic pieces shown on this blog then please contact me at nickcashin@yahoo.com

Ashtead Pottery "Genozo Lion" Designed by Percy Metcalfe

The Ashtead Pottery was founded in 1923 to create jobs for disabled ex-servicemen and closed in 1935. During its brief history many artists taught and designed for the pottery including EH Shepard, Phoebe Stabler and Percy Metcalfe.

The Genozo lion was designed by Percy Metcalfe (1895 - 1970) who is best known for his medal designs including the George Cross. He also designed the "Wembley Lion" for the 1924 Wembley British Empire exhibition and a model was produced by the Ashtead Pottery as a souvenir of this exhibition. Here the basic design has evolved into the much larger Genozo Lion.

All Ashtead Pottery figures are now extremely rare. For more information visit the excellent reference website: www.ashteadpottery.com

If you want any further information or prices on any of the ceramic pieces shown on this blog then please contact me at nickcashin@yahoo.com

Charles Vyse "A Big Cat"

Charles Vyse (1882 - 1971) was born in the potteries into a potting family and trained as a sculptor at the Royal College of Art. His abilities as a sculptor and modeller are evident in his figures which he produced as limited editions from the 1920s and through into the 1950s  at his studio in London. He was also an innovative potter and reproduced, through his own experiments, ancient Chinese glazes - the recipes for which had been lost for centuries.

The quality and scarcity of his ceramic figures and pottery make him one of the most sought after ceramic artists of the 20th Century.

This figure of a big cat in a Temmoku glaze brings together his skills as an exceptional sculptor and ceramic glaze alchemist, of extraordinary talent.

Ruskin Egg Shell "Delphinium Blue" Lustre Bowl 1924

These very finely potted "egg shell" bowls produced in the early to mid 1920's are extremely fragile and very few have survived. This  beautiful, mottled delphinium blue lustre example is a mere 56gms (2oz); compare the weight with the monster Minton in the last post!

The inspiration for this vase is Howson Taylor's contemporary take on Chinese shapes and glaze effects, and examples of this type of ware began to appear around 1923. In 1924 the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley was opened by King George V and the Pottery Gazette at that time remarked: "We observed quite a number of new shapes, as well as new colour treatments. Particularly worthy of mention is a "Delphinium Blue - a mottled blue of rare distinction."

Quite!

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Minton Secessionist Vase: the "Numero Uno" # 1

This No: 1 Minton Secessionist vase, weighing in at a massive 1Kg 600 gms (3lb.8oz) and 32.5cm (13") in height plus 45.5cm (18") in circumference - is the "Big Daddy" of Minton Secessionist vases. More Neo Classical than Art Nouveau, this vase dates from the very early 1900's.

In 1902 Leon V Solon and John Wadsworth introduced the new ware based on continental developments in the decorative arts. This variation of the # 1 design was probably the first in the series of these vases introdued by Solon during his reign as the art director at Mintons (1902 - 1909) and reflect's his interest in classical style. After 1909 Wadsworth, to his credi,t as Solon's successor as art director (1909 - 1914)  continued with the tube-lined technique in a more art nouveau style -see earlier posts on this blog.

The tube-lined decoration using trailed slip would have required the utmost skill and the daring colour combinations of the coloured glazes give an added dimension to these striking vases. The tube-lining technique was, of course, used later by Charlotte Rhead and others to great decorative effect - also see earlier posts.

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A Rare William De Morgan Merton Abbey Vase

This stunning, simple vase of shouldered form is painted with stylised carnation flowers in a ruby, red lustre on a white ground with the impressed Merton Abbey “Mason” mark to base. Only 12 cm high and with chips to the rim and tiny, burst glaze bubbles to the body this vase has the presence and stature of larger vases in far better condition.

The decoration is similar to the “Moffatt” pattern in tiles from this period and, as noted by Jon Catleugh in his book on William De Morgan’s tiles: “A great many of the flower patterns were also adapted for us on three-dimensional surfaces, particularly those with a dominant central motif that could be placed two, three or four times round the surface of the pot, with the intervening spaces filled in with leaves and flowers, a useful economy of the designer’s time.”

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A William De Morgan "BBB" Tile

William De Morgan (1839 – 1917) a friend of William Morris was a real revolutionary in terms of design but largely self taught in ceramics and glaze effects. Despite this he quickly established himself as one of the greatest artist/potters of the period. His work is now highly prized and widely collected. The vast majority of his work was designing and manufacturing exquisitely decorated tiles but he also produced richly decorated vases and chargers.

This example is a stunning early Fulham period Sands End (1888 - 1897) six inch tile in the fabulous "BBB" design in a turquoise and mulberry colour way.

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Abstract Martin Brothers Vase 1907

This vase was undoubtedly influenced by the Martin Brothers' friend and admirer Sydney Greenslade, an architect, who met them in the late 1890s. Although the Martins had already started experimenting with vegetable and gourd shaped pots, Greenslade, who became firm friends with Edwin Martin the youngest of the brothers, was a fervent champion of the new, simpler more abstract aesthetic sweeping through Europe.

The close connection between this particular pot and Sydney Greenslade is even documented in a sketch by Greenslade of shapes for pottery and illustrated on page 121 of Malcolm Haslam's excellent  book "The Martin Brothers Potters". The sketch includes a vase of squat form with handles running from the neck into the body.

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A stunning, early Ruskin high fired vase Cica. 1901 -1905

A small high fired, early "Sang de Beouf" vase with stunning lilac blooming. This small vase of approximately 8cm in height has the very early impressed WHT monogram which dates it from between 1901 to 1905 - one of the earliest examples of William Howson Taylor's mastery of high temperature reduction fired glazes that I have seen. It guarantees his place in the history of galze development in Europe along with contemporaries in France and Germany who set out to recreate the 'lost' glazes from Qing dynasty potters produced many centuries earlier.

  

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Royal Doulton Chang vase by Charles Noke and Harry Nixon

During the 1920's Charles Noke and Harry Nixon continued to experiment with high temperature fired glazes, extending the research Noke, Slater and Bailey had done in the late 1890's and early 1900's, and in 1925 they produced Chang Ware which had a heavier body than Sung Ware and was brightly coloured with thick congealed glazes.

This stunning example is covered in a thick running glaze in shades of yellow, red and dark brown flambé and crackled white over a mottled flambé ground decorated with a band of berries and foliage. It is 12 cm high.

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A Bernard Moore Vase in the "oriental" style 1905

Fish as a decorative theme clearly connect this and the last vase posted below. They are very different in style and execution however.

The Moore piece is a stunning example of the Aesthetic style or "Japonisme" taste; the west's growing awareness, obsession and take on oriental design which was prevalent in all the arts around the turn of the 19th Century. Woodcuts from Japan were hugely influential on the post impressionists painters and Chinese glazes and techniques in the decorative arts were studied intensely by potters in Europe.

This flambé vase with various degrees of oxidation enhanced with gilt and enamelled decoration of carp is signed and dated 1905 and would have required several firings - a very expensive piece of the highest quality.

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A Wilkinson's "Oriflamme" vase painted by John Butler

John Butler was a very talented art director and painter working at the A J Wilkinson's pottery at the turn of the 20th Century. This miniature 9 cm high vase is a tour de force, demonstrating the highest quality of his work. Decorated with an all-over marbled gold and red lustre ground and highlighted with a finely painted fish; it dates from the early 1900's and represents the end of an era - Wilkinson's was Clarice Cliff's first employer.

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Carlo Manzoni, Granville Pottery (1895 - 1898)

The connection between Carlo Manzoni and the Della Robbia Pottery (see post below) is well documented. He was a friend of Harold Rathbone and Conrad Dressler who founded the Della Robbia Pottery in Birkenhead in 1894 - not only that, when Dressler left in 1894, Manzoni joined Rathone and closed his own pottery in 1898.

This jug dated 1897 is typical of the wonderfully naive style he produced, almost single-handed, at his short lived pottery; not surprisingly his work is extremely scarce and sought after.

This jug is illustrated on page 54 of John Bartlett's book "English Decorative Ceramics".

Della Robbia Pottery (1894 - 1906)

Probably the finest pottery to emerge from the Arts and Crafts movement in England. In fact the "Jewel in the Crown" considering pieces were purchased  by King George V, Queen Victoria and Edward VII.

This huge vase and cover , nearly 12 inches high and 30 inches in circumference, would probably have been an exhibition piece. Painted by Liza Wilkins and with the throwers mark incised- usually a sign of a high quality piece - this is a stunning example of a short-lived pottery from "Great Britain".

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An Exquisite Martin Brothers Miniature Vase 1893

This finely carved and modelled stoneware miniature demonstrates the exceptional skills of the Martin Brothers' individual style. It is decorated with incised and raised foliage, picked out in blue on four light brown panels against a darker body. In the Gothic style, the scrolling foliage is different in each panel and epitomises the emphasis the Arts and Crafts movement placed on hand worked craftsmanship.

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Bernard Moore and the Development of Copper-red glazes

I don't want to stir up a storm about who won the race to re-create ancient Chinese "Sang de Boeuf" glazes in England  - was it Bernard Moore or the Taylors at the Ruskin Pottery? But this small  Bernard Moore vase  must be of great interest to the debate.

The quest was the holy grail of potters in the Western world in the 19th Century. The glaze, technically a high temperature reduction fired process using copper oxide on a hard paste porcelain body (which could survive the firing) results in a highly attractive scratch resistant, rich red glaze with purple streaks or spotting.

This vase could have been produced as early as 1902 - see Aileen Dawson's book on Bernard Moore p.28 Plate II for a photograph of a very similar example.

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