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TRANSFERRED TO

HARVARD COLLEGE
__. LIBRARY

:x.\

.32AV S137E30?iOW
.mjn^i-M lisdIA bnK BiiolDiV srfl ni

WORCESTER VASE.

=rom the Collection of Ihe lale Lady Charlotte Schrieber

in the Victoria and Allrert Museum.

Chats on

English China

ARTHUR HAVDEN

SEW yoKK
KHKDKKICi; A. STOKKS COMPANY
PUBLISHEKS

1904

HARVARD COLLEliE LIBRARY

FROM THE LIBRARY OF

MBS, MAHY M. BARCLAY

OCTOBER 14, 1926

JOSEPHINE HAMILTON

This little volume has been primarily written with
a view to enable the possessors of old china to
determine the factories at which their ware was
produced. A modest attempt has been made to
show that the china - shelf is a record of men's
triumphs and failures, and the fantastic shepherds
and shepherdesses, lustrous bowls, queer printed
dishes, and bizarre decorated jugs, may be regarded
by a reflective mind as so many symbols representing
something less perishable than the clay of the
potter.

These " Chats " originally appeared in the pages
of Our Home. In collecting them in volume form
I trust that they will appeal to a wider circle of
readers.

VI n PREFACE

Never was a greater interest taken in Art, and
the growth of popular literature has developed a taste
for objects of art in the home. The china-shelf
is now regarded as worthy of keen and discriminating
study. Its treasures, often heirlooms, have been
brought into the light of day, and amateur collectors
can now be numbered by thousands.

I am enabled to include a useful feature in the
list of prices obtained at recent sales, by kind
permission of the proprietors of the Connoisseur,
whose " Sale Prices," published monthly, is most
valuable to the collector.

It is hoped that the Bibliography of works on
china and pottery may be of use to those who wish to
study the subject more deeply, and a copious Index
will prove useful for ready reference.

The " Chats " relating to Lustre Ware, Old
English Mugs, and Wedgwood are not upon English
china, but deal with earthenware ; they are included
in the volume in order to increase its scope and
usefulness.

My thanks are due to Mr. W. G. Honey, of Cork,
for kindly allowing me to reproduce specilnens from
his collection which was exhibited at the Cork
Exhibition. I am indebted to Mr. J. U. Yallop, Fine
Art Dealer, of Lowestoft, for information concerning
the recent unearthing of moulds and fragments of
china on the site of the old factory at Lowestoft,
a discovery of very great value. By permission
of the Coalport Company I am giving specimens of
their modern productions and some of their marks
not before published.

PREFACE IX

To Miss Patterson, Editor of Our Home, I owe a
debt for kind encouragement during the appearance
of the " Chats " in serial form ; and I also wish to
thank the many readers who sent kind letters,
drawings, or photographs, and hope that this little
book will remind them of the pleasant pilgrimage
we made together. There is camaraderie even in
cracked china.

ARTHUR HAYDEN.

Mr, C™™ yut 16 .W. h

CONTENTS

PREFACE ....

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

BIBLIOGRAPHV

GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED

I. OLD DERBY .

n. CHELSEA CHINA

IIL THE BOW CHINA FACTORY .

IV. OLD WORCESTER

V. PLYMOUTH AND i

VI. THE LOWESTOFT F

VII. COALPORT .

Xll CONT/tXTS

CHAT PAGE

VIII. SPODE AND HIS SUCCESSORS . . -149

IX. NANTGARW AND SWANSEA . . . 1 63

X. MINTON . . . .179

XI. OLD ENGLISH EARTHENWARE . . I9I

XII. LUSTRE WARE . . . . . 219

XIII. LIVERPOOL WARE .... 235

XIV. WEDGWOOD . . . . . 247

INDEX ...... 279

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Worcester Vase. From the Collection of the late Lady
Charlotte Schrieber in the Victoria and Albert
Museum.

Chat I.— Old Dekbv.

Bloor Derby Teapot .....

Early Crown Derby Cup and Saucer

Old Derby Marks .....

Crown Derby Vase ......

Crown Derby Pastille- burner ....

Crown Derby Mug and Saucer ....

Bloor Derby Marks .....

Bloor Derby Vase ......

Later Derby Marks .....

Chat II.— Chelsea China.

Figure of Gtrpenlcr . . . , ,

Chelsea Vast: in British Aluseum ....
Chelsea Marks ......

Dillo

" Foundling" Vase .....

Derby-Chelsea Mark-

Chelsea Vast

XIV

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Chat III.— The Bow China Factoky.

PAGE

Inkstand -49

Bow Figure ...... 50

Bow Marks . .53

Ditto ...... 54

Fragments of Old Bow China dug up on site of Factory 56

Ditto ditto ditto * . 57

Bow Marks ...... 60

Ditto .... . . 61

Chat IV. — Old Worcester.

Old Worcester Transfer-printed Mug . xiii

Old Worcester Transfer-printed Group . (yj

Old Worcester Marks . . 70

Old Worcester, King of Prussia Mug -73

Worcester Dish ...... 77

Flight and Barr Marks .78

Chamberlain Marks ..... 78

Kerr and Binns Marks . -79

Grainger, Lee and Co. Marks .... 79

Scent-bottle (Chamberlain) .80

Grainger, Lee and Co. Vases 81

Chat V. — Plymouth and Bristol China.

Salt-cellar, Plymouth ....

White Porcelain Dish, Plymouth

Vase, Plymouth .....

Plymouth Marks .....

Bristol Porcelain .....

Bristol Marks ......

Bristol Cup and Saucer from Edmund Burke's Service
Bristol Vase ......

Chat VI. — The Lowestoft Factory.

Lowestoft Sauce-boats, with Fragment of Mould. . 113

Blue and White Delft Marriage Plate . 114

95
96

97
100
102
103

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS XV

Chat VI. — The Lowestoft Factory [contimuuf)

PAGE

Old Lowestoft Cups and Saucers .117

Dated Lowestoft Mug . .118

Interior of Old Lowestoft Factory ( Digging for Moulds) 1 22
Toy Teapot and Cream Jug .123

Dated Lowestoft Mug 125

Lowestoft Blue and White Jug .128

Inkstand ....... 129

Chat VII.— Coalport.

Old Willow Pattern Plate (Caughley) . . . i

Old Coalport, Two-handled Cup and Saucer 135

Caughley, Old Blue Mug . . . • I37

Early Marks . .139

Coalport Vase .141
Coalport Marks ...... 142

Latest ditto .143

Modern Coalport Plate . , . • H5

Chat VIII. — Spode and his Successors.

Spode Plates .151

Spode Pastille-burner 152

Spode Marks ...... 154

Spode Plate ....... i55

Copeland Marks . .156

Copeland Plates .157

•

Chat IX.— Nantgarw and Swansea.

Nantgarw Dish ...... 167

Swansea Figures (Blue and White) vii

Swansea Marks -171

Swansea Plate . .172

Swansea Vase (Dillwyn's Etruscan Ware) .173

XVI UST OF ILLUSTHATIONS

Chat X.— Mixtox.

I'AtiE

Minton Marks .182

Minton Vase . .183

Later Minton Marks .184

Lion Ewer (Henri II. Ware). .185

Minton Candelabrum .186

Majolica Plaque .189

Chat XI.— Old Exglish Eakthexwake.

Old Staffordshire Cream Jug . xi

Mason's Ironstone China Mug . . • xvii

Sunderland Jug ...... 193

Old Jug— John Bull .198

The Vicar and Moses ..... 199

Sunderland Frog Mug ..... 203

Old Delft Mug (dated 1631) . .206

Group of Old English dated Ware 209

Old Puzzle Jug ...... 212

Marks on Mason's Ware . .216

Group of Mason's Jugs . .217

Chat XII.— Lustre Ware.

Copper Lustre Jugs . . .221

Group of Copper Lustre Ware 222

Copper Lustre Bust ...... 223

Copper Lustre Jugs ..... 225

Copper Lustre Jug ...... 226

Silver Lustre Sugar-bowl .... 227

Silver Lustre Jugs ...... 228

Silver Lustre Teapot . 229

Silver Lustre Jug (White Decoration) . .231

Gold Lustre Jug . . 232

Chat XIII. — Liverpool Ware.

Old Liverpool Tiles ..... 237
Early Liverpool Marks ..... 240

^ LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Chat XIII.— Liverpool Ware {cont'mueA)—

Liverpool Marks .....

Old Liverpool Mug .....
Old Liverpool Jug (Ivvo positions)
LEverpool Mug .....

Chat X I V.-^ Wedgwood.

Wedgwood. Jasper Cup ....

Whieldon Tortoiseshell Ware ....

Wedgwood Teira-colta Vases

Wedgwood. Jasper Vase . , , ,

Blue Jasper Vase and Pedestal

Plaque designed by Ftaxman. Mereury uniting t

hands of England and France
Portland Vase .....

Wedgwood and Bentley Mark . , , ,

Old Wedgwood Teapot ....
Wedgwood Plaque. Designed b)- Lad)' Dia

Beauclerk ......

BIBLIOGRAPHY

General. — Catalogue of Specimens of British Pottery and Porce-
lain in the Museum of Practical Geology. 1876. (Out of print.)
(This Collection is now at the Bethnal Green Museum.)

Marks and Monograms on Pottery and Porcelain. William
Chaffers. £2 2s.

(The last edition, 1901, contains over 3,500 Potters'

marks of all the well-known European and Oriental

factories.)

Ceramic Art of Great Britain. 2 vols. Llewellyn- Jewitt. 1878.

The China Collector's Pocket Companion. Mrs. Bury Palliser. 5s.

(Containing marks only — arranged in order.)

Old English Pottery. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Freeth. (Morgan,

Thompson, & Jamison.) £2 12s. 6d. net.

English Porcelain. A. H. Church. 1885.

English Earthenware. A. H. Church. 1884.

Art of the Old English Potter. By M. L. Solon. los. 6d.

History of Old English Porcelain. By M. L. Solon. 1903. £2 2s. net.

History and Description of English Porcelain. By Wm. Burton.

Cassell & Co. 1902. £2 2s. net.

Examples of Early English Pottery. John Eliot Hodgkin, F.S.A.,

and Edith Hodgkin. 1891.

Pre-Wedgwood English Pottery (Solon Collection). Conttoisscuff

December, 1901 ; February, 1902.

Pottery and Porcelain, A Guide to Collectors. F. Litchfield. 1900.

Particular. — Bow, Chelsea, and Derby Porcelain. William

Bemrose. 1898. £3 3s. net.

Bristol, Two Centuries of Ceramic Art in. Hugh Owen. 1873.

Chelsea China. Connoisseur^ March, 1903.

xix

XX BIBLIOGRAPHY

Old Derby China Factory. John Haslem. 1876.
Liverpool, The Art of Pottery in. Joseph Mayer. 1855.
Lowestoft. Connoisseur, April, 1903 ; October, 1903. Queen,

Christmas number, 1903.
Lustre Ware. Connoisseur, November, 1902.
Saltglaze Teapots, Old English. Connoisseur, February, 1903.
Staffordshire Potteries, History of the. S. Shaw. 1829.
Swansea and Nantgarw, The Ceramics of. William Turner. 1897.
Wedgwood, Life of Josiah. Miss Meteyard. 1865.

Memorials of. Miss Meteyard. 1874.

Connoisseur, May, 1903.

A. H. Church. (Portfolio Monograph.)

Worcester China. A Century of Potting in the City of Worcester.

R. W. Binns. 1877.
Worcester China. A Record of the Work of Forty-five Years

(1852-1897). R.W. Binns. 1898.
Old Worcester. Connoisseur, October, 1902.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED

Biscuit — The first stage of china after being fired.
It is white and porous, and ready for decoration.
Its -surface resembles that of an ordinary clay
pipe.

China. — A term used to include all porcelains.

Earthenware. — All ware that is not translucent.
Wedgwood is earthenware.

Glaze, — The glassy substance applied to the surface
of pottery and porcelain.

Lead Glaze, — The porcelains of Bow, Chelsea,
and other early factories contained as much
as 40 per cent, of oxide of lead. Modern
chinas contain less than half that, and some
glazes are " leadless." As to the terrible
results of the use of this glaze on the health
of the potters, see Report of Professors
Thorpe and Oliver to Home Office on
subject (C. 9207, 1899).

XXI

XXll GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED

Glaze (continued) —

Over-Glaze Decoration, — Decoration after the
surface has received its transparent glaze.
This decoration admits of a wider range of
colours. On hard paste, such as Plymouth,
it stands flat on the surface ; on soft paste,
such as Bow, it is partly incorporated.

Under-Glaze Decoration, — Decoration applied to
the unglazed surface when in biscuit state ;
the whole is then covered with transparent
glaze and refired.

Ironstone China, — A term invented by Mason, who
took out a patent for his ware. It is not china,
but IS a heavy class of earthenware highly deco-
rated. It was generally adopted by other
Staffordshire makers.

Moulds, — The models from which china is made.
These are of plaster of Paris.

Opaque, — Incapable of transmitting light. This dis-
tinguishes pottery from porcelain.

Paste, — The body or material of which porcelain is
made.

Hard, — China which, on being broken, shows a
sparkling surface like that of a flint stone,
and is impervious to any staining by colour
applied to it. Plymouth and Bristol and
New Hall are the only true hard-paste
porcelains of this country.

Soft, — China which, on being broken, shows a
porous surface capable of absorbing colour.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED XXlll

Porce/ain,— Commonly called china ; is distinguished
from pottery by being translucent.

True Porcelain is made from a mixture of two
mAXi^x^s— petuntse, or "china stone," and
kaolin^ or " china clay," with nothing arti-
ficially added ; e,g,, Chinese, Dresden, Ply-
mouth, and Bristol chinas.

Glassy Porcelain, containing an artificial admix-
ture of glass to give the paste translucency ;
e,g,, Chelsea, Bow, Nantg^rw, Pinxton.

Bone-ash Porcelain, of which Spode's china is an
example.

Pottery, — A term used to include all the earthen-
wares.

Printing, — Formerly, in old chinas, all the coloured
decorations were painted. Now, by use of
various mechanical devices, women and girls
are employed to transfer printed patterns on
modern china.

Transfer-printing, — A process used at Liverpool by
Sadler and Green, and at Worcester, in which
the design from an engraved copper plate was
transferred to specially prepared paper and
applied to the ware. Black and brown were
the main colours used (see Illustrations, pp.
244-s).

Translucent, — Transparent. All porcelains, when held
up to a strong light, are translucent, in varying
degree, according to thickness of paste.

OLD DERBY

la Bethnal Gru

CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

OLD DERBY

It is not too much to hope that the eyes of some
reader will stray into these pages as a wanderer in a
strange land, one whose interest in china has never
been awakened. We hope to lure such a wight with
sweet cajolery. If perchance we can get him to
examine one or two dainty specimens of old blue
china we shall have him enmeshed in our toils. If
he be an artist he will not escape from the enchant-
ment of Derby and of Worcester. If he be a mere

4 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

business man, here is an item from Messrs. Christie's
catalogue of a sale on January 14, 1902 : " Coffee-pot
and cover, Worcester. Painted with figures, birds,
and flowers, in colours in Chinese taste, and with
alternate dark-blue scale-pattern panels — £2% 7s."
And this, mark you, is an ordinary item selected
at random, a business sample, if you will.

Mr. Andrew Lang, in one of his " Ballades in Blue
China," has cunningly put into rhyme a poet's reason
for his love of china : —

"There's a joy without canker or cark, -^

There's a pleasure eternally new ; >^
'Tis to gloat on the glaze and the mark ^

Of china that's ancient and blue, v
Unchipped all the centuries through,^

It has passed, since the chime of it rang, ■
And they fashioned it, figure and hue, ^

In the reign of the Emperor Hwang."

We should be less than human if we did not point
the moral by quoting the delicious sentences of a
City man (one can hardly imagine Charles Lamb
a City man journeying daily to Leadenhall Street !)
concerning —

"Those little, lawless, azure-tinctured grotesques
that, under the notion of men and women, float
about, uncircumscribed by any element, in that
world before perspective — a china teacup. . . . Here
is a young and courtly mandarin handing tea to a
lady from a salver — two miles off. See how distance
seems to set off respect. And here the same lady.

OLD DERBY 5

or another — for likeness is identity on teacups — is
stepping into a little fairy boat, moored on the
hither side of this calm garden river, with a
dainty, mincing foot, which, in a right angle of
incidence (as angles go in our world), must infal-
libly land her in the midst of a flowery mead — a
furlong off on the other side of the same strange
stream ! "

And now, having brought you thus far, reader,
will you not journey with us and learn something
of the magic and the mysteries of old china? We
are a goodly company, and if you have a fine eye,
a pretty fancy for your own taste, and a keen zest
for a bargain, join hands with us.

Derby holds a high place in the history of British
porcelain, inasmuch as it was here that its manu-
facture was matured, and the ability and perseverance
of three generations of the Duesbury family raised
the productions to the level of those of the great
European factories.

It is generally believed that the manufacture of
china first sprang into existence at Derby in 1750,
about a year or so before the works at Worcester
were established. There is a tradition that the first
maker was a Frenchman, who lived in a small house
in Lodge Lane, and who modelled and made small
articles in china, principally animals — cats, dogs,
lambs, sheep, &c. — which he fired in a pipemaker's
oven in the neighbourhood.

About this time there were some pot works on
Cockpit Hill belonging to Alderman Heath, a
banker, and the productions of the Frenchman,

6 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

probably a refugee, having attracted notice, an
arrangement was made between him and Heath and
Duesbury by which the manufacture of porcelain
would be carried on jointly. This man's name, to
whom the absolute honour of commencing the
Derby China Works belongs, was Andrew Planche.
A deed exists by which a partnership for ten years
was entered into by the three above named.
Planch^ found the skill and secret knowledge. Heath
the money (;£"!, coo), and Duesbury the ability to
carry out the scheme.

Besides this deed there is no other record of the
Frenchman, as the firm became known as " Dues-
bury and Heath," and apparently the usual fate of
the poor inventor overtook Planch^.

William Duesbury was of Longton Hall, in Staf-
fordshire, and was the son of a currier. By trade
he was an enameller. Entries in the family Bible,
in the possession of the Duesburys, prove that in
1755 he removed to Derby to carry on the newly-
acquired business " in ye art of making English
china, as also in buying and selling all sorts of
wares belonging to ye art of making china."

Records of the kinds of china manufactured and
sent to London are interesting. There were blue
fluted boats, mosaic boats, sage-leaf boats, fig-leaf
sauce-boats, octagon fruit plates, vine-leaf plates
coffee cups, flower vases, blue strawberry pots,
standing sheep, cats, honeycomb jars, coffee-pots,
butter-tubs, Chelsea jars, teapots, figures of Mars,
Minerva, &c., Spanish shepherds, candlesticks, and,
of course, many varieties of plates and dishes, and
cups and saucers.

OLD DERBY

Once or twice the name of the firm appears as
" Duesbury and Co.," but it is more usually " Dues-
bury and Heath." Finally, it became Duesbury
only.

•750.
XarliesV ft\&rK .

(In. ffJil).

'773.

«y^g2 ^ I830.

^ bUck.

OLD DERBY MARKS.

Coming to the marks which were used, in our
illustration we have arranged them in chronological
order, the earliest being at the top.

The mark used in the earliest days is not certain,

8 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

but in all probability the letter D, when in gold,
is one of the first used. It is, however, exceedingly
rare to find a piece thus ^marked. This letter D
may equally stand for Derby or for Duesbury.

From 1770 to 1773, the script initial ii) and the
anchor known as the Derby-Chelsea or the Duesbury-
Chelsea mark was introduced, as William Duesbury
had purchased " the Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory,
and its appurtenances and lease thereof," on
February 5, 1770, and made this addition to the
Chelsea anchor. This mark of the Derby-Chelsea
period is usually in gold, and was used both at the
factory at Chelsea and at Derby. Examples of
this period are of comparative rarity, and are eagerly
sought after by collectors.

The Derby-Chelsea marks are given in the " Chat "
on Chelsea (p. 39).

The works at Chelsea were not finally discontinued
till 1784, when they were destroyed by Duesbury,
the kilns and every part of the factory pulled down,
and what was available sent off to Derby. About
the year 1773, a .® and a crown were used. This
mark is mostly in blue, but sometimes in puce, light
red, or green. This crown was added by Royal
permission, because the factory had been honoured
by Royal patronage.

Will my readers note that in the earlier pieces
of Derby and Crown-Derby china the crown is
carefully jewelled ; in the later productions of the
Duesbury period the mark was rudely executed, and
the crown was hastily pencilled.

Of the introduction of the cross daggers and six

CBOWN DERBY VASE (6^ I-J. HIOh), WITH MAR
Fi-ani Ike Collection of Mr. W. G. Homy.

OLD DERBY

spots, about the year 1783, there is the tradition
that it was a defiance to all manufactories except
three, viz., those of Sevres, Dresden, and Berlin.
We give as a headpiece a typical example of

early Crown-Derby. It represents a two-handled
covered cup and saucer decorated with the well-
known rich blue and gold border and festoons in
pink. It is marked in puce with jewelled crown.

12 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

This Specimen is from the national collection now
at the Bethnal Green Museum.

The vase we reproduce is 6J in. high and has
the crown and crossed batons and dots, which mark
has been photographed and appears in the illus-
tration (p. 9). It is richly decorated and a good
specimen, as is the smaller vase, or pastille-burner,
with masks, and similarly marked (p. 11).

These two specimens, together with the Crown-
Derby mug and saucer, decorated in tomato red
and gold, are from the collection of Mr. W. G.
Honey, which was on view at the Cork Exhibition.

The first William Duesbury died in 1785. His
son, William, who had for the last few years been
in partnership with him under the firm of Duesbury
and Son, succeeded him. This second William
Duesbury increased the fortunes of Derby china
with astonishing rapidity. The King and Queen,
and the Prince of Wales (afterwards George IV.),
and the leaders of fashionable society were among
his customers. There was a craze for a time, and
titled ladies painted flowers and other pictures on
the porcelain supplied to them by the Derby factory.
It was afterwards fired and finished for their own
special use.

Of these ladies. Lady Margaret Fordyce, Lady
Plymouth, and Lady Aubrey executed some
beautiful drawings, which probably still remain in
their families. Lord Lonsdale had twenty-four
plates painted with landscapes in Cumberland after
his own sketches, and many other noblemen and
gentlemen did the same.

OLD DERBY I 5

On the death of Duesbury the second, his widow
married his late partner, a Mr. Michael Kean, an
Irishman, and clever artist. This was in 1798. But
Kean hastily withdrew from the concern when the
third William Duesbury came of age, who for a time
carried on the factory under the firm of " Duesbury
and Sheffield." In 1815 the premises passed into
the hands of Mr. Robert Bloor.

It was in the year of Waterloo that the third
William Duesbury, and last of the great family of
potters who had established the factory, leased the
premises to Mr. Robert Bloor, who had been a clerk
to his father, and had carried on the business during
Mr. Duesbury's minority. Ultimately the entire
business passed into the hands of Mr. Bloor, and
the name of Duesbury disappears from Derby
records.

For some years up till about 1825 or 1830, Mr.
Bloor used the Old Derby mark, the crown, cross
daggers with dots, and D beneath, but about that
period he discontinued it, and adopted instead a
mark with his own name. It is well for readers
to note that down to the discontinuance of the old
mark, it had invariably been done with a pencil, but
those adopted by Mr. Bloor were printed.

In our illustrations of the other marks used at
Derby we place them in chronological order. The
first printed mark used under the Bloor regime was
the circle enclosing the crown, and the words "Bloor,
Derby," printed around. In some specimens, of a
little later date, the mark is a trifle larger, and the
crown more carefully designed. Another mark used

CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

occasionally about the year 1830 was the word
" Derby " enclosed in a scroll; while on some other
specimens of about the same date, or a little later,
an old English D, surmounted by a crown, is marked,
or the word " Derby " in Roman capitals on a ribbon,
appears beneath the usual crown.

We now come to a
rather painful chapter in
the history of the Old
Derby, practically a series
of misdoings, which termi-
. nated the glorious career
of so famous a manu-
factory. It is interesting
to see when trade, with
its somewhat ruthless
methods, comes into con-
flict with art, with her
finer susceptibilities, how
art has to go to the wall.
It was the same story at
Derby.

Before Bloor's time it
had been the unvarying
plan of the Duesburys —
so particularly jealous were
they of their reputation, and of maintaining the highest
possible character of the Derby ware — to allow only
perfect goods to leave the premises. However trivial
the fault, the articles were not considered good
enough to send out in the name of Derby. These
damaged w^ares had accumulated to a very large

BLOOR DERBY MARKS.

1 of Mr. iV. G- Homy.

*>*'

OLD DERBY 1 9

extent at the manufactory. Mr. Bloor, who was not
a rich man, and who was filled with the very laudable
desire to make the Derby concern successful, and
who, moreover, had to pay off his purchase money by
instalments, caught at the chance of disposing of
this accumulation of Old Derby stock. Here it
was that his trade instincts overcame his love of
the fine arts. Better far had it been if the whole
buildings had been consumed by fire, and the old
stock destroyed, than that the damaged goods should
have been foisted upon the public. But it fell about
otherwise, and Mr. Bloor disposed . of the Derby
failures by auction at the different large towns. By
this means he amassed great sums of money, which
brought him immediate capital, but which was the
death-blow to Derby ware. The old Derby was
eagerly bought, but this temporary success resulted
in permanent and never-to-be-remedied evil. Seeing
how readily the public bought up the Derby ware,
the temptation arose to produce large quantities of
the ware specially for the auction rooms. The
Duesburys would have risen in their graves had they
known of these proceedings ; but Fate avenged them,
for the decline of the Derby factory commenced from
this moment.

We give, also from Mr. W. G. Honey's collection, a
fine example of Bloor Derby china ; it is five inches
in height, and is marked with a crown and the words
" Bloor, Derby," in circle around (p. 17).

In 1845 Mr. Robert Bloor died, followed in the
next year by his brother Joseph, who had assisted
him for many years. For a little while the works

CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

were in the hands of a Mr. Clarke, who finally
discontinued them and sold most of the models to

the Staffordshire manufacturers. The
end came in 1848, when a number of
the workmen left Derby for ever
and . migrated into Staffordshire and
Worcester. Here, then, is the end of
the Old Derby works.

Old Derby china will, therefore, be
seen to be divided into two periods
— the great Duesbury period and the
declining period when Bloor became
a factor.

A word or two to readers who
possess specimens of later Derby
may be of interest. Among our
marks will be seen several other
names connected with Derby. In
1848, when the works were closed,
a number of the old hands were
actuated by the desire to continue
the making of china at Derby.
They, therefore, under the name of
Locker and Co., started a little
manufactory, and adopted the design
we give.

Mr. Locker died in 1859, ^^^ ^he

works were then carried on in the

name of Stevenson and Co. Finally

we have the name of Courtney, who appears to have

been one of Bloor's agents. Messrs. Stevenson and

Hancock adopted the last mark for their wares, after

LATER
DERBY MARKS.

OLD DERBY 21

persuasion by connoisseurs, who objected to the use
on modern Derby of the old mark of the crown,
cross daggers, and S), The legacy which the Bloors
and some of the modern successors left to the name
of Derby is not a very happy one. The tampering
with the marks, or the bartering of modern as old, or
the disposal of damaged stock, all go to lessen the
faith of the public. As the years go on, the china
buyer becomes more discerning, and is not that
blind monster which manufacturers too often imagine
him to be.

In the hurried sketch we have given of the decline
of Old Derby we have little to say of the wonderful
biscuit ware which was one of the secrets of Derby,
which secret has now been lost. The biscuit figures
produced in the best days of Derby are unsurpassed
for fineness of modelling and beauty of finish. It
was in experimenting to find how Derby produced
this biscuit that Copeland discovered his celebrated
Parian ware.

There is a peculiar pleasure to the lover of
things old and things true in the unravelling of the
complicated chain which environs an old factory
such as Derby. The lives and ambitions of men,
fathers, sons, and grandsons, are bound up with
the traditions of the firm. Then trade had somewhat
the air about it of the old mediaeval guilds. There
were secrets which no money could buy. All this
lies on the china shelf for you to read, if you care to.
Perhaps when your erring maid drops your Derby
cup and saucer you will philosophically remember
that it is not a cup and saucer, but only as the

22 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

autumn leaves that are strewn on the grave of
Duesbury, the potter — ^just a symbol to remind you
that man's creations, after all, turn to dust and
ashes. But all that is very mournful, and mayhap
one shall find you later busy with fish-glue and
brush, at which pastime you will need to be a
philosopher too.

Characteristics of Old Derby China.

With a history such as that of Derby, general
characteristics cannot be laid down, but certain
typical patterns were made at Derby. A favourite
pattern was the " French sprig " or ** Chantilly,"
technically termed "129 sprig" at the Derby works,
being an imitation of the Angouleme china, painted
with a forget-me-not or small blue cornflower, and
a gold sprig laid on the white. This is of frequent
occurrence on fluted cups. Deep blue borders with
gold leafage and simple festoons in pink was a
characteristic decoration of early Crown Derby.
The "Japan" patterns of Derby during the last
years of the eighteenth century and early years of
the nineteenth, were profusely decorated with blue
and red, and often richly gilded.

OLD DERBY 23

RECENT SALE PRICES.'
Crown Derby. £ s. d.

Bowl, circular and pierced cover, gilt
ram's head handles, on tripod, deco-
rated with flowers in Oriental taste
on alternate red and green panels,
10 in. high. Christie, January 30,
1902 . . . . . .990

Pastille-burners and covers, pair, gilt claw
feet and with masks round the rims,
painted with flowers in the Oriental
taste and with dark blue and gold
panels. Christie, January 30, 1902 . 7 17 6

Figure, a girl with a basket of fruit carry-
ing a bunch of grapes, j\ in. high.
Christie, February 5, 1902 . . . 11 11 o

Peacock, with flowers in relief, on plinth,
decorated, 6 in. high. Foster, Feb-
ruary 13, 1902 . . . II II o

Cup, cover and saucer, two-handled (from
Nelson service). Debenham, Storr &
Sons, April 14, 1902 . . . .700

Tea and coffee set, chintz pattern decora-
tions in scarlet, blue, and gold, com-
prising 40 pieces. Brady & Sons,
Perth, September i, 1902 . . 20 o o

Vases, pair, decorated with flowers, on
blue and white ground and embel-

• By the kindness of the proprietors of the Connoisseur
these items are given from their useful monthly publication,
"Sale Prices."

24 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Hshed gold handles, supported by £ s. d.

head, 17 in. high. Euston & Son,

Hull, November 12, 1902 . 36 o o

Vases, set of three, with beaker-shaped
necks, painted with landscapes in
panels on dark blue ground richly
gilt-with arabesque foliage, and with
white and gold handles, 10 J in. and
12^ in. high. Christie, April 6, 1903 30 9 o

Figures, pair, shepherd and shepherdess.

Sotheby, May 4, 1903 . 63 o o

Tea set, of red, blue, and gold design,
comprising 45 pieces. Alexander
Daniel & Co., Bristol, May 26, 1903 . 20 o o

Vases, pair, campana-shaped, with satyr's
mask handles, painted with roses,
poppies and other flowers in colours
on a gold ground, 18 in. high.
Christie, May 28, 1903 . . 38 17 o

Vases, pair, large, with goat mask heads
and horns as handles, with painted
landscape panels on both sides.
Brady & Sons, Perth, September 2,
1903 10 o o

Bloor Derby.
Vases, pair, shaped, decorated in gold
and painted continuous landscapes,
scroll handles and gilt mask terminals,
1 1 J in. high (marked " Bloor, Derby ").
Edwards, Son & Bigwood, Birming-
ham, May 13, 1902 . . . . 9 19 6

OLD DERBY 2$

Dessert service, painted with flowers in the £ s. d.
Oriental taste, in red, blue, and gold,
by Bloor, consisting of centre-dish,
on foot, sugar-tureen, cover and
stand, and nine shaped dishes.
Christie, July 21, 1902 . . 65 2 o

Vase, large, by Bloor, painted with a view
of Temple Bar and a group of
flowers, in two large panels, on dark
blue and gold ground, 21 in. high.
Christie, December 5, 1902 . 21 o o

CHELSEA CHINA

Bethnal Green Museum.

CHELSEA CHINA

The origin of Chelsea china is like that of the
celebrated Charles James Harrington Fitzroy
Yellowplush, " wropped in mystry." The south-
western corner of London has always been connected
with the making of pottery in some form or another.
To-day Messrs" Doulton carry on the tradition of
Lambeth and Vauxhall. Battersea was famed for
its enamelled ware, and Fulham had a factory
established by John Dwight, M.A., of Christ Church,
Oxford, the inventor of porcelain in England, to
whom a patent was granted in 1671 for his manu-
facture of porcelain and stone ware.

30 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Tradition, with a light heart, circulated the fable
that the origin of the Chelsea works was owing to
the clay that was brought as ballast in ships from
Chinese ports. In a " Life of Nollekens " this
absurdity finds its way into print, but for all that
it is utterly without foundation. " The cunning
rogues produced very white and delicate ware, but
then they had their clay from China, which, when
the Chinese found out, they would not let the
captains have any more for ballast, and the con-
sequence was that the whole concern failed."

Equally foolish and erroneous statements have
been made about other of the English factories, and
the difficulty of sifting real facts from a mass of chaff
in such factories as Bow or Lowestoft is very great.

In the early days of Chelsea, and, by the way, the
exact date of the establishment of the factory is not
known, the clay was obtained from Cornwall. Dr.
Martin Lister, in a work published in 1699, mentions
the fact that an inferior kind of porcelain was made
at Chelsea, probably little better than opaque glass.
It is known that a manufactory of glass was set up
at Chelsea by some Venetians under the auspices of
the Duke of Buckingham. It is interesting to note
that the Chelsea mark of an anchor is identical with
that of Venice. In 1745 the works at Chelsea had
attained a Continental fame, inasmuch as the French
company, in petitioning for the establishment of a
factory at Vincennes, urged that its aim was to
counteract the importation of English and German
ware.

1745 is a very convenient date, as we then come

King the Dealh o[ CIl
; British Mmsai'i.

CHELSEA CHINA 33

on surer ground. The earliest dated example of
English porcelain known has the word, "Chelsea,
1745," scratched on it under the glaze, and is also
marked with a triangle. We reproduce this mark
in our list of Chelsea marks.

Life was given to the Chelsea factory by the
patronage of George II., who did much to encourage
its work. He procured workmen, models, and
materials from Saxony and Brunswick, and thus
enabled Chelsea to enter into competition with
the best designs and productions of Dresden and
Sevres. The Duke of Cumberland took a warm
interest in the factory,^ and contributed an annual
sum to its revenue. In 1750 we find the Chelsea
works in the hands of Nicholas Sprimont, a foreigner
of considerable artistic taste, who established the
reputation of Chelsea. The best period of Chelsea
ware is from this date till the year 1765. Porcelain
made between these two dates is always much sought
after, and brings considerable sums under the
hammer. For instance, in February, 1902, at
Christie's, a Chelsea teapot, painted with birds and
trees in colours, in spiral panels, with borders of gilt
flowers, fetched £g^ 12s., and a pair of vases,
iij inches in height, square shaped, the four panels
painted with male and female Chinese figures,
sold for ^588. In July, 1902, a figure of a Chelsea
shepherdess, brought ;^33 12s.

There is little doubt that at this time there were
being manufactured at Chelsea some very fine
specimens of porcelain. Horace Walpole writes^
in 1763, "I saw yesterday a magnificent service of

CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Chelsea china, which the King and Queen are send-
ing tQ the Duke of Mecklenburg. There are dishes
and plates without number, an epergne, candlestick,
salt-cellars, sauce-boats, tea and coffee equipages, et
cetera. In short, it is complete, and cost j^ 1,200."

One pleasing feature is the
fact that Mr. Sprimont made a
handsome fortune by his skill
and industry as a director.
During his time, it is said that
" the china was in such repute
as to be sold by auction, and
as a set was purchased as soon
as baked, dealers were surround-
ing the doors for that purpose."
This fanciful scene of competing
dealers striving to secure a speci-
men of Chelsea almost before it
was cooled from the furnace is
too picturesque to be literally
true.

We reproduce a figure of a
carpenter, eight inches high,
coloured, marked with anchor
in red (p. 29). This specimen of
Chelsea is now at the Bethnal
Green Museum. We give an illustration of a beauti-
fully decorated vase in the collection at the British
Museum, representing the Death of Cleopatra. The
French style of design is singularly evident in this
example (p. 32).

Of the marks on Chelsea china, it may be observed

(anckor^ cable) ■

rClyeUea BJarks 1

CHELSEA CHINA 35

that the earlier specimens, in the days when they
imitated blue and white Oriental models, are un-
marked. Later the anchor appears, embossed in a
raised oval, impressed on the bottom of the piece,
and bearing the anchor in relief. Various forms of
the anchor are used, and in
varying colours, apparently
according to the caprice of ^ ^^
the workman, who drew it '^^
with his hair-pencil. Red is
the colour most commonly used,
and the best pieces are mostly
marked in gold, with the anchor
more carefully drawn. rutf^ia «» V«»t fleets).

Specimens with the double
anchors are very valuable, as this /V

was a mark only used on very ,

high-class pieces. i, ^^ .^ ^{^ .

The triangle is one of the
marks of Bow, and the little ^^^

milk-jugs in the form of a goat, (^kefte^ (7^5^
decorated with raised flowers, /,-..,* i , \

., , _ (tarlitst' <Ued «*AmbJe).

were attributed to Bow, on ^

account of this mark, but the

last mark we give shows beyond IChelsea lyarksl .

dispute that the triangle was

also used as a Chelsea mark.

Having told of the rise and progress of Chelsea,
we have regretfully to chronicle its fall. The
following contemporary advertisement is mournful
reading : " To be sold by auction, by Mr. Burnsall,
on the premises, some time in March next (1764),

36 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

at the Chelsea Porcelain Factory, everything in
general belonging to it, and all the remaining un-
finished pieces, glazed and unglazed ; some imperfect
enamelled ditto, of the useful and ornamental ; all
the materials ; the valuable and extensive variety
of fine models in wax, in brass, and in lead ; all
the plaster moulds, and others ; the mills, kilns,
and iron presses ; together with all the fixtures of
the different warehouses ; likewise all the out-
buildings, etc., etc. And, as Mr. Sprimont, the
sole possessor of this rare porcelain secret, is advised
to go to the German spaw, all his genuine houshold
furniture, etc., will be sold at the same time.

"N.B. — Soon after, when everything is sold
belonging to the manufactory and the large ware-
house cleared, there will be some most beautiful
pieces of the truly inimitable Mazarine blue,
crimson, and gold, that Mr. Sprimont has thought
deserving finishing ; that will be sold at Chelsea,
as the whole remaining and the last produce
of that once most magnificent porcelain manu-
factory."

This was in 1764, but no purchaser came forward,
and the factory lingered on till 1769, when again
we find it advertised, and the end of Chelsea china is
very near, Mr. Sprimont having entirely left off
making the same. Josiah Wedgwood had some
idea of purchasing some of the Chelsea china :
* There's an immense amount of fine things," he
writes to Bentley. But at this date, Mr. William
Duesbury, of the Derby manufactory, took over the
Chelsea works as he had previously taken over those

CHELSEA CHINA 37

of Bow, and carried them on for some years until
1784, when he pulled down the buildings, and re-
moved all that was useful to his factory at Derby,
and thus the manufacture of Chelsea china came
to an end.

The earliest examples of Chelsea china were in
imitation of the ordinary blue Delft patterns, but
later, Oriental patterns were very successfully copied,
both in blue and white, and in mixed colours. Both
Sevres and Dresden were then adopted as models,
and with very fine results. The colours were
remarkably vivid, and only skilful artists were
employed, the specimens they turned out being
exquisitely decorated and finely conceived. The
fine vases in the French style in imitation of Sevres,
with gros bleu^ crimson, turquoise, and apple-green
were made from 1760 to 1765.

Later, debased French forms were copied and an
over elaboration was employed which marked the
decadence of Chelsea. This over elaboration in
art often marks the period of its decline. When
wood engraving attempted to copy the refinements
and delicacy of steel engraving it exceeded its
limitations. To-day the glass-blower of Venice
commits the same blunder when he, with false art
puts lace patterns on his glass ware.

The two most important specimens of Chelsea
china, both from their size and quality, are un-
doubtedly the *' Chesterfield " vase, and the " Found-
ling " vase. They are two feet high, with bold
rococo scroll handles, surmounted by dome-shaped
covers ; they are painted with pastoral subjects on

3» CHATS ON ENGUSH CHINA

white medallions. The reverse sides are painted
with exotic birds of rich plumage, and the body

THE "KOUNDLINO " VASE.

In the Colltclim of the Earl of Dudky.

or ground of the vase is of a rich gros bleu colour.
The former was bought for ^2,000 by the Earl
of Dudley, and the latter, which was a gift to the

CHELSEA CHINA

Foundling Hospital, was sold by the Governors to
the same nobleman, and they are now both at Dudley
House. We give an illustration of the celebrated
"Foundling" vase.

The raised flowers arranged in vases and orna-
mental figures were a feature of
Chelsea ware ; butterflies, bees, and
other insects were introduced
among the leaves, and the model-
ling was always well done. We
reproduce a characteristic piece
of Chelsea with open-work rim,
and exhibiting many of the indi-
vidualities of Chelsea design (p. 45).

As the earliest specimens of
Chelsea were unmarked they can
only be judged by the body, the
general style of workmanship, and
the glaze. The ordinary Chelsea
marks we have already given, but
we now give the marks which
were used by Mr. Duesbury for a
time when he was proprietor both
of the Derby works and those of
Chelsea. This ware is known as
" Derby-Chelsea " ware, and is
very much sought after. There are some finely
enamelled plates in the Victoria and Albert Museum
with the mark we give. They are magnificent speci-
mens of the Derby-Chelsea and are scarcely distin-
guishable from their Oriental prototypes except in
the softness of the paste.

3)erty- CKeisea

40 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

It is interesting to remember that Dr. Johnson
thought he could discover a means of further per-
fecting the Chelsea china. He applied to the pro-
prietors, who allowed him to fire his compositions
in their ovens at Chelsea. The worthy lexicographer
attended there about twice a week and stayed all
day, accompanied by his housekeeper, who brought a
basket of provisions with her. Nothing, however,
came of the experiments.

In taking leave of Chelsea we must remember
that its success was an encouragement for the
formation of manufactories in other parts of the
country during the closing years of the eighteenth
century. The workmen trained there under Spri-
mont found their way to Derby and to Worcester,
and to parts of Staffordshire, and carried their
experience with them. If for nothing else Chelsea
deserves to be remembered as an art centre ; and
although Sprimont broke down in health and had
to go to the " German spaw," and leave his pictures to
be sold at Christie's, for all that, Chelsea spelt
success.

Characteristics of Chelsea China.

The glaze is a softer milky white, and is not so
thick as that on Bow pieces. It is carefully finished
in every detail. The figure subjects are not so
crudely painted as those of Bow. Three spots un-
glazed are sometimes found on Chelsea plates and
dishes, caused by the three points on which pieces
have rested. Chelsea china is remarkable for its

CHELSEA CHINA 4 1

great weight. The bases and rims, particularly of
smaller pieces, are. ground quite smooth. Just above
the rim black specks and small tears of the coagu-
lated glaze are noticeable. As in Bow, an insect or
spray was sometimes cleverly painted over flaws and
defects.

RECENT SALE PRICES.^
Chelsea. £ s. d.

Figure, Shylock. Phillips, Son & Neale,

January 7, 1902 800

Group, Spring and Summer, with emblem
plinth encrusted with flowers, 8J in.
high. Christie, January 24, 1902 . IS 15 o

Vase and cover, with mottled dark blue
ground, gilt with birds, on tripod
support formed as three terminal
figures, loj in. high. Christie, April
25, 1902 30 9 o

Figure of a fisher boy with net and fishes,
8 in. high, eind a figure of a fruit-
seller, 7j in. high. Christie, April
25, 1902 27 6 o

Vases, pair, oviform, of tall, slender form,
slightly fluted, with mottled dark
blue ground, richly gilt with pheasants
and other birds and foliage, and with
white and gold scroll handles, en-

* By the kindness of the proprietors of the Connoisseur
these items are given from their useful monthly publication,
" Sale Prices."

42 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

twined with groups of fruit and flowers, £ s. d.

painted in rich colours, i6J in. high.

Christie, May 2, 1902 . . . 756 o o

Vase and cover, with white and gold
handles encrusted with flowers,
painted on one side with a river
scene with a youth and girl fishing,
on the other with exotic birds in
large panels in borders of gilt foliage
on mottled dark blue ground, 11 in.
high, on Louis XV. ormolu stand ; and
a pair of smaller vases, en suite^ 6f in.
high. Christie, May 2, 1902 . . 252 o o

Candlesticks, pair, large, for two lights
each, with figures of children and
arbour backgrounds. Foster, May
15, 1902 42 o o

Bottles, two pear-shaped, each painted
with exotic birds in a heart-shaped
medallion in richly gilt foliage
borders, 6 in. high. Christie, July
2, 1902 33 12 o

Vase and stopper, oviform, with ram's-
head handles, the upper part de-
corated with white and gold flutings
on pink ground, with a classical frieze
of masks and lions in relief below ;
the body of the vase painted with
a large subject of infant Bacchantes,
with gilt festoons of foliage in low
relief, \6\ in. high. Christie, July
2, 1902 94 10 o

CHELSEA CHINA

Tea-cup and saucer, painted with exotic
birds and fruit, and with alternate
mottled dark blue panels with gilt
borders. Christie, July i8, 1902

Dessert plates, set of four, leaf pattern,
and two shaped ditto, painted in
exotic birds. Tooth & Tooth, Sep-
tember 17, 1902

Inkstand, with sand vase and pen-box,
dark blue ground, gilt with flowers,
surmounted by a figure of a lamb.
Christie, November 14, 1902

Plates, twelve, with turquoise and gilt
scroll borders, each painted with
exotic birds and foliage in three com-
partments, in claret-coloured riband
borders, butterflies and other insects
in the centre ; gold anchor mark
Christie, January 23, 1903 .

Boar*s-head dish, forming a bowl, cover
and stand, painted in natural colours
the dish moulded with an oak branch
rushes, and knife in relief, on a maroon
and gold ground, lof in. high, 22 in
long. Christie, May 8, 1903

Vases, pair, flat-shaped hexagonal, with
small necks, spreading lips, and
white and gold scroll handles, each
vase painted with a group of Bac-
chantes and Satyrs in a landscape,
in upright panel on maroon ground,
and gilt with birds, festoons of flowers

£ s. d.

23 2 o

26 5 o

65 2 o

94 10 o

44 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

and scrolls, ^\ in. high. Formerly £ s. d.
the property of Sir Robert and
Horace Walpole. From Lord
Cadogan's Collection, 1865 (;^IS5).
Christie, February 27, 1903 . 304 10 o

Figures, the Continents : a set of four,
emblematic, of children with attri-
butes, 9j in. high. Christie, June 19,
1903 18 18 o

Scent-bottle, formed as a lady playing a
hurdygurdy ; and one formed as a
girl and dog. Christie, June 19, 1903 30 9 o

Candlesticks, pair. Robinson and Fisher,

November 6, 1903 . . . 35 14 o

Figure of an old man with basket and
flowers. Robinson and Fisher, No-
vember 6, 1903 . , . 23 2 o

Groups, pair, figures with baskets and
dogs, floral decorations. Robinson
and Fisher, November 6, 1903 54 12 o

Derby-Chelsea.

Dessert service, each piece painted with a
vase in grisaille festooned with
flowers, and with festoons of flowers
and foliage round the borders, con-
sisting of two square-shaped dishes,
three oval dishes, one circular dish,
eleven plates. Christie, January 23,
1903 50 8 o

Coffee-cups and saucers, pair, painted in
green and gold festoons and Cupids

CHELSEA CHINA

in lake ; gold mark. Sotheby, May £
4. 1903 25 I

Group of children playing musical instru-
ments beneath a tree, 14 in. high.
Christie, June 19, 1903 . . .21

Tea-cups and saucers, pair, fluted and
painted with sprays of flowers in
green, with alternate crimson panels,
gilt, with foliage. Christie, June 16,
1903 . . ■ . . _. . 52 I

THE BOW CHINA FACTORY

)W INKSTANU (dIAMETKR 4 IN.)-
■' Made a( Stvi Canton, 1751."
i/( Belhital Green Museum.

THE BOW CHINA FACTORY

In this "Chat" we shall treat of the wonderful
porcelain made at Bow, or " New Canton," as the
makers called their factory on the banks of the
Lea, It was established about 1730, and it ceased
about 1776. That is to say, it commenced with the
reign of George II. and continued for a short time
during the reign of George III. Pope was not
dead. Fielding was writing his novels, Burke was
electrifying the country with his gfnius, the great
Doctor Johnson was in the midst of his Dictionary,
David Garrick was holding the town iri a spell by
his art, and Sir Joshua Reynolds was, with his
brush, perpetuating the beauties of his day, while
Bums and Scott, Wordsworth and Coleridge, and

so CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Byron, Thackeray, and Dickens were then in the
unborn future.

So this porcelain of Bow comes to us direct from
the eighteenth century. We have been taught to
regard the eighteenth century as a period of lace-

Woman playing the pashrella.
Al Beikual Greea Museum.

ruffles and wigs, of powder and of patches, of dull,
insipid ladies, of hard-drinking squires, of rough
soldiers^ — a century with little or no love of art,
when Shakespeare had been almost forgotten. Of
its china, certainly, we call up only a picture of
ugly grinning monsters, and little meaningless
gee-gaws — snuff-boxes and patch-boxes, and china

THE BOW CHINA FACTORY SI

handles for walking-sticks ; but a glaqce at what
Bow produced dispels so crude an idea at once, and,
let us hope, for ever. Bow, in its own field, is worthy
to stand by the side of what Sir Joshua has left us,
and what Gainsborough bequeathed to posterity as
poetic memories in paint and canvas of "dead
women, loved and gone."

As in our other " Chats " on Derby and Worcester
and Chelsea, so with Bow, we shall have to tell of
the human lives that have gone to the making of
these fragile porcelain figures, all that is left to us
of dead men's life-work — which Polly or Molly or
Elizabeth Ann may demolish by a fatal twist of the
feather-brush. A patent was taken out by Edward
Heylin, in the parish of Bow, and Thomas Frye,
of the parish of West Ham, in 1744, for a new
method of manufacturing " a certain mineral, equal
to, if not exceeding in goodness and beauty, china
or porcelain ware imported from abroad. The
material is an earth, the produce of the Cherokee
nation in America, called by the natives unakerJ'
In 1749, Thomas Frye took out, alone, a second
patent " for a new method of making a certain ware,
which is not inferior in beauty and fineness, and is
rather superior in strength, than the earthenware
that is brought from the East Indies, and is
commonly known by the name of China, Japan, or
Porcelain Ware."

A word or two concerning Frye. Our Irish
readers will be glad to learn that he was born at
Dublin, in 1710. He came to London in 1738, when
he painted a portrait of Frederick, Prince of Wales,

52 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

for Saddlers' Hall. At the establishment of the
Bow factory he took the management To bring
the china to perfection, he spent fifteen years of his
life ^mong furnaces, which had so bad an effect
upon his health that his constitution nearly broke
down. In 1759 he had to go to Wales for a change
of air, and in 1760 he returned to London, and we
find him taking a house at Hatton Garden, where
he executed some important mezzotint engravings —
which, as Mr. Rudyard Kipling observes, " is another
story." He died of consumption in 1762. Perhaps
Oliver Goldsmith had him in mind (who knows ?)
when he wrote his line —

" There the pale artist plies his sickly trade."

To ladies it will be especially interesting to read that
Frye had two daughters, who assisted him in.painting
the china at Bow.

Readers will, before now, have come to the
conclusion that the study of old china is not
superlatively easy, and that the question of marks
is at the best a vexed one. Should there be any
who have any lingering doubts on this point, they
will speedily join the majority when they come to
consider the bewildering marks of the Bow factory.
These same marks, be it said, have puzzled experts
who have denied each other's conclusions, though
with hardly as much vehemence as the late Mr.
Bret Harte's learned society " Upon the Stanislaus,"
who engaged in conflict "with the remnants of a
palaeozoic age" in 'shameful manner —

THE BOW CHINA FACTORY S3

" And the way they heaved those fossils in their
anger was a sin,
Till the skull of an old mammoth caved the head
of Thompson in."

We give one set of the known marks of the
Bow factory, later we shall give
another set no less puzzling.
It is difficult to attempt to ^p^

offer any definite conclusions,
or to do more in the space
at our disposal than to state
that these are marks known to
have been used at Bow, ;ind
are upon specimens in the ^

national or well-known private U

collections. The letter B and ^-X .

the drawn bow, of course, ex-
plain themselves. The crescent
in blue and the sword and
anchor in red occur together
on a china figure of a sports- T Q ^

man with a gun. It is con-
jectured that the introduction
of a dagger may have been
due to the fact that both pro-
prietors were freemen of the
City of London, and the dagger, 3QWyAcrorir- ttjarks
as is well known, is part of the
City arms. The triple mark

of the anchor with the vertical and horizontal
daggers, by some collectors is ascribed to early

54 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Chelsea, by others to Worcester; it is a disputed
point.

The little figure we reproduce (on p. 50) is of a
woman playing the pastorella. It is one of a pair of

figures. The other represents

a man singing. Each figure

is marked in red with both

t/ • anchor and dagger. The

/ i^T^ pastorella represented in the

figure was a musical instru-
ment in general use previously
to the introduction of the spinet.
It may be remarked that at
the back of each of these
. figures, near the base, a square

I dl \ ^^'^ ^^^ been pierced before

*1 ^^ glazing, for the purpose of

receiving a metal stem sup-

^J porting nozzles for candles.

i^ ^ As this square hole is said

^^^ never to be found on similar

Chelsea pieces, it has come to
be regarded as a distinctive
feature of old Bow figures.

Among the various articles
made at the Bow factory may
BOW FACTORY MARKS, be enumerated the following,

which have been taken from
the account-books of the factory : Shepherds and
shepherdesses, cupids, fluter, fiddler, harlequin, col-
umbine, pierrot or clown, tambourine player, Dutch
dancer, woman with chicken, birds on pedestals,

THE BOW CHINA FACTORY 55

swans, boars, squirrels, goats, as well as many
miscellaneous articles for general use, such as salt-
boxes, candlesticks, mugs, pickle-stands, &c. We
reproduce an inkstand, four inches in diameter, of
white glazed porcelain decorated with flowers,
which decoration we call attention to as being
characteristic of Bow. An inscription appears at
the top: "Made at New Canton, I75i"(p. 49).

Since Chaucer's day, Stratford-le-Bow has come
down to us in rhyme, for the poet playfully pokes
fun at the good nun in his " Canterbury Tales " : —

" And Frenche she spake ful fay re and fetishly
After the scole of Stratford-atte-Bow,
For Frenche of Paris was to her unknowe."

But should china collectors who travel down the
Great Eastern Railway wish a further fillip to remind
them of Bow, sundry soap and candle factories, with
stench so strong that it knocks at the railway
windows, will arrest their straying thoughts. The
literary reader may, when he catches glimpses of
the brown and oily ooze of the River Lea, think of
Coleridge's lines to Cologne —

"The River Rhine, it is well known.
Doth wash your city of Cologne ;
But tell me, nymphs ! what power divine
Shall henceforth wash the River Rhine?"

And here at Bow linger still the memories of the
old factory — a century old — where Quin as Falstaff
was turned out in porcelain, and Garrick posed as

5D CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Richard III. in a china figure. It is true that the
match factory of Messrs. Bell & Black stands on the
old site of the Bow China Factory, but there is still

FRAGMENTS O

I and Albert Museum.

a China Row to remind him who will of the old days
of " New Canton " and its wares.

Our readers will be interested in the account of
the discovery made of fragments of old Bow porce-

THE BOW CHINA FACTORY

Iain, and portions of " saggers " on the site of one of
the kilns while digging a drain from the match
factory.

The children of the neighbourhood were observed

FRAGMENTS OF OLD BOW WHITE CHINA WITH RAISED PATTERN.

Victoria and Albert Museum.

to have as playthings bits of broken china of a high-
class and delicate ware, never emanating from the
china shops of Bow, and Mr. Higgins, attached to
the match factory, henceforth kept strict watch over
the excavations, and careful examination unearthed
a number of broken specimens of the Bow ware.

58 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

He and his sister carefully arranged the broken
pieces, and they form an excellent authority, these
trays of broken china, for determining the paste and
glaze, and identifying the decoration and designs of
Bow. By means of this find it was possible to
classify many doubtful pieces of china in well-known
collections hitherto wrongly attributed to other
factories. We reproduce a few specimens for our
readers' information.,

It is interesting to note that among the fragments
fou«d, not a single piece is of Delft or common
earthenware, but all are of porcelain. The designs
of many of them are of Chinese landscapes, with
flowers, figures, and birds. Their general character
may be gathered from our first four examples. They
are all painted in blue, with the exception of a cup
painted with green leaves and crimson-lake flowers.
None of the pieces are printed, but all are painted
with a brush. The other two illustrations we give
are of china ornamented in relief, the favourite
pattern being the mayflower. Illustration No. v.,
is a typical example. The design stands out very
sharply, and is raised from the surface of the china.
No. vi., is a design of two roses on a stalk.

Among the debris were found many pieces of an
ornamental character, a salt-cellar beautifully
modelled, formed of three shells, with smaller shells
and seaweed between, but the upper shell to hold
the salt is missing. Pieces of dishes, evidently
intended to hold sweetmeats, were unearthed from
this sewer hole, with finely designed corals and shells
and seaweeds. Some natural shells were also found.

^ THE BOW CHINA FACTORY 59

which had evidently served the artists as models.
Two china pug-dogs were discovered with collars
bearing roses on them.

Bow paste is exceedingly hard, and the fracture
when it is broken is close and compact. The pieces
as a rule are very heavy for their size, but many of
the cups and saucers are almost of egg-shell thinness.
The colour is milky white. Should any of our
readers be possessed of Bow china, they may ratify
its origin by carefully examining it, if possible,
under a magnifying glass. On scrutinising the blue
pieces it will be found there is a peculiarity in the
glaze, which arises in this manner. At that time blue
was the only known colour that would bear the
intense heat of the kiln. It was always painted on the
biscuit before being dipped in the glaze. It is found
that certain portions of the blue, however slight, are
apt, while the glaze is in a fluid state, to spread
over the surface, giving it a blue tinge. The other
colours as well as the gold were painted over the
glaze, and set in a kiln of lower temperature. Hence
the blue, being under the glaze ^ is imperishable, and
the other colours from frequent use get rubbed off.

We have given a number of marks used at Bow ;
we supplement that list by two others, one of
which is exclusively composed of signatures actually
used by Thomas Frye himself

Although none of the ware unearthed at Bow was
printed, yet printed ware did come from there. In
all probability it was sent to Liverpool to have the
transfer engravings, so much in vogue when Bow
flourished, put on the china. As early as the year

6o CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

1756 this was done, for certain entries appear in the
Bow books : " One pint printed mug : a sett com-
pleat of the second printed teas." Or it is possible
that they were sent to Battersea to be printed. It is
not a far cry from Bow to Battersea. Transfer print-
ing on enamel was in vogue at Battersea before 1755.
Horace Walpole, writing to a friend in 1755, says, " I

send you a trifling snuff-box,

^ ^^^ only as a sample of the new

^ O ^ ^ manufacture at Battersea, which

^^ is done with copper-plates."

"^^ O^ jL But Battersea and Battersea

Xyj 1^ enamel — that is another story.

^ "^ It is to be hoped that this

r *- t\ "Chat" on old Bow china will
^t*<, ^ y have helped readers, to whom

7— Bow is a name, to form some

^ T*4) idea of what went on there

more than a century ago. The

3ow lActoTy china cabinet holds more mys-

/- ^ teries within it than many a

Varia5i5 si^aWtes ^^^j housewife dreams of It

«5>i«as'pyf. ^ju be seen that the difficulties

of china-collecting are legion.
At the modern find at Bow, lovers of china ought
to be grateful, for it enabled many vexed ques-
tions to be settled, but what is Bow and what is
Chelsea still puzzles experts. In all probability
Bow, Bristol, and another very much debated
factory, Lowestoft, will continue to offer traps and
snares and pitfalls for the unwary collector (or
misshapen falsities attributed to them) till connois-

THE BOW CHINA FACTORY 6 1

seiirs are no more and collecting days are done.
The recent find at Lowestoft is as important as the
find at Bow, but it is exceedingly unlikely that
any more facts will ever come to light respecting
these old factories ; every available source of in-
formation has been tapped and all
that can be known concerning
them is known. The potters who
made the exquisite shapes, the
artists who painted the roses on
bowl and beaker, have long since \y

departed with the roses of yester- •

years. Their life-work is scattered.
Much of it, perhaps most of it, is 9

gone for ever. Each cup and each ^

dish of the long-dead artist ^is like
" a good deed in a naughty world."
To-day, with a handful of facts,
collectors and connoisseurs wrangle
together over theories.

Characteristics of Bow
China.

Body and glaze often defective, ^ov^yacW- tfj^rk
pattern so arranged as to cover flaw. C

Insects often introduced for this
purpose to hide imperfections. Coarse, chalky white
ware, covered with glaze much pitted and speckled.
The bottom often shows three marks representing
points on which piece rested in kiln. The glaze is
thickly applied, and fills up interstices of raised

62 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

patterns. The body and glaze varied ; the earlier
pieces have a yellow tinge in the glaze. The
bottoms of some basins and dishes are often twice
as thick as the sides. The ware, owing to large
amount of lead used, is discoloured.

RECENT SALE PRICES.^

Bow. £ s. d.

Cream-jug, white, modelled with bee and
goats in relief Christie, January 24,
1902 . . . . -330

Figure of a lady, with basket of flowers,
5j in. high. Christie, January 24,
1902 350

Figures, pair, emblematical of Autumn
and Winter, 7J in. high. Christie,
February 4, 1902 . 16 16 o

Groups, pair, a drummer and piper, 10 in.

high. Christie, February 4, 1902 . 48 6 o

Figures, pair, of a girl and youth, with
bagpipes, a dog and flowers, 7J in.
high. Christie, April 25, 1902 . . 16 5 6

Figures, pair, man with pipe and tam-
bourine, woman with triangle, on
scroll perforated bases covered with
flowers, early period, 8J in. high,
marked with anchor and dagger in
red. Sotheby, May 16, 1902 . 10 10 o

* By the kindness of the proprietors of the Connoisseur ihQSQ
are given from their useful monthly publication, ''Sale Prices."

THE BOW CHINA FACTORY' 63

Groups, pair, with figures of a Chinaman, £ s. d.
child, and monkey ; and the com-
panion, on scroll plinths, g\ in. high ;
rare mark, B, intertwined with the
anchor and dagger. Christie, June
20, 1902 42 o o

Cream-jug, with flowers in relief, coloured ;
impressed triangle mark. Christie,
June 24, 1902 . . 25 4 o

Ink-stand, with ink-vase, sand-box,
candlestick, and pen-tray, painted
with landscapes and insects, the pen-
tray surmounted by a group of a
goat and two children, 9J in. wide.
Christie, July 2, 1902 .1766

Cream-jugs, two, with goats and bee in

relief. Christie, November 28, 1902 16 16 o

Figures of parrots, pair, holding fruit and
perched upon stumps of trees, rest-
ing on tripod scroll, bases encrusted
with flowers, the birds are painted in
natural colours, height 7J in. and 6J
in. Sotheby, November 11, 1902 . 33 o o

Statuette, on scroll base, of a boy playing
a drum, painted in colours, with gild-
ing and encrusted with jasmine at
sides, modelled by Tebo, height 10 in.
Sotheby, November 11, 1902 . . 16 10 o

Vase, oviform fluted, and dome cover,
surmounted by a figure of a bird, the
vase painted with a subject of a girl
and youth in a landscape, in two large

■'

64 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

panels, and eight smaller panels on £ s. d.
the vase and cover, with groups of
flowers in gilt borders on a mottled
dark blue ground, the shoulders
pierced, 12J in. high; mark, dagger
and anchor in red. Christie, Feb-
ruary 20, 1903 64 I o

Candlesticks,, pair, with cupids, dogs,
birds, and flowers in high relief; mark,
anchor and sword in red. William
and Douglas, Middlesbrough, July
24, 1903 . . . ..700

Figure, female, of " Flora," 1 1 in. Foster,

October 15, 1903 . . 10 o o

OLD WORCESTER

^»,/n,j & %«. Na>- Oxford SIml.
(ll.n WORCESTER S

OLD WORCESTER

In old Worcester china there lies a magic that
appeals to the collector of fine copies and adapta-
tion from Nankin and other Chinese porcelain.
The real old blue colouring of Worcester has a
charm about it which cannot be reproduced nowa-
days. There is something personal about the pro-
ductions of the old factories ; the workman was
proud to make his mark at the bottom of the plate
or bowl he had created, much in the same manner as
the masons who built Fountains Abbey lefleach man
his mystic sign on each stone he carved.

If the reader chooses to weave a romance of airy
nothingness on an old cracked bowl of Worcester
blue there is substance enough, if he has the mind to
do so. Mr. Austin Dobson, in one of his charming

68 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

villanelles, has taught us how much lies in the dreamy
depths of a plate with queer Chinese blue figures on
it:—

" * Ah, me ! but it might have been !
Was there ever so dismal a fate ? '
Quoth the little blue mandarin.

' Such a maid as was never seen ?

She passed, though I cried to her, "Wait."
Ah, me! but it might have been !

I cried, "O my Flower, my Queen,

Be ip.ine ! " Twas precipitate,'
Quoth the little blue mandarin.

* But then ... she was just sixteen.

Long-eyed — as a lily straight —
Ah, me ! but it might have been !

As it was, from her palankeen,

She laughed — " You're a week too late ! "
Quoth the little blue mandarin.

' That is why, in a mist of spleen,
I mourn on this old blue plate.
Ah, me ! but it might have been ! '
Quoth the little blue mandarin."

We have already given the story of old Derby
china, and when Derby and Chelsea and Bow were
establishing for themselves a reputation, Worcester
was engaged in experimenting in the same direction
in the person of one Dr. John Wall, a physician of

OLD WORCESTER 69

that city. He was a man of considerable taste,
and besides being a clever practitioner, he was a
practical chemist, and an artist of some ability.
One of his paintings hangs in the hall of Merton
College, Oxford, of which he was a Fellow. He
was an etcher, and designed stained-glass windows ;
one of his windows is at Oriel College. What
William Duesbury was to Derby and the foun-
dation of the china factory there, and what Josiah
Wedgwood was to Staffordshire, that was Dr. John
Wall to Worcester. His was the guiding intellect of
the Worcester enterprise, which culminated in 175 1,
about a year after Derby had been established, in the
establishment of a manufactory of porcelain in the
" faithful city."

Those were restless times, more troublesome then
to domestic England than was the recent Transvaal
War. Only six years prior to this the Pretender had
invaded England with an armed force, and had pene-
trated as far as Derby. Party feeling ran very high.
It has been asserted that the industry was introduced
to Worcester for political reasons, so that the Georgian
party might gain votes in the county against the
Jacobites, who were strong in Worcester. It seems
certain enough that Dr. Wall began his experiments
merely for the love of the study, but whether he was
used by politicians, or whether he used them, is of no
moment to us ; suffice it to say that the Worcester •
Porcelain Company was founded in 1751, and among
the prominent co-operators with Dr. Wall were
William Davies, an apothecary, and Edward Cave,
the founder of the Gentleman's Magazine, This

70 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

latter was of inestimable use to the factory for
advertising their wares.

The earliest Worcester productions were based
entirely on Chinese models. Small cups, without

c c C

Old Wofcwfer Mar<<8.
1751 - 1776.

5-^ 3

5 a ^

Old Worcester Marks.

handles, of Oriental design were decorated under the
glaze in blue. All the characteristics of the Nankin
ware became those of Worcester. Slowly and surely
they attempted with complete success some of the

OLD WORCESTER /I

more brilliant colours of Eastern ceramic ware,
notably from the Japanese.

The early ware of Worcester may be known by
a peculiar greenness of hue in the body of the china.
The first mark used was the letter W in some form
or another. This letter may stand either for Wall or
for Worcester, as D marked on Derby china may
stand either for Duesbury, the founder, or for Derby.
We reproduce several of the earliest Worcester
marks. About the same time a crescent was used,
which is believed to have been adopted from the
arms of the Warmstrey family, in whose ancient
mansion the factory was first started.

The first two letters, ^ in script, were used when
the factory was under the direction of Dr. Wall, who
died in 1776. The capital W was marked in blue
on early printed china. The crescent in outline was
one of the earliest marks, while the second crescent,
filled in with blue, under the glaze, occurs on
blue-printed china, which was invented about

I75S-.

Among other early Worcester marks are assimila-
tions and variations of certain Chinese characters,
probably from the models which the Worcester
potters copied. Of the square marks, it may be
observed that they do not always occur on Chinese
patterns. Occasionally, too, a crescent in red is
found with one of these squares in blue. Of the
other ornate and curiously Eastern adaptations, it
may be that they were workmen's signatures, but
they are only found on old Worcester. The love for
Oriental flourishes is shown by a series of numbers.

72 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Examples from i to 9 are known. We reproduce the
numbers 1,4, 5, 7.

In 1756 the important invention of transferring
printed impressions from copper plates was intro-
duced at Worcester. It is debatable ground whether
Battersea, Liverpool, or Worcester invented it. But
in 1757 it had arrived at a wonderful state of per-
fection at Worcester. The engraver, Robert Han-
cock, was employed. Valentine Green, the great
mezzotint engraver, was his pupil. A mug bearing
the head of the King of Prussia, and dated 1757,
is held to be one of the most characteristic pieces of
this period.

Thomas Carlyle has a graphic description of one
of these King of Prussia mugs, which piece of prose
is worth giving in full, for we do not often see the
historian of the French Revolution in the character of
a china connoisseur : —

" There stands on this mantelpiece," says one of
my correspondents, the amiable Smel fungus, in
short, whom readers are acquainted with, " a small
china mug, not of bad shape, declaring itself, in
one obscure corner, to be made at Worcester,
' R. I., Worcester, 1757' (late in the season, I
presume, demand being brisk) ; which exhibits all
round it a diligent potter's apotheosis of Friedrich,
hastily got up to meet the general enthusiasm of
English mankind. Worth, while it lasts unbroken,
a moment's inspection from you in a hurrying
along.

" Front side, when you take our mug by the
handle for drinking from it, offers a poor, well-

.Rcprodaied by kimlniss
.•/ Mr. S. G. teatmi.
Craubounn SIrat, IT.

MUG. (HEIGHT 5i IN.)

-ick Ihe Great, King of PrussI:
als of Robert Hancock),
d Anchor.

OLD WORCESTER 75

meant china portrait, labelled, King of Prussia :
copy of Friedrich's portrait by Pesne, twenty years
too young for the time, smiling out nobly upon you ;
upon whom there descends with rapidity a small
Genius more like Cupid, who had hastily forgotten
his bow, and goes headforemost on another errand,
to drop a wreath far too small for ever getting on
(owing to distance, let us hope), though the artless
painter makes no sign ; and indeed both Genius
and wreath, as he gives them, look almost like
a big insect, which the King will be apt to treat
harshly if he notice it. On the opposite side, again,
separated from Friedrich's back by the handle, is
an enormous image of Fame, with wings, filling half
the mug, with two trumpets going at once (a bass,
probably, and a treble), who flies with great ease ;
and between her eager face and the unexpectant
one of Friedrich (who is i8o deg. off, and knows
nothing of it) stands a circular trophy, or imbroglio
of drums, pikes, muskets, canons, field flags, and
the like ; very slightly tied together, the knot, if
there is one, being hidden by some fantastic bit. of
scroll or escutcheon, with a Fame and one trumpet
scratched on it ; and high out of the imbroglio rise
three standards inscribed with names, which we
perceive are intended to be names of Friedrich*s
victories ; standards notable at this day, with names
which I will punctually give you.

" Standard first, which lies to the westward or
leftward, has * Reisberg ' (no such place on this
distracted globe, but meaning Bevern's Reichenberg,
perhaps), * Reisberg,' * Prague,' ' Collin.' Middle

'j(> CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

standard curves beautifully round its staff, and
gives us to read * Welham ' (non-extant, too ; may
mean Welmina or Lobositz), * Rosbach ' (very
good), * Breslau ' (poor Bevern's, thought a victory
in Worcester at this time !). Standard third, which
flies to eastward or right hand, has * Newmark *
(that is, Neuniarkt and the Austrian bread -ovens,
December 4th) ; * Lissa ' (not yet Leuthen in
English nomenclature) ; and Breslau again, which
means the capture of Breslau city this time,
and is a real success, December 7th to 19th;
giving as the approximate date, Christmas, 1757, to
this hasty mug. A mug got up for a temporary
English enthusiasm, and for the accidental instruc-
tion of posterity. It is of tolerable china, holds a
good pint, * to the Protestant hero with all the
honours,' and offers, in little, a curious eyehole into
the then England, with its then lights and notions,
which is now so deep-hidden from us, under volcanic
ashes, French revolutions, and the wrecks of a
hundred very decadent years."

This mug bears the letters " R. H." on it, the initials
of the engraver.

In addition to this portrait of Frederick the Great,
there were others engraved of George II., George III.,
Queen Charlotte, the Marquis of Granby, and William
Pitt. The full signature of Robert Hancock is
often found on garden scenes and Watteau-like
subjects.

We illustrate as a headpiece a group of two cream-
jugs and a sugar-basin with black Worcester transfer-
\ printed subjects on them.

OLD WORCESTER 77

Leaving poetry and coming to fact, we arrive at
the beginning of the second period in the history of
the Worcester factory. Dr. Wall, the originator of
the works, had died in 1776, and it must be borne in
mind by the collector that from about the year 1764,
when the Chelsea works became disorganised, up to

III ColUdiott of Mr. W. G. Homy.

the death of Dr. Wall, some of the most exquisite
creations of Worcester were produced. Several of
the Chelsea artists had come to Worcester, and mugs
of a choice apple-green were made in imitation of the
Sevres ware, but none of these bear the Worcester
mark. Vases with rich bieu-de-roi ground and

^d^k

78 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

salmon-scale markings, with exotic birds of rich
plumage, of varied and elegant design, belong to this
period, and command at the present day very high
prices. Donaldson and O'Neale were two of the best
painters, and painted some of . the finest Worcester
vases so much sought after. At the Victoria and
Albert Museum, in the collection of the late Lady

Charlotte Schrieber, there
are some particularly fine
'7 ""^ examples.

jL We reproduce a fine

tSa Worcester dishj(io| in. by

^^*^ 8| in.) from the collection

^ of Mr. W. G. Honey, re-

cently at the Cork Exhibi-
^^^ /# I / tion. This specimen is an

J'liaht ^ %ay'T'. excellent example of the

best period, and is marked
CkamU^Umi. with a blue crescent.

l^^yx^t^itT- In 1783 the works passed

into the hands of Mr.
Thomas Flight, who, to-
gether with his two sons,
Joseph and John, raised
the manufactory to some
eminence. In 1788, George
III., with Queen Charlotte, visited the works, and
the title " Royal " was added to the mark, above the
word "Flight." Later on, in 1791, Mr. Martin Barr
joined the concern, the firm becoming " Flight and
Barr." It should be noted that Mr. Chamberlain, the
head of the decorating department of the old factory.

OLD WORCESTER

never came under the Flight regime, but estabh'shed
a factory of his own at Worcester. We give in order
of date the various marks used both by his factory
and that of the Flights.

These two factories continued as rivals until 1840,
when they amalgamated, and the two firms formed
one company. The name of Flight and. Barr
disappears, and the business being carried on at
Messrs. Chamberlain's premises, the new Worcester
mark became " Cham-
berlain & Co." In
1850 Mr. W. H. Kerr
joined the company,
and for a little while
the firm was known as
" Chamberlain, Lilley, &
Kerr." In 1852 another
change took place, Mr.
Chamberlain and Mr.
Lilley retired, and Mr.
R. W. Binns entered
into partnership with
Mr. Kerr. From that

time the manufactory, under the management of
Kerr & Binns was known as " W. H. Kerr & Co."
It is important that the collector should know all
these transitions in the ownership and management
of the Worcester works, which has a continuous
history of nearly a hundred and fifty years, a record
not reached by any other English factory.

Besides the above-mentioned two main streams of
Worcester porcelain manufacture, there is yet another

Grainact* Lea

TkCO

8o CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

firm which was established in 1800 by Thomas
Grainger, nephew to Mr. Chamberlain, The firm
became Grainger, Lee & Co., and afterwards
G. Grainger & Co. We give their marks, together
with the other Worcester marks, to enable our
readers to identify any specimens they may possess.
One of the marks in the Kerr & Binns period
requires explanation. The circle with the letter W
i^diating from the centre was espe-
cially designed for solely marking the
productions of the factory made for
the use of Queen Victoria and the
Royal household.

The scent-bottle which we give as
illustration has double sides, the outer
being ornamented with perforated
work, painted and gilt. The neck is
beautifully decorated with flowers on
a yellow ground. It is marked
SCENT- BOTTi.B. " ChambeHain's Worcester." It is an
elegant piece, and very characteris-
tically shows, for instance, in the
Greeii Maseuai. double sides and perforated work,
the influence of Chinese models. This
specimen is at the Bethnal Green Museum.

A pair of fine vases (loj in, high), marked "Grainger,
Lee, & Co., Worcester," in Mr. W. G. Honey's
collection, have views on them of Camden Place,
Bath, and St. Vincent's Rock, Bristol.

About the time of the Exhibition of 1851 there
was great energy displayed by the Worcester factory.
Especially noticeable were the enamelled vases.

OLD WORCESTER 83

dishes, and ewers. This Worcester enamel is a
variety of Limoges work (the Limoges being on
copper and the Worcester wholly porcelain), which
consists of applying semi-opaque white enamel of
varying strength, produced by superimposing more
or fewer layers in gradation upon a deep rich ground
of blue. These enamels were designed to copy the
fifteenth and sixteenth century work, and succeeded
very well in their object. Later, Worcester essayed
to produce jewelled porcelain, in which Berlin and
Vienna had excelled a century before. It won
especial praise at Paris in the 1867 Exhibition, and
became a great financial success.

Whether it be with the Limoges ivory or with the
newer Japanese designs which entered into the later
Worcester productions, the Royal manufactory of
the " faithful city " has always held its own with the
foreign rivals and competitors at international
exhibitions. At Berlin, Paris, Vienna, at Phila-
delphia, at Chicago, the success of modern Worcester
is evidence enough of its vitality.

Characteristics of Old Worcester China.

In the early period a simplicity characterised the
productions. "Mandarin" designs from Chinese
models prevailed. These old Worcester under-glaze
blue pieces have a tone unlike any other English
factory, and more nearly approach the Oriental
quality of depth. Bkie and white dishes with
pierced borders, and open basket-work dishes were
a feature.

84 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Transfer printing over the glaze is one of the
characteristics of the factory.

In the second period of Worcester were produced
the elaborate vases in the style of Dresden and of
Sevres, the finest examples of Worcester.

The third period of over-elaboration in decoration
marks the decline of Worcester.

The porcelain is thin and of very beautiful quality,
having an ivory-like texture. There is a greenish
tint in the paste when subjected to a strong light.

The varieties of bodies used at Worcester from
time to time make any generalisation obviously
impossible. It is only by handling specimens that
the true feeling of Worcester may become instinct in
a collector.

RECENT SALE PRICES.^
Worcester. ;^ s. d.

Coffee-pot and cover, painted with figures,
birds and flowers in colours in Chinese
taste, and with alternate dark blue
scale-pattern panels. Christie, Janu-
ary 14, 1902 28 7 o

Cups, two, with saucers and covers ; square
mark. H. Stacey, Reigate, January,
1902 91 o o

Soup-plates, pair, painted with nymphs in
landscapes, in dark blue and gold
borders. Christie, January 24, 1902 . 15 15 o

* By the kindness of the proprietors of the Connoisseur
these items are given from their useful monthly publication,
"vSale Prices,"

OLD WORCESTER 8 5

Plate, turquoise, red and gold panels, £ s. d.
flowers and dragons in the Oriental
taste ; and three octagonal plates,
with a tiger and flowers in the style
of old Hysen. Christie, January 30,
1902 4 10 o

Dish, circular, the centre painted with
butterflies, the border with exotic
birds in panels, and butterflies in
medallions in borders of dark blue
and gold, 10 in. diameter. Christie,
February 4, 1902 . . . . 54 12 o

Cups and saucers, pair two-handled, with
exotic birds and insects in medallions,
in gilt foliage borders on dark blue
scale ground. Christie, February 4,
1902 . . . . . . 90 6 o

Milk-jug, painted with birds and insects
in colours in gilt scroll borders on
dark blue scale-pattern ground ;
square mark. Christie, February 18,
1902 . . . . . 24 3 o

Dishes, pair, kidney-shaped, painted with
a bouquet and festoons of flowers in
colours in the centre, in wide dark blue
borders, gilt with interlaced bands
and flower sprays, 1 1 in. wide. Christie,
February 28, 1902 . . 26 5 o

Dishes, oval, pair, painted with Lady
Hamilton as " Hope " on the sea-
shore, by Flight, ii in. wide.
Christie, April 25, 1902 . . . 22 i o

86 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Another pair, similar, by Barr, Flight, & ;^ s. d.
Barr. Christie, April 25, 1902 . . 25 o o

Teapot and cover, oviform, and a canister
and cover, dark blue ground, painted
with exotic birds in medallions in
gilt scroll borders. Christie, May 2,
1902 189 o o

Bowl, the exterior painted with exotic
birds, flowering trees and insects in
scroll panels, with gilt borders on
dark blue scale-pattern ground, gilt,
with foliage, the interior painted
with birds on white ground ; 1 1 in.
diameter; square mark. Christie,
May 2, 1902 . . . . . 152 5 o

Spill-vases, set of three, heavily gilt with
coloured flowers in compartments, by
Flight, Barr & Flight, one 5 in. and
two 4 in. Garrad, Turner & Son,
Ipswich, June 19, 1902 . . . 12 10 o

Plates, pair, painted with groups of
flowers and fruit in the centre in rich
crimson scroll-pattern borders gilt
with flowers and foliage, 9 in.
diameter. Christie, June 20, 1902 . 35 14 o

Cup and saucer, two-handled, painted
with birds and insects in shaped
panels, on pale canary scale-pattern
ground. Christie, July 9, 1902 . . 22 11 6

Dessert dish, centre, scale-blue ground,
painted with exotic birds, foliage and
flowers in white panels of unusual

OLD WORCESTER 8/

shape, and surrounded by festoons of £ s. d.
flowers and lattice designs in chased
gold, also painted with flowers in
colours at back. From the service
made for Lady Mary Wortley Mon-
tague. Sotheby, November ii, 1902 101 00

Tea-service, of the Dr. Wall period,
mazarin blue ground, painted in
oviform panels in exotic birds and
foliage, with landscapes in back-
grounds, also small flying birds and
bouquets of fruit, each panel sur-
rounded by gilding, crescent mark,
consisting of teapot and cover, teapot
stand, tea canister and cover, cake
plate, five tea-cups unmarked. For-
merly the property of H.R.H. Duchess
of Kent. Sotheby, November II, 1902 345 10 o

Mug, small " King of Prussia," marked
with " W" in red. Andrew Orr, Scar-
borough, November 11, 1902 . -950

Plates, pair, painted with festoons and
sprays of flowers in panels with gilt
scroll borders on dark blue scale-
pattern ground. Christie, Novem-
ber 28, 1902 35 14 o

Cups, two-handled, covers and saucers,
pair, painted with festoons of flowers
in colours, in dark blue and gold
borders ; crescent mark. Christie,
February 6, 1903 . . . 37 16 o

Teapot and cover, scale-blue ground,

;^i

88 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

painted in panels of exotic birds ; £ s. d.
square mark. Sotheby, May 4, 1903 33 00

Dish, large circular, painted with exotic
birds, branches and insects in scroll
panels with gilt borders, 13 in.
diameter, with dark blue scale-
pattern ground. Christie, May 28, 1903 132 16 o

Teapot and cover, with nearly similar
decoration, with dark blue scale-
pattern ground. Christie, May 28,
1903 27 6 o

Jug, large, moulded with foliage in low
relief, and bearded mask under the
spout, and painted with exotic birds
and foliage, butterflies and other
insects in colours in two large and
three smaller panels, in gilt scroll
borders on a dark blue scale-pattern
ground, pink flowers in panels on the
neck iijin. high. Christie, May 8,
1903 147 o o

Jug, oviform, painted with birds and in-
sects in scroll panels with gilt borders,
7 in. high. Christie, June 10, 1903 . 79 16 o

Plates, pair of, painted with birds and
insects in shaped panels, with gilt
borders. Christie, June 10, 1903 . 34 13 o

Plates, pair of, painted with landscapes,
groups of flowers and birds, in dark
blue borders, richly gilt. From Lord
Henry Thynne's collection. Chris-
tie, June 10, 1903 . . . . 24 3 o

PLYMOUTH AND BRISTOL CHINA

t the Btthnal Gra

I'LY MOUTH

The name of Plymouth stands high in the records
of English china factories. Its porcelain was the
first hard porcelain produced in this country. Other
English chinas melted when placed inside the pieces
in the Plymouth kilns.

Not so well known as Josiah Wedgwood, of
the Staffordshire potteries, William Cookworthy,
of Plymouth, Quaker, chemist, porcelain maker, is
worthy of a niche in the gallery of dead princes of
ceramic art, and his is a name that will never be
forgotten by those who know the history behind
the old Plymouth vases and mugs and statues.

It is true the enterprise was a failure. It only
ran fourteen years, and was, in 1774, transferred to
Bristol. It is true that Lord Camelford, one of
his partners, laments the three thousand pounds ex-
pended on it. But it is more than true that the

92 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

results of William Cookworthy's efforts were no
failure.

The brief life history of the Quaker dreamer (we
know he must have been a dreamer, for he translated
some of Swedenborg*s works into English) is re-
markable. At the age of fourteen, the eldest of a
family of six fatherless children, he tramped from
Plymouth up to London and commenced his
apprenticeship to a chemist. His mother battled
on, eking out her slender means by dressmaking.
Later on, when William Cookwdrthy came home,
his mother lived under his roof and became a leading
favourite with the great people he knew. The poor
Devon lad who wearily tramped to London over
down and dale, dreaming golden dreams, came home
to entertain Dr. Wolcot, the famous " Peter Pindar "
of vitriolic pen, Sir Joseph Banks, Captain Cook, and
the fighting Earl St. Vincent, who remarked, " who-
ever was in Mr. Cook worthy's company was the
wiser and better for having been in it " ; while
Smeaton, the builder of the Eddystone Lighthouse,
was an inmate of his house during the erection
of the lighthouse.

In an early letter of Cookworthy's we find him
speaking of a certain unnamed, strange individual
who came to him with some china earth. "Twas
found in the back of Virginia, where he was in quest
of mines ; and having read Duhalde, discovered
both the petuntse and kaolin. Tis the latter earth
he says, is the essential thing towards the success
of the manufacture. He is gone for a cargo of it,
having bought the whole country of the Indians

^ PLYMOUTH AND BRISTOL CHINA 93

where it rises." We hear no more of this mys-
terious individual ; but we do hear of extensive
and painstaking researches by Cookworthy, till at
length he is rewarded by discovering the very earth
he wanted, in Cornwall, on the estate of Lord
Camelford.

He established himself at Coxside, at the extreme
angle which juts into the water at Sutton Pool. The
buildings subsequently became a shipwright's yard,
and even then bore the name China House. We
wonder, do they exist now ?

The early examples of Plymouth are clumsy,
sometimes very coarse and rough. Experience was
wanting in firing. Most of the pieces were disfigured
by fire-cracks. Of those decorated in blue the
colour had run into the glazing. But Cookworthy
did one thing — he was the first to produce cobalt blue
direct from the ore.

The white ware of Plymouth, in which is intro-
duced as ornament shells and seaweed and coral,
is very artistic, and is one of the features of
Plymouth, although none of this ware is marked.
They mostly consist of salt-cellars, pickle-cups, and
what would now be used to put roses in. The
salt-cellar we illustrate is one of a pair in the Bethnal
Green Museum ; it has a plain, white body and cloudy
glaze, and is unmarked. Similar shapes are believed
to have been made at Bow. We reproduce a dainty
piece, a shell dish of beautiful design, and ask —
was Cookworthy a failure?

During the latter part of the fourteen years that
Plymouth produced her china, Cookworthy, then

94 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

nearing his seventieth year, thought to emulate
Sevres and Dresden, and employed several artists
for decoration. He engaged the services of a
French artist named Soqui from Sevres, and he
and Henry Bone, of Plymouth — one of his own

apprentices — produced some finely-painted birds and

flowers.

The mark of the I'lymoiith china is blue on tlie
early clumsy pieces, and later was neatly drawn
in red, sometimes blue. It is the chemical symbol
for tin, being doubtless adopte{l by Cookworthy

PLYMOUTH AND BRISTOL CHINA 95

to denote that his materials came from the tin

hi /lie Fry Coliedhii a( Brhlol.

district. It i.s.like the figure four, with a little
curved loop at the beginning,

96 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

We reproduce a fine specimen of a splendid vase,
hexagonal shape, sixteen inches high, in the
possession of the Fry family at Bristol. It is richly
decorated with festoons of finely modelled raised
flowers, with painted butterflies and borders. This
was the forerunner of the exquisite Bristol vase
made by the firm which bought Cookworthy's
life secrets.

Devon and Plymouth suggest Elizabethan days,
and one man's name flashes uppermost, but —

" Drake he's in his hammock, but a thousand mile
away
(Capten, art tha sleepin' there below ?),
Slung atween the round shot in Nombre Dios Bay,
An' dreamin' arl the time o' Plymouth Hoe."

But there are heroes of peace and the arts of peace,
and that art of all arts, the art of self-effacement,
and William Cookworthy is one.

2|-2f j^ ^

PLYMOUTH MARKS.

BRISTOL.

For several centuries earthenware was made at
Bristol, and a. very fair quality of blue delft was pro-
duced there, but it is not of the old potteries of
Bristol that we shall speak, but of the manufacture
which was transplanted from Plymouth to Bristol.
We have related the struggles of William Cookworthy
to establish Plymouth porcelain. The strenuous
efforts to perfect the china were carried on by Richard
Champion, of Bristol, merchant, who bought Cook-
worthy's patent, and established the manufactory
of hard porcelain at Bristol. Champion had, it
appears, been associated with Cookworthy as partner
when the works were at Plymouth.

In '775i when Champion presented a petition to
the Mouse of Commons to be granted the patent
right for a further period of fourteen years to him-
self, he was vigorously opposed b)- Josiah Wedg-
wood, who represented that by granting a patent

98 CHATS OS ESGLISH CHINA

to Champion, it would be detrimental to trade and
injurious to the public, urging, among other
grounds, that "the use of the natural productions
of the soil ought to be the right of all." W^edgwood
presented a memorial to Parliament, and a fierce
controversy ensued. " Much might be said on both
sides," as Sir Roger De Coverley observes, and much
was said on both sides.

At first blush it seems hard that Cookworthy and
Champion, who found the earth and worked hard
at developing the manufactory in the West, should
have no protection given to their secret But Wedg-
wood, who speaks with authority, urged that when
he invented his Queen's Ware he did not apply for a
patent, which would have limited its public utility.
" Instead of one hundred manufactories of Queen's
Ware, there would have been one ; and instead of an
exportation to all quarters of the world, a few pretty
things would have been made for the amusement
of the people of fashion in England."

Without going further into the details of a con-
troversy which trenches upon questions of political
economy two facts stand out, and the reader can
judge of them as he will. The patent was granted
by Parliament to Richard Champion, who was
subsequently ruined, and left England to die in
South Carolina ; and secondly, hard paste was made
at Plymouth and Bristol (never before or since in
England), while the manufacture of the less difficult
soft-paste porcelain and of pottery was carried on
by the Staffordshire factories and Wedgwood.

During the struggle between Wedgwood and

PLYMOUTH AND BRISTOL CHINA 99

Champion one curious incident occurred. When the
. Bill was before the House of Lords for discussion,
one of Champion's witnesses left London for Bristol
without permission. As it was necessary to brin^
him back at once, as the end of the session was at
hand, he was recalled by an "express," which travelled
the 240 miles to Bristol in twenty-seven hours !

In 1775 was passed (15 George III., cap 52) "an
Act for enlarging the term of Letters Patent granted
by his present Majesty to William Cookworthy, of
Plymouth, Chymist, for the sole use and exercise of a
discovery of certain materials for making Porcelain,
in order to enable Richard Champion, of Bristol,
merchant (to whom the said Letters Patent have
been assigned), to carry the said discovery into
effectual execution for the benefit of the public."

So we shortly find the Bristol factory in full
swing. The stock of Plymouth, and the tried
workmen, were transferred to Bristol. First of all,
attention was paid to common blue and white ware
as likely to demand a ready sale, and to be profitable.
As in the case of Worcester and other factories,
Champion took Oriental models, and some of his
ware is confounded with other makers who used
the same models. The blue was of good colour, and
dinner, tea, and coffee services, as well as jugs and
mugs, were turned out, sometimes marked with the
Bristol cross, but oftentimes without any dis-
tinguishing mark at all, to the confound ment of the
latter-day collectors.

Bristol was very successful in imitating the
commoner forms of Chinese ware. We reproduce a

■^n.

lOO CHATS 0\ EXGUSH CH/XA

teajwt and cup and saucer. It will be observed that
the cup follows the original model, and has no
handle.

The usual mark of Bristol was a plain cross, some-
times in blue, sometimes in
y^ red, and often in neutral tint,

ll^ or slatey-grey. The crossed

1 swords of Dresden, accom-

panied by the Bristol cross
^ and the figures lo, appear on

one specimen.
B Some of the following

marks which we give have

been assigned to Bristol.

j\ Figures sometimes occur as

^^Y^ well as the cross ; these are

I believed to denote the painters

•" engaged on the piece, and are

often marked in red. On one

known Bristol piece, a date

occurs. But to colle.ctors of

Bristol porcelain there is one

y^ test which also applies in

LT-> . . 1 HI I 1 more marked degree to the
±>Tisto ii larks ^i ^.u ^u- • «.u

^ J Plymouth ware ; this is the

series of spiral ridges which
may often be observed on the surface of the ware
when held in reflected light.

We have alluded to the somewhat heated con-
troversy between Josiah Wedgwood and Richard
Champion, who had transferred the plant from
Plymouth and had applied for an extension of

.._ A w»

PLYMOUTH AND BRISTOL CHINA lOI

Cookvvorthy's patent to himself. Josiah Wedgwood,
we think somewhat unfairly, alleged that both
Plymouth and Bristol factories were still in an
experimental stage ; he belittles their art, which
'' neither the ingenious discoverer nor the purchaser,
for want, perhaps, of skill and experience in this
particular business, have been able, during the space
of seven years already elapsed, to bring to any useful
degree of perfection."

This is not the place to enter into the merits of
a dead conflict between Staffordshire and Bristol.
That Bristol was not merely an experimental
factory is more than proved by the specimens which
have come down to us, specimens, be it said, that
are more eagerly sought after than many of Wedg-
wood's productions, since they are of hard porcelain
which Staffordshire never made, and which hard
paste has never again been made in England, with
the exception of Lowestoft.

One of the choicest examples of the highest art of
Bristol is preserved in the national collection at the
Victoria and Albert Museum. It is stated to have
been " the best that the manufactory could produce.'*
It was made in 1774-5, within a few months of the
establishment of the works at Bristol. This example
is interesting too, as being one of the few examples
of the Bristol works, of which the exact date can
be ascertained.

In the year 1774 Edmund Burke was nominated
for Bristol, the capital and richest city of the west.
A fierce election contest followed, in which Burke
was returned as one of the members. During this

I02 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

election he was the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, of
Bristol, and it was then that Burke ordered a splendid
set of china from Champion. We reproduce the cup
and saucer of this service. It is profusedly and
massively gilt in dead and burnished gold, the
wreaths of laurel being in green, which was Burke's
electioneering colour.

From iimice erdered hy Edmund Burke.

Each piece, as will be seen, bears the monogram
of Mrs. Smith, "S. S." interlaced, formed of wreaths
of roses in pink and gold, and also the arms of the
family. This service is marked with the usual
Bristol cross.

It is obviously absurd to have asserted that such
china was merely experimental. The collector of
to-day has more than hall-marked Bristol porcelain.

PLYMOUTH AND BRISTOL CHINA IO3

Recently, at Christie's Auction Rooms, £,\6% was
paid for two small cups and a tea tray, and, alas !
Cookworthy and Champion died unsuccessful men.

In Iki Fry Collection.

If they are recognised to-day as martyrs to the
ceramic art, their own generation were somewhat
stiff-necked to their genius and enterprise.
The vase which we reproduce shows to what

I04 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

perfection the manufacturers had reached. Among
the decorators of Bristol was Henry Bone, afterwards
an R.A., and miniature enameller to the Royal
Family. Bone was apprenticed to Champion for
seven years, dating from January, 1772.

This vase, in the possession of the Fry family of
Bristol, is of hexagonal shape and is 12J inches in
height. The landscapes are excellently painted, and
it has well-modelled female busts on two of its
sides, from which hang festoons of raised flowers
in white. This vase and the other splendid and
almost priceless vases in the possession of the same
family are not marked. It appears that although
only Champion's name appears on the documents in
connection with the Bristol factory, he had partners
who assisted him financially, one of whom was
Joseph Fry, whose only return, when the factory was
discontinued, for the money he had sunk into the
concern, was the set of vases now in the hands of his
descendants.

We now come to the last act of Bristol. Wedg-
wood writes to Bentley in a letter, dated August 24,
1778, concerning Champion's failure: "Poor Cham-
pion, you may have heard, is quite demolished ; it
was never likely to be otherwise, as he had neither
professional knowledge, sufficient capital, nor scarcely
any real acquaintance with the materials he was
working upon. I suppose we might buy some
Growan Stone and Growan Clay now upon easy
terms, for they have prepared a large quantity this
last year."

His patent right was sold by Champion to a

PLYMOUTH AND BRISTOL CHINA IO5

company of Staffordshire potters, who continued the
manufacture at New Hall for some little time until
the ordinary soft paste was allowed to supersede
Champion's hard paste. So ended the triumphs of
Bristol and Plymouth. It appears that from
November, 1781, to April, 1782, Champion left his
native city to superintend the works of the china
company who had purchased his rights. But Edmund
Burke came to his rescue, and, conjointly with Burke's
son Richard, Champion was appointed deputy pay-
master-general. Champion occupied official apart-
ments in Chelsea Hospital. In July a change of
ministry lost him his post, but in April, 1783, he
regained it, only to resign on the fall of the famous
Coalition Ministry in January, 1784. In October,
1784, he left England for South Carolina, where he
became a planter. Seven years after leaving Eng-
land he died of fever, and lies buried in the New
World.

There is nothing to be said — his fate was the fate
of so many enthusiasts and workers in the field of
art. Nobody has ever unveiled a monument to
Champion's memory or to Cookworthy's memory.
Nobody has designed a stained-glass window to
record their ceramic triumphs. Their monument —
and it is a lasting one — lies on the china shelf;
the votaries of Plymouth and of Bristol porcelain
need no spark to quicken their fire.

We know Browning's "Waring" and his unfulfilled
promise of greatness, and how the friend who has
lost him, " like a ghost at break of day," wishes him
back —

I06 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

" Oh, could I have him back once more,
This Waring, but one half-day more!
Back, with the quiet face of yore,
So hungry for acknowledgment
Like mine, Td fool him to his bent.
Feed, should not he, to heart's content ?
rd say, * To only have conceived,
Planned your great works, apart from progress.
Surpasses little works achieved.'"

And the world would call back its neglected and
unrequited men of genius if it could, and herein lies
the principle that makes china command high prices
— these conscience-prickings are the tribute posterity
pays.

Characteristics of Plymouth and Bristol

Porcelain.

•

Among special features of Plymouth and Bristol
china, spiral ridges are to be seen, though often barely
noticeable, running from the base transversely around
the body of piece, more noticeable in basins and tea-
pots, at an angle of 45°. The china of these factories
is often untrue owing to imperfect firing, and is fre-
quently cracked at base. The Bristol decorators had
a partiality for wreaths and festoons of laurel in green,
interspersed with detached bouquets of flowers. The
Bristol glaze is rich and creamy white, and upon ex-
amination a series of minute depressions, somewhat
similar to the bubbles on Oriental glaze, may be
discovered.

PLYMOUTH AND BRISTOL CHINA IO7

RECENT SALE PRICES.^
Plymouth. £ s. d.

Bowls and covers, pair, formed as doves
on their nests. Christie, February S,
1902 770

Shell sweetmeat-dishes, two, painted with
flowers in colours in the Chinese
taste, and encrusted with coloured
shells and seaweed ; and a smaller
white ditto. Christie, February 5,
1902 550

Tankards, pair, painted with birds, trees
and flowers in colours. Christie,
February 5, 1902 . . . . 46 4 o

Mug, bell-shaped, 5J in. high, painted
exotic birds and continuous land-
scape in brilliant colours (marked
with Plymouth mark). Edwards,
Son & Bigwood, Birmingham, May
13, 1902 12 o o

Bristol.

Tea-cups and saucers, two, and a small
tray, painted with medallion heads in
gilt borders and festoons of green
laurel-wreaths between ; and a bowl
and cream-jug nearly similar. Christie,
February 4, 1902 . . . . 168 o o

' By the kindness of the proprietors of the Connoisseur
these are given from their useful monthly publication, " Sale
Prices."

I08 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Teapot and cover and bowl, painted with £ s. d.
bouquets or flowers. Christie, Feb-
ruary 28, 1902 7150

Dishes, oval-shaped pair, painted with
festoons and sprays of flowers, in
colours, gilt edges. Christie, Feb-
ruary 28, 1902 16 16 o

Bowls, pair, fluted, painted with bouquets
of flowers, 1 1 J in. diameter. Christie,
July 2, 1902 28 7 o

Cabaret, decorated with festoons of foliage
in green and horizontal gilt lines,
consisting of oval plateau, teapot,
sucrier and covers, milk-jug, and cup
and saucer ; mark, Dresden crossed
swords. Christie, July 2, 1902 . . 27 6 o

Figures, pair, of a lady with tambourine,
and a gentleman with a lyre, 1 1 in.
high. Christie, June 10, 1902 . . 52 10 o

Figures, Mars and Minerva, 13J in. high.

Christie, June 20, 1902 . . . 19 19 o

Figure of a nymph, allegorical of " Water,"

loj in. high. Christie, July 2, 1902 10 10 o

Tea-service, Bristol, painted with bouquets
and sprays of flowers in colours, and
with gilt edges and handles, consist-
ing of teapot, cover and hexagonal
stand, milk-jug, eight tea-cups, six
coffee-cups, and eight saucers, and a
Plymouth cup and saucer, with
flowers and red bands. Christie,
November 21, 1902 . . . . 39 18 o

PLYMOUTH AND BRISTOL CHINA IO9

Service, painted in flowers, comprising £. s. • d.
four tureens, covers, stands and two
ladles, sixteen dishes of various sizes
and twelve plates (42 pieces). E. J.
Carter, Tunbridge Wells, January 20,
1902 76 o o

Tea-cup and saucer, painted with portrait
medallions, green laurel festoons, gilt
lines, and the interlaced initials R S.
Part of service made by Champion for
Sir Robert Smyth. From the Edkins
Collection. Christie, June 16, 1903 37 16 o

THE LOWESTOFT FACTORY

LOWESTOFT SAUCE-BOATS (BLUE AND WHI
(Wilh fragnuni of Mould from whkh the; were ma
In CotUaion of Mr. J. V. Yallep.

THE LOWESTOFT FACTORY

We have dealt with Worcester and with Derby, with
Chelsea and with Bow. Of the latter, we told of the
difficulty of determining the marks, and of accurately
naming the china ; but what are we to think of a
factory, which we may term the "Mrs. Harris" among
china factories, inasmuch as some people with no less ■
scepticism than Sairey Gamp's friend, believe it did
not exist at all. The legends of Lowestoft are many
and varied, but we think we shall succeed in presenting
some sort of rational account of the factory to our
readers, which may dispel many notions, perhaps
wrongly, held by those to whom " Lowestoft " is a
9 "3

114 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

myth and the collecting of it a snare and a
delusion.

It is stated that a Dutch sailor, wrecked on the
coast, in return for the hospitality of a gentleman who
brought him to his house, was instrumental in point-
ing out the value of the white earth which he dis-

covered on the gentleman's estate. It is certain that
the sand on the coast of Suffolk at Lowestoft is of
great purity, as compared with that of other parts of
the country, and, when the Lowestoft works were
closed, the Worcester factory availed themselves of it
in making their best porcelain.

THE LOWESTOFT FACTORY US

There are certain plates of reputed Lowestoft
manufacture, dated 1752 and thereabouts, bearing
the names of Quinton, of Yarmouth, Parrish, of Nor-
wich, and other local farnilies. These plates are of
earthenware body, with coarse decorations in blue,
and having a yellow rim. They were made to cele-
brate the marriage of the persons named on them.
In the one we reproduce, specially photographed for
this volume, the inscription runs : " Henry and Mary
Quinton, Yarmouth, nor f f: oik. 1755." This lettering,
with the two dots over the letters y, and the peculiar
placing of the commas over the letters u, is conclusive
evidence that it was written by a foreigner, and pre-
sumably plates such as these were made in Holland
to order of some shipmaster.

One of the owners of the original factory was
Robert Browne, who died in 1771, when the manage-
ment was undertaken by his son — also Robert Browne
— who made great experiments in pastes. There is
a story of how Robert Browne the second paid a visit
to London disguised as a workman, and by secreting
himself in a barrel, was enabled to watch the mixing
of the ingredients forming the paste of Chelsea or of
Bow.

The presence of coats of arms upon genuine known
pieces of Lowestoft may have caused some confusion,
which has continued to the present day. At the end
of the last century a great deal of Oriental china was
made having coats of arms of English families upon
it. Although Lowestoft bore no resemblance in its
body to Oriental ware, people came to suppose that,
in some way or another, the ware was brought in its

Il6 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

unfinished state from the East, and then decorated
• and re-fired at Lowestoft. With the exception of
Plymouth and Bristol, Lowestoft is the only factory
in England which is credited with producing the true
hard-paste porcelain, as made in the East ; all other
old English chinas are of soft paste, and a great deal
of our wares are earthenware, for instance, Wedgwood.
But the claim thatT Lowestoft made hard paste has
never been substantiated by facts.

Lowestoft may be divided into two parts, the first
dealing with the early period when blue and white ware
was made, and the second period, when a finer and
higher class of goods, with heraldic designs and floral
intricacies, were introduced. At one period of its
history the paste of Lowestoft appears to have been
harder than that of Bow or Chelsea. Roughly, just
a half of a century saw the rise and fall of Lowestoft.
It was established from 1756, and in 1802 the factory
had ceased.

Many families in the Eastern Counties to this day
possess specimens of the Lowestoft china with names
and dates painted on them. This china with names
or initials upon it, or bearing a date, in addition to its
personal value is of historic interest in determining
periods of manufacture. We give a highly interest-
ing and very rare pair of dated cups and saucers, with
unusual decorations, vine leaves in gold, clusters of
grapes in red, and tablet in centre with inscription,
**M. and E. Calder, Norwich, 1776," rich blue glaze
and gold bands.

Among other dated specimens of Lowestoft white
and blue ware is a fine bowl, with Chinese figures of

THE LOWESTOFT FACTORY 117

mandarins painted in blue, and inscribed at the
bottom with the name, "Elizabeth Buckle, 1768."
This Elizabeth Buckle is known to have been an
eccentric old dame, and the service, of which this
bowl is a remnant, was made for her by her nephew,
Robert Allen. This Allen was one of the worthies of
Lowestoft. In 1819, in his seventy-fourth year, he
executed a design for the East window of the Parish

Church (we know not whether it is still in existence
at Lowestoft). In acknowledgment of this service, a
silver cup was presented to him, with the inscription:
" A token of respect to Mr. Robert Allen from his
fellow -townsmen of Lowestoft, for having, at the
advanced age of seventy- four, gratuitously and
elegantly ornamented the East window of their
Parish Church. Ann. Dom. 1819."

Il8 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

After the closing of the Lowestoft works, Allen put
up a small kiln at his own house, where he carried on
operations on a limited scale. He bought the un-
finished ware from Mr. Brameld, of the Rockingham
factory, and painted it and refined it, selling it himself
afterwards.

We reproduce a design of a mug painted by
Thomas Curtis for his father and mother, whose

names appear on it. It is said that Curtis was formerly
employed at Dresden, and that he was a " silent
partner " in the Lowestoft works. Many other
examples of blue and white exist with dates and
names upon them, and there is more than enough
evidence to show that, short as was the history of the
Lowestoft factory, it did good work.

We shall now proceed to give an account of the
wonderful decorative qualities of a great artist in

THE LOWESTOFT FACTORY UQ

Lowestoft china, whose works now are worth many
pounds, but whose latter days, when he was blind,
were spent in poverty.

We have dealt with the earlier ware made
there — of the blue and white porcelain and of the
delft ware probably made in Holland ; we now
come to the higher and finer products of Lowestoft,
over which so many debates have taken place.
It has been held that this ware was decorated at
Lowestoft, but that it was real Oriental body imported
in its half-finished state from the East, and only
painted and re-fired in this country. However, on
the signed testimony of one of the workmen, it is
positively stated that no Oriental porcelain ever came
into the factory at Lowestoft to be decorated. " No
manufactured articles were brought there to be
painted, and every article painted in the factory had
been previously made there."

The question, too, of hard paste being made at
Lowestoft is not yet proved ; among all the recently
discovered fragments is nothing of hard paste.

The theory that porcelain came over from China
through Holland to Lowestoft, if it be examined,
does not hold water. First, it would not have paid,
especially as then a large duty existed on china im-
ported, whereas Lowestoft china was produced at a
fairly cheap cost, and supplied to the public to com-
pete with Worcester, and Derby, and the Staffordshire
makers. Again, when the Lowestoft factory broke
up, there would naturally have been a lot of unfinished
Oriental porcelain in its white state, prior to the
decoration, thrown on the market. What became of

I20 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

it all in 1802 ? Nobody ever seems to have seen any
white china bowls, or white tea services, or white
vases.

But there is a certain amount of mystery about
Lowestoft, and a great quantity of ware exists both
in this country and abroad, which is classed as Lowe-
stoft china, but which is really Oriental porcelain with
British armorial bearings.

To account for the frequency of the rose on Lowe-
stoft ware, it has been remarked, to those given to
speculation, that the arms of the borough are a
Tudor rose. We prefer to believe that the French
refugee of the name of Rose, who came to Lowestoft
during the great Revolution, became the principal
and one of the best of the porcelain painters at the
factory, and introduced much of the delicacy of
touch and taste into the china made there. Under-
neath some of thie handles will be found a small rose,
which is said to denote that the work was done by
him.

Perhaps some of our readers will look under the
rose and read a story, sad enough, but true of many
a man and many a maid. The French artist who,
by your leave, ladies, painted red roses and twined
chains of rosy wreaths, who put smiles and sunshine
with his artful brush on to your tea serviceSj had
a very aching heart at the end of the journey. Fate
herself twined a chain of grey roses for him. He
was blind and poor. In his old age, he laboured, a
broken-down old man, in the heat of the sun. A
couple of donkeys given to him out of charity
enabled him to bring water into Lowestoft. A

THE LOWESTOFT FACTORY 121

beggar, he would slake a beggar's thirst. " Wreaths
of roses " — there is something gruesome in the sound
of the words. Handle your china cups with more
tenderness : human lives have gone to the making of
them. The white-hot furnace and the minute brush-
mark of your rose petal turned a man's day to dark
night. Roses and wreaths of roses, and behind
them all — tears.

The writer is able to confirm the above statements
respecting Lowestoft by information which has been
courteously supplied by a kinswoman of the celebrated
designer of the bouquets of roses on the Lowestoft
porcelain. The first clay was discovered by Mr.
Luson of Gunter Hall in 1756 (now the estate of
Miss Fowler), who sent a small quantity to London
to ascertain its quality. Upon trial it was found to
be excellent, and Mr. Hewlin Luson procured work-
men and erected a temporary kiln on his estate near
the old Warren Houses on the Dunes north of
Lowestoft. A good deal of jealousy was aroused
and trade rivals attempted to wreck the scheme and
tampered with the workmen engaged. After a
year's struggle a company was formed who purchased
some houses in Bell Lane, now Crown Street, and
established a factory.

In December, 1902, an interesting discovery was
made on the site of the old Lowestoft factory. The
,kiln for drying malt of Messrs. Morse, brewers, is
actually the old kiln in which the Lowestoft ware was
fired, and upon the flooring of this being removed to
make a drain, several moulds and fragments of china
were found. I am especially indebted to Mr. J. U.

132 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Yallop, Fine Art Dealer, of Lowestoft, for much in-
teresting information concerning this find, he being
present while the digging operations were going on.
This important discovery led to a complete inves-
tigation of the old site, and, lai^ely owing to the

enterprise of Mr. A. Merrington Smith, of Lowestoft,
steps were taken to commence excavations. These
resulted, in July, 1903, in the further find of several
bushels of broken moulds and fragments ef china.
We give an illustration of the scene when the moulds
and fragments had been discovered.

THE LOWESTOFT FACTORY 123

Among these fragments are some decorated pieces
ready for glazing, which cannot be washed, as the
colours, of course, come off. There are glazed frag-
ments in blue and other colours. There is quite a
variety of handles for cups, mugs, &c., and there are
cups made without handles. There are some birth-
day tablets, and some clay pipes with heraldic devices

made for William Harvey, pf Yarmouth. One small
piece, evidently part of the bottom of a cup, has a
crescent marked in blue; but this does not prove
that Lowestoft used the crescent as a mark ; in all
probability it is the fragment of some Worcester
piece they had for purposes of copying.

There are also unglazed fragments for basket-work,

124 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

and Lowestoft figures, unglazed, ready for firing.
There are ribbed tea-cups and cups with cornflower
decoration. Among other fragments are a great
number of toy teapots and toy cups only an inch or
two in height, decorated in blue. We give an illus-
tration of this toy ware painted under-glaze in blue.
The bulk of these moulds and fragments are in the
possession of W. Rix Spelman, Esq., of Norwich, and
it is to be hoped that careful study and research will,
by means of these indisputable facts, re-establish the
reputation of Lowestoft —

"Defamed by every charlatan
And soil'd with all ignoble use."

Mr. Crisp, of Denmark Hill, London, possesses
some of the moulds which were disinterred at the
first discovery on the Lowestoft site. He has had
china made in them and baked, and has presented
the results to the British Museum, where they are
now exhibited. They seem too poorly made to show
to advantage the delicate patterns in relief.

The headpiece (p. 113) shows two sauce-boats,
blue and white, with raised decoration. It will be
seen from the fragment of mould, photographed with
them, how exactly this newly discovered mould helps
to identify the pieces.

Among the fragments is part of a teapot mould,
on which is the date 1761. Chaffers, in his authorita-
tive work on china, remarks of Lowestoft that some
of the larger pieces bear traces of having been " made
in a mould," and here, just a hundred years after the
factory ceased, comes corroborative evidence.

'■John Cooper. 176I
B of Mr. J. U. 1

THE LOWESTOFT FACTORY 127

There is an interesting mould for an oval per-
forated basket, such as Bow and Chelsea produced,
with diamond spaces to be cut out ; and upon one of
the fragments of a mould for a sugar basin appears
the most delicate tracery and exquisite designs in
leaves and scrolls, and prominent among the decora-
tion is the Japanese chrysanthemum.

All East Anglians and lovers of old Lowestoft
will be pleased at this piece of new evidence in
favour of the theories held concerning the old factory,
whose reputation has been well-nigh blasted* by
thousands ^f spurious imitations made in France —
literally covered by vulgar .design and more vulgar
coats of arms.

We are able to reproduce some genuine old Lowe-
stoft. A remarkable piece is the old mug, about 6 in.
high, depicting an old fishwife with bellows under
her arm, and holding a spit of herrings. This is deco-
rated in blue and white. On the reverse side of mug
is a fishing boat. At the bottom it bears the name
"John Cooper, 1768." Under the scroll of the
handle are the letters " R. P.," probably signifying that
it is the work of Richard Philips,, a painter at the
Lowestoft factory. Unfortunately it is damaged, as
will be seen by the illustration, but for all that it is a
specimen of considerable value. The jug we illus-
trate, having the " Mandarin " decoration common to
Worcester and Bristol, is a fine example of Lowestoft
under-glaze blue painting. It bears the figure 5 upon
it as a mark. It may be observed that many of the
Lowestoft pieces of blue and white bear a striking
resemblance to old Worcester. At first blush one is

128 CHATS Of/ ENGLISH CHINA

inclined to believe them to be Worcester, but the blue
is not quite the Worcester blue, and the glaze tells its
own story. There are pits and dimples, and little

III CoUtclien of Mr. J. U. Vallof.

raised surfaces here and there, particularly under the
bases of cups, that are characteristic of Lowestoft.
" A Trifle from Lowestoft," a legend which is a

THE LOWESTOFT FACTORY 129

familiar one on Lowestoft ware, is an inkstand, with
floral design in that shade of red peculiar to Lowe-
stoft but so difficult to describe in words. The
decoration on this piece is especially characteristic of
the factory, and we ask readers to make a note of it.
There are certain marks on undoubted Lowestoft

pieces which the writer has examined. The letter
" R," which might be the signature of Redgrave the
painter. On another piece the letter " H " appears
under the rim, which may stand for Hughes. The
letters " R. P." on the mug we illustrate (p. 135) may
equally stand for Richard Powles or Richard Philips.

I30 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

On one piece two Us appear back to back (JL). Is
this Luson, Lowestoft? While on other pieces
appear the mark X in red and in blue.

Characteristics of Lowestoft China.

The china is soft paste, and is often very badly
potted. The blue is inclined to run. There is a
gritty appearance in places on the glaze, which is
spotted as if by sand. In some of the blue decorated
pieces, where a flight of birds is introduced, the
crescent moon (like the Worcester crescent mark)
has been put in almost as a challenge to Worcester.
One especial feature is the green hue of the glaze
settled under the rims of saucers and basins and cups.
The paste often has little bumps on it, and a mound
in the centre of base under rim. ftoses, set back to
back, appear on Lowestoft pieces. The red of Lowe-
stoft is of a peculiar quality, approaching puce in
some specimens, and varying from mauve pink to
carmine.

RECENT SALE PRICES.^
Lowestoft. £ s. d.

Vases, pair, 12 in., melon shape, in blue,
white, and colours, with covers.
Maddison, Miles & Maddison, Great
Yarmouth, February 4, 1902 3 10 o

' By the kindness of the proprietors of the Connoisseur these
are given from their useful monthly publication, " Sale Prices."

THE LOWESTOFT FACTORY

131

Two-handled bowl, cover and stand,
painted with bouquets of flowers, and
with branches of foliage in low relief,
slightly gilt, 6 in. high. Christie,
May 12, 1902

Bowl, loj in., painted in flowers, with
trees and cattle. S. Mealing Mills,
Norwich, December 3, 1902

Vases and covers, set of three, and a pair
of beakers, painted with baskets of
flowers in colours, and encrusted with
coloured vine branches and squirrels
vases \2\ in. high, beakers 13! in
high. Christie, March 20, 1903

Vases and covers, pair, large pear-shaped
en suite, 19 in. high. Christie
March 20, 1903

Dinner-service, the borders painted in
flowers and the centre decorated with
ornate armorial bearings, &c., con-
sisting of 38 pieces, 9 pieces of which
are either cracked or repaired. Jenner
& Dell, Brighton, May 19, 1903

Old mug, soft paste, decorated in blue
and white, with figure holding spit of
herrings. Fishing boats on reverse
side, at bottom, name " John Cooper,
1768." Signed "R. P." — Richard
Philips, a painter at Lowestoft.
Messrs. Notley, Lowestoft, July, 1903

16 o o

7 5 o

32 II

23 o o

50 o o

HOG

COALPORT

COAI.PORT

The history of Coalport porcelain manufactured in
Shropshire on the banks of the Severn is worth the
telling, and those readers who are possessed of
specimens of the older ware issuing from this factory
will be glad to hear of its first beginnings.

Unlike some of the other great manufactories;
Coalport, we are happy to say, is still in existence.
Bow and Chelsea, Nantgarw and Swansea, Bristol
and Plymouth have disappeared. The potter's wheel
is silent, and the brush of the artist has been laid
aside for ever. Long since the potters have turned
into clay themselves. At Bow, where the exquisite
ware was produced on the banks of the Lea (" New
Canton," as the manufactory styled itself), a match
factory stands on the old foundation. Instead of

136 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

delicate and fragile cupids they now make nnatches,
but of the kind more associated with Lucifer than
with Cupid.

With Derby and with Worcester, Coalport can
boast that it was established in the middle of the
eighteenth century. Indeed, there is evidence that
the Salopian china made in Colebrookdale is taken
from the same beds of clay which fifteen hundred
years ago supplied the Romans with material for
their white ware, for their jugs, their mortaria, and
their bowls, which -are constantly being unearthed
at various spots in the valley of the Severn.

The site of the first works was at Caughley, where
a small pottery was begun about 1754. Early in its
history the names of Brown, Gallimore, and Turner
occur. In my "Chat" on the great Worcester
factory I showed that Dr. Wall was the leading spirit
who infused life into the concern, and it would appear
that Thomas Turner was in some measure induced
to emulate him, and it is seen on comparison that
the early examples of Caughley were very similar to
those of contemporary Worcester. The patterns
were principally confined to blue flowers and
decorations on a white ground. From 1756 to 1776
the manufactory attained a great excellence. There
exists a mug bearing the date 1776, and the name
" Francis Benbow." There is a nautical ring about
the name. One recollects Admiral Benbow and his
gallant deeds ; our Francis Benbow was a bargeman,
for whom the mug was made, but his name will go
down tQ posterity on this Caughley mug, as it is the
most perfect specimen of its kind.

COALPORT

137

We give a reproduction of this mug, and readers
will observe the anchor marked over the name, and
we would call especial attention to the nature of the
decoration upon the mug. Dated chinas of old
manufacture are specimens very worthy of notice, as
they are much sought after, and in many cases are
being reproduced with the old dates upon them.

The excellence of Turner's porcelain and the
invention of the beautiful dark blue of the Caughley

CAUGHLEY. OLD BLUE MUG.
(Inscribed and Dated 1776.)

china, attributed to him, brought the factory into
great prominence. But great secrecy was employed
in its manufacture, and the place hidden away in the
hills was an ideal spot for a manufactory wishing to
be self-contained and free from prying strangers.
In 1780 was produced the celebrated "Willow
Pattern," which is in demand even at the present
day, and has been copied by all the other manu-

138 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

factories. The " Blue Dragon," another favourite
pattern, originated at Caughley, and it was here
that the first blue-printed table service was made in
England. It was made for Thomas Whitmore, Esq.,
of Apley Park, near Bridgnorth, the pattern was
called the " Nankin." It is interesting to note that
Thomas Minton, of Stoke, assisted in the completion
of this service, being articled as an engraver there.

Until the end of 1790 Messrs. Chamberlain, of
Worcester, had their porcelain in the white from
Thomas Turner, of Caughley. As an instance of
the great secrecy employed by Turner, we may say
that he used to mix all the bodies himself, but after-
wards instructed his sister how to do it. It may
add an additional zest to your old white and blue
Caughley ware to know that a woman who could
keep a secret was intimately associated with its
manufacture.

In 1780 Turner, who had paid a visit to France to
study the foreign methods, brought back with him a
number of skilled artists and workmen. About this
time, too, Mr. John Rose, who had learned the art of
pottery under Turner, left him to establish a factory
of his own at Jackfield. Jackfield, it may be noticed
in passing, is one of the oldest potteries in the
country. As early as 1560 entries occur in the
parish registers of Stoke-upon-Trent of potters
" from Jackfield." In a disused coal mine here, some
years ago, a brown mug was found which bore the
date 1634. Jackfield was noted for some of its black
decanters of superior glaze, and up to quite a modern
date made a yellow glazed earthenware.

CO ALPORT 139

Finally, the competition between Mr. Rose and
the old Caughley works became so great that the
old factory was swallowed up by the new one, and
Coalport became the headquarters and the name of
the firm became John Rose and Company, Mr.
Turner withdrawing from the business.

The exact dates are as follows : Between 1780 to
1790 John Rose established his works at Coalport
(he was only at Jackfield for a few years). He
carried on these and the Caughley, which he pur-
chased in 1799, up till 1 8 14, when Caughley was
finally discontinued.

Salopian SALOFiAI^'

s Sr i So S

All these are very dry facts which you must
master in order to understand the specimens on
your china shelf There is an additional interest, it
always seems to me, in knowing of the men and
women who gave their lives to the perfection of an
industry. There are in existence portraits of
Thomas Turner and his wife, and we should
particularly like to see the likeness of the lady who
secretly mixed the chinas. Perhaps some of our
readers may come across some family in Shropshire
who may possess them.

I40 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

With regard to marks, unfortunately not all the
specimens of Caughley were marked. The above
are some of the varieties of the crescent occurring
on some of the ware, and show pretty clearly the
transition from a half-moon to the engraved C. The
word " Salopian " is sometimes impressed, and on
one known specimen is the name " Turner." Various
forms of the letter "S," sometimes with a cross, are
used.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century the
written name " Coalport " was used, though not
extensively, and another mark, the letters *' C. D.,"
standing for Colebrookdale, was also used, but some-
what sparingly.

In 1820 both Swansea and Nantgarw factories
were incorporated with Coalport, and Messrs.
Billingsley and Walker, well-known names in the
history of English china manufacture, came to
Coalport. In 1820 Mr. Rose received the gold medal
of the Society of Arts for his Felspar porcelain, and
this date is a turning point in the history of Coalport.

At this time Coalport began to establish a reputa-
tion for its excellence, which placed it on a level with
the other great manufactories — a reputation, be it
said, that has increased as time has gone on. We
reproduce a handsome vase of Coalport manufacture,
richly decorated with pink and gold, on a blue
ground. Its elegant form is typical of the ware at
its best period.

At the present moment the productions of Coal-
port, both old and modern, are unequalled in their
domain. The old traditions of the firm are still

COALPORT 141

maintained, and the ware of to-day is of the highest
possible artistic merit and excellence.

By the kindness of the proprietors of the Coalport
manufactory, we are enabled to give some further

account of the modern ware, and to reproduce illus-
trations of the later marks used and of the sumptuous
plates turned out at the present day from Iron
Bridge, in Shropshire.

142

CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Gooi^lh/crit

G2J

In the year 1820, the first year of the reign of
George IV., Mr. JcAn Rose obtained the gold medal
of the Society of Arts for his " improved "glaze for
porcelain." At this time a mark was adopted on
some of the ware, "Coalport Improved Felspar
Porcelain," enclosed in a wreath of laurel. Surroun-
ding the wreath are the words "Patronised by the

Society of Arts." The name " I. Rose
and Co." is marked underneath. If
any of our readers have any porcelain
having this mark, they will notice how
good is the paste and how excellent
^^ the glaze.

Q^\ Just prior to the mark above alluded

to, the word Coalport was used and
sometimes the letters " C. D." —
standing for Cole-Brook-Dale. Other
marks of a later date are a monogram
formed of the letters " C. B. D.," and
the same enclosed in a circle with the
word " Daniell, London," an eminent
firm acting as agents and connected
with the sale of the ware in London.
This firm had depots in Bond Street
and in Wigmore Street, and there is
in the national collection a plate with bleu-de-roi
ground, enriched with gilding, one of a service
executed by command of Her Majesty the late
Queen Victoria for presentation to the Emperor of
Russia. This service was exhibited at the Great
Exhibition of 1851. In the centre of the plate is
painted ,the Order of St. Andrew, while the body

COALPORT

143

is ornamented with Russian orders painted on ivory-
coloured ground in six compartments.

We now come to a very curious mark which may
have puzzled some of our readers,
but which is easily explained. It
is a scroll somewhat like that which
stands for the word " and " — &.
Within its curves appear the three
letters " C. S. N." Upon examina-
tion it will be found that the afore-
said curves really make two letters,
viz., "C. and S.," which stand for
Coalport and Salopian^ while the
other three letters stand for Caughley,
Szvansea, and Nantganv — the whole
emblematical of the development of
the manufactory and its absorption
of the smaller factories.

We give an illustration of the
various marks placed in order of date
used, up to and including the one
now in use by the firm. Our readers
may be able to form some idea by
comparision of the dates of their
specimens.

It must be observed that much of
the earlier Coalport was unmarked,
while — we blush to have to print
it — some of the ware imitated the double " L " mark
of Sevres, and the " C " and anchor of Chelsea arid the
crossed swords of Dresden, so successfully as to
delude the unwary collector. The celebrated ^^'g-

A.O. 1750.

LATEST

COALPORT

MARKS.

144 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

shell porcelain of Coalport ranks among the most
marvellous china ever produced in this country. It is
rarely marked with any letters or signs, but it carries
upon it a signature of perfection of manufacture and
exquisite symmetry of design such as no other factory
dared emulate, and no other factory has since ap-
proached. These tiny cups and saucers (the cup
follows Chinese models by having no handle) are gems
of ceramic art, and happy is the collector who can
number one or two good specimens in his china
cabinet.

The well-known *' Willow Pattern," first manufac-
tured here, is from a Chinese model. It is still
manufactured by the Coalport Company, and is one
of their stock patterns. It appears on a list of
some forty patterns, which can be and are manu-
factured without the use of lead.

Readers may find the words " Leadless Glaze " on
some of their quite recent purchases in modern
china. The terrible effects of lead on the workpeople
in china factories is a subject which has received the
attention of Parliament (see p. xxi). But in passing it
is highly satisfactory to find that the Coalport
Company turn out, without special order, forty
patterns entirely " leadless." Any one who is
specially desirous of having "leadless glaze" on
any other of the Coalport ware may do so by
ordering it.

To come down to the very latest marks, there are
three that have been in use. The first in the seventies,
the second in the eighties, and the last, now solely
used, was adopted some twelve years ago with the

COALPOST 14s

addition of the word " England " to meet the require-
ments of the American Tariff Act, which made it
compulsory for foreign goods to be thus stamped.

The first has the words " Salopian, Coalport," in
a scroll, which has within it the old mark of Caughley,

{By courtesy of the CoalpOFi Co.)

a crescent with "A,D. 1750" beneath it, and in
addition the letters "C. S. N.," in scroll as before
alluded to, and having the date, " A.D. 1790," under-
neath. This is a very complicated mark, and is not
generally known.

146 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

The second is a crown with the word " Coalport,
A.D. 1750," underneath. The third is the same with
the addition of the word " England."

In conclusion we may quote the fact, to give our
readers some idea of the quality of the ware now being
exported by the Coalport Company, that some of the
dinner ware sent to America costs no less a sum than
£$ per plate, while there are even more sumptuous
and magnificent specimens of their manufacture
which cost £1$ each plate. One of these we repro-
duce ; it is a plate with a coloured design painted
after Sir Joshua Reynolds' celebrated portrait of Mrs.
Robinson. Our illustration can give little other than
a faint idea of the beauty of colour and of the wealth
of decorative design — a triumph of the potter's art
which has almost the grace and delicacy of an
old-world miniature.

Characteristics of Caughley and Coalport

China.

Caughley. — The early pieces, printed in under-glaze
blue, resemble the early Worcester blue and white ;
but Caughley is whiter in appearance, and the blue
has not the mellowness of old Worcester. Introduc-
tion of "Willow pattern," and similar designs, and the
" Broseley dragon."

Coalport, — " Chantilly sprig," " Tournay sprig,"
" Worm sprig," introduced by Billingsley from
Pinxton. A maroon ground, introduced by Walker
from Nantgarw about 1822. The deep mazarine blue
of Derby, reproduced at Coalport, is quite equal to
Derby pieces in tone. The rich ground colours of

CO ALPORT 147

old Sevres porcelain were copied with great success
at Coalport, particularly the turquoise blue and the
rose-du-Barri,

RECENT SALE PRICES.^

Caughley. £ s. d.

Tea and coffee service, fluted, flowers in
blue and gold and dark blue and
gold borders, 31 pieces. Christie,
January 30, 1902 . . . .770

Vases, pair, 14 in., decorated with raised
flowers and gilt, and choicely painted
in birds and Watteau subjects. Gud-
geon & Sons, Winchester, April 3,
1902 15 10 o

Ecuelle, cover and stand, with rustic
handles and flowers in relief, pierced
cover, blue decoration, mark "C" in
blue. Willman & Douglas, Middles-
brough, July 27, 1903 . . 4 10 o

Coalport.

Tureens, oval, pair and covers, with panels
of flowers on crimson ground, gilt.
Christie, January 24, 1902 . .15150

Plates, set of twelve, with shaped borders,
variously painted in the centre with
named views by Birbeck, birds by

* By the kindness of the proprietors of the Connoisseur these
are given from their useful monthly publication, " Sale Prices."

148 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Randall, fruit, flowers, and foliage £ s. d.
by Cook, in coloured gilt and
jewelled borders. Christie, February
18, 1902 II II o

Vases, set of three, with beaker-shaped
necks and escalloped lips, painted
with flowers, on dark blue and gold
ground, and with white and gold
acanthus leaves in relief, 8 in. and
9 in. high. Christie, February 21,
1902 4 15 o

Bowl and cover, two-handled, encrusted
with branches of coloured flowers and
foliage, 1 1 in. high. Christie, April
4, IQ02 16 5 6

vin

SPODE AND HIS SUCCESSORS

The chain of potters is complete from the day on
which Josiah Spode was apprenticed to Whieldon in
1749. The entry in the old account book runs :
" 1749, April 9th. Hired Siah Spode, to give him
from this time to Martelmas next 2s. 3d., or 2s. 6d. if
he deserves it, 2iid year 2s. gd., 3rd year 3s. 3d." The
successors to Spode, Messrs. Copeland, have done
much to develop the manufacture of English por-
celain in the nineteenth century, and at the present
day they are producing china of the highest excellence.
The first Josiah Spode established a factory at
S to ke-upon -Trent about 1770. Some of his earliest
productions bear the name " Spode " impressed in the
paste. These of my readers who have blue willow-

152 CHATS ON ENCLISH CHINA

pattern plates with this mark upon them are the
possessors of some of the first plates of that pattern
made. About 1780 the willow pattern was intro-
duced by Turner at Caughley, and very shortly after-
wards, in i784,Josiah Spodewas turning out at Stoke
his blue printed plates. Some of his china is printed
in black, and pieces of this black printing are much

Al Belknal Green Museum.

sought after by collectors, but they must bear the
word " Spode " impressed on them.

The vase which we reproduce from the collection
at the Bethnal Green Museum is a pastille-burner
having perforated cover ; it is mounted on tripod
stand formed by three dolphins on triangular base ;
it is red in colour and ornamented in black in relief.
It has the impressed mark "Spode," and is earthen-

SPODE AND HIS SUCCESSORS 1 53

ware, but we give it here on account of its fine
form.

On the death of old Josiah Spode, in 1798, his son
Josiah continued the business, and commenced the
manufacture of porcelain, which he improved by the
addition of bone-ash and of felspar. He died in 1827,
and was succeeded by his cousin, Josiah Spode.
This third Josiah Spode died a few years afterwards,
at which date the name Spode practically disappears
from the firm.

Josiah - Spode the second was the most successful
potter of his day. It is pleasing to be able to record
that he acquired a considerable fortune — a lot not
often within the reach of potters, successful or
otherwise.

About the year 1805 he introduced a fine ware
which he termed opaque porcelain. This ware be-
came very popular and was of excellent manufacture.
While Nelson was fighting the French at Trafalgar,
and breaking their naval pretensions, Josiah Spode
was inflicting a commercial blow upon that unhappy
country. Spode — and in his wake came other
Staffordshire manufacturers —inundated France and
other countries on the Continent with this new stone
china of his, which entirely superseded their fayence.
This injury was a very real one to the poor potters of
France, inasmuch as a great number of them had to
abandon the manufacture.

We have already alluded to the impressed mark
Spode or SPODE. On some of the finer pieces the
name is painted in red, and sometimes it is written in
gold, as in our third mark in an angular hand, run-

154

CHATS ON ENGLISN CHINA

SPODJET

ning upwards. The stamped mark usually in red,
"Spode's New Fayence" and "Spode Stone China,"
appears on the ironstone ware. Oftentimes the mark
is not stamped on the middle of the plate underneath,
but at the side, while sometimes the name is both

stamped and impressed. Be-
sides the marks we give there
are more than half a dozen
other forms used by the factory,
but all of them containing the
^ ^^ word"Spode," and therefore not

\y presenting difficulties to the

collector.

Of three marked Spode plates
in possession of the writer,
of typical Spode decoration,
which was largely influenced by
Japanese art, we give two as a
headpiece. It will be observed
that the left-hand plate in the
headpiece, which has a vivid
blue background, is fretted with
a geometric pattern as a design.
This is intended to represent
ice, and the may-flowers of the
covering decoration are in-
tended to convey, by the Chinese artist who invented
it, the symbolic meaning of young love being chilled
by adversity. The other plate in the same illus-
tration is of a brilliant canary-coloured ground,
covered with a gossamer-like network of cobwebs,
above which bird and flowers are painted.

Stone-Chmei

SOME SPODE MARKS.

SPODF. AND HIS SUCCESSORS 1 55

The third plate shows very strongly the influence of
the East in its method of decoration; but instead of
pagoda and delicate curves, the English artist has
almost brutally placed a piece of European architec-

ture on the other half of the plate, which by its
incongruity mars the remainder.

We must turn aside from Spode, and introduce our
readers to his successors, the Copelands. One word
in passing. Those who have specimens of Spode
ware will do well to remember that his was a great
factory, not so well known as Derby and Worcester,

156

CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Copeland, late
Spode.

-JLATF^
gl SPODES

Oh V

C. and G.

but a formidable rival of theirs. Not many months
ago at Christie's a pair of Spode vases, square shaped,

decorated with landscapes, birds and
flowers in the Chinese style, forty-
two inches, brought ;£^2i.

The list of marks used by Messrs.
Copeland will show at a glance the
changes in the title of the firm. In
1833 the firm became Copeland, late
Spode, and the china was marked
accordingly.

There are a good many other
marks besides those we give, but all
are more or less similar, with slight
variation to those we produce. A
word of explanation is necessary as
to the mark "C and G.'' This is fre-
quently accompanied by the words,
"New Blanche," "Royal Opal,"
'' Saxon Blue," or " New Japan Stone,"
according to the composition or
decoration of the ware.

The two plates we give as illus-
trations are very good examples of
the purely English productions of
Messrs. Copeland. They are about
the date of the International Exhi-
bition of 1 86 1. Nobody could pos-
sibly mistake the homely robin or
the holly-wreath decoration for that
of any other country than ours. There is a sugges-
tion of roast beef and plum-pudding and Christmas

COfClANO

MARKS OF
MESSRS. COPE-
LAND.

SPODE AND H/S SUCCBSSOKS 1 57

fare. All purely English art is homely, whether it

be the Staffordshire potter's farmyard quadrupeds
that adorn the cottage mantelshelf, or the old blue

158 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

dinner services of our great grandmothers. It is a
debatable point if that is the highest art, but there it
is. Ruskin would have had some hard things to say
about it, and maybe William Morris preferred the
potsherd of an Italian shepherd. The fact remains
that it is our art, and whatever we may in our inner-
most hearts wish it to be, we have to take it and study
it as we find it.

Before leaving the subject of these later and more
modern chinas we may say, in passing, that the firm
of Messrs. Copeland have done more than any other
existing firm to maintain the traditions of a great
factory. They have adhered to early designs, and
all through the nineteenth century their record has
been an exceedingly high one. It was Messrs. Cope-
land who first introduced, in 1845, their Parian ware,
a very near approach to true porcelain. The writer
has seen a Copeland and Garrett plate which in
appearance was fully equal to Derby at its best
period.

Much of modern china is beautiful, and a great
deal more of it is execrable. To help the reader to
distinguish between what is good and what is not
has been the aim of these " Chats." The overloaded
ornamentation of the early Victorian chinas and the
flaming and . grotesque attempts to arrive at a rich
effect are very sad studies to the real lover of the
beautiful.

Characteristics of Spode China.

Spode ware is well potted, and feels to the touch
like turned ivory. It can readily be distinguished

SPODE AND HIS SUCCESSORS 159

from any of the glassy porcelains. It is light in
weight. In design it follows Japanese . more than
Chinese models. The glaze is very even and smooth.

RECENT SALE PRICES.^

Spode. £ s. d.

Breakfast service, printed with flowers in
colours in Chinese taste, 35 pieces.
Christie, January 30, 1902 . . . 5 15 6

Tea service, painted in red, blue, and
gold, 39 pieces. Christie, January 17,
1902 12 I 6

Vase and cover, octagonal -shape, deco-
rated with flowers in Oriental taste
in colours and gold, 24 in. high.
Christie, January 14, 1902 . . 5156

Vases, five, purple, crimson, and gilt

decoration. Foster, January 9, 1902 9 5 o

Vases, three small, decorated. Puttick,

January 17, 1902 . . . .0110

Basket and cover, dark blue and gold
ground, and painted with bouquets
of flowers. Sotheby, February 24,
1902 626

Dishes, two, oblong shaped, decorated in
the Japanese taste, blue, red, and gold.
Hepper & Sons, Leeds, February 5,
1902 • 3 15, o

* By the kindness of the proprietors of the Connoisseur ihQ^c
items are given from their useful monthly publication, " Sale
Prices."

l60 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Spill-vases, pair, gold ground, painted in £ s. d.
flowers. Hepper & Sons, Leeds,
February 5, 1902 . .200

Cake-plates, three, gilt and painted land-
scapes, "The Church and Castle of
Scurlogstown, Co. of East Meath,"
" The Remains of Wolvesey Castle,"
and "The Bridge and Priory, New-
town, Co. of East Meath" (marked
" Spode "). Edwards, Son & Bigwood,
Birmingham, May 13, 1902 . . 10 10 o

Dessert service, apple-green border, gilt,
each piece painted in flowers and
fruit, consisting of one tall compote,
seven oval dishes, four leaf-shaped
ditto, two sauce-tureens, covers and
stands, and seventeen plates. Ben-
nett & Son, Dublin, June 18, 1902 27 10 o

Supper ser.vice, willow pattern, blue and
white, of ten pieces, with mahogany
circular tray for same. E. J. Carter,
Tunbridge Wells, August 13, 1902 . 13 o o

Dessert service, decorated in Oriental
colourings, 37 pieces. Brady & Sons,
Perth, September i, 1902 . . . 16 16 o

Dinner set, decorated with sprays, leaves,
and flowers, comprising 119 pieces.
Brady & Sons, Perth, September i,
1902 25 o o

Dinner set, decorated in scarlet, blue,
green, and gold, comprising 133
pieces. Brady & Sons, Perth, Sep-
tember I, 1902 45 o o

SPODE AND H/S SUCCESSORS l6l

Tea service, gilt and decorated, 45 pieces. £ s. d.
Jabez Jones & Sons, Preston, De-
. cember 15, 1902 . . . 28 7 o

Vases and covers, pair, large square shaped,
decorated with landscapes, birds and
flowers in the Chinese taste in sunk
panels on dark-blue ground, gilt with
foliage, and with dragon handles in
high relief and figures on the covers,
42 in. high, on wood pedestals,
painted white. Christie, December
19, 1902 21 o o

COPELAND.

Vases, set of three, rich blue, gilt, white
scroll handles, and painted in colours,
with wild flowers, centre vase 15 in.
high, side vases 1 3 J in. high (marked
" Copeland & Garrett, Felspar Porce-
lain, late Spode "). Edwards, Son &
Bigwood, Birmingham, May 13, 1902 26 o o

Dessert service of 24 pieces, pink ground,
decorated with gold, the centres
painted in panels of hunting and
other sporting scenes, each different,
marked " Copeland and Garrett,"
centre compdte, 2 oblong, 2 oval, and
4 circular side dishes, and 1 5 plates.
De Rome & Son, Kendal, May 13,

1903 18 o o

NANTGARW AND SWANSEA

The history of these two factories in Wales is
bound up together. Billingsley, the chief flower-
painter of Derby, was the founder of the little factory
at Nantgarw, a small village a few miles north of
Cardiff.

His was a restless, roving career. In other
" Chats " we have alluded to him. Apprenticed
at Derby under Duesbury, he left there in 1796,
to commence the manufacture of porcelain at
Pinxton. In 1801 we find he had left Pinxton and
was engaged upon the decoration of Staffordshire
porcelain at Mansfield, in Nottinghamshire. He
is next described as "of Torksey," which is near
Gainsborough. At Worcester he engaged himself
under Messrs. Flight and Barr, and was employed on
flower-painting from 1808 to 181 1.

Billingsley was known as " Beeley " at this time.
Monetary difficulties had compelled him to take
precautions against his arrest for debt. About this
time, too, together with his son-in-law, Samuel

Walker, he appears to have visited the Coalport

165

1 66 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Factory and erected a new kiln, the invention of
Walker.

Of late, a considerable interest has been shown in
the porcelain of Nantgarw and Swansea. Collectors
have ascribed to it artistic qualities greater than
those of Worcester or Derby. The lovers of
Nantgarw, and those connoisseurs who collect this
and no other porcelain, will not admit that it is
in any way inferior to the greatest factories that
have existed in this country, and compare it to
Sevres.

Recently at Christie's Auction Rooms a dessert
service of Nantgarw manufacture brought ;^I28 2s.
Each piece was painted with a bouquet of flowers in
the centre, the borders with raised white scrolls,
painted with birds and flowers. This service con-
sisted of centre dish, on feet, four square-shaped
dishes, two-leaf shaped dishes, seventeen plates and
two small plates. This works out at nearly £^ 15s.
each piece.

At another London auction room, seven Nantgarw
plates, painted with birds and bouquets of flowers
in border, all with impressed mark, in December last
brought under the hammer, £g7y which is nearly £1^
each plate! After this it is useless to deny that
Nantgarw is a factory which must be reckoned with
from a collector's point of view.

Great stress has been laid by those who affect
the collecting of Nantgarw on its whiteness and
transparency. By its detractors this is said to be its
fault — that it is too white and too cold to compete
with the older productions of the better-known

I % II

NANTGARW AND SWANSEA 1 69

factories. Of course only Experts come to blows
on this matter. Whether it is too glassy and too
cold, and lacking the mellow warmth of the older
glassy porcelains, matters little to the modest
collector who desires to have Nantgarw represented
in his or her scanty collection.

It may be observed in passing that the distinguish-
ing feature of Nantgarw is the elaborate painting
of flowers and fruit on the pieces manufactured there.
We reproduce a beautiful Nantgarw dish, marked
'' NANTGARW. C. W.," with pink ground, having
garlands of raised white flowers bound with a knot,
and encircled with richly gilded scrolls. The centre
is white, with a handsome floral piece from the brush
of Billingsley. The roses are exquisitely drawn,
such as no other ceramic artist ever drew them ; and
the pear, of a warm, luscious brown, has all the bloom
of the natural fruit upon it.

Mr. Dillwyn, of the Swansea works, has left us
an interesting memorandum concerning the pro-
prietors of Nantgarw. He says : —

" My friend Sir Joseph Banks informed me that
two persons, named Walker and Beeley, had sent
to Government, from a small manufactory at
Nantgarw (ten or twelve miles north of Cardiff^,
a specimen of beautiful china, with a petition for
their patronage, and that, as one of the Board of
Trade, he requested me to examine and report upon
that manufactory. Upon witnessing the firing of a
kiln at Nantgarw, I found much reason for con-
sidering that the body used was too nearly allied to
glass to bear the necessary heat, and observed that

I/O CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

nine-tenths of the articles were either shivered, or
more or less injured in shape by the firing. The
parties, however, succeeded in making me believe
that the defects in their porcelain arose entirely from
imperfections in their small trial-kiln, and I agreed
with them for a removal to the Cambrian Pottery, at
which two new kilns under their direction were
prepared. While endeavouring to strengthen and
improve this beautiful body, I was surprised at
receiving a notice from Messrs. Flight & Barr, of
Worcester, charging the parties calling themselves
Walker and Beeley with having clandestinely left an
engagement at their works, and forbidding me to
employ them." This was in 1814, and it was in
the same year that Billingsley and Walker entered
the service of Mr. Dillwyn at Swansea and com-
menced to make the beautiful china, highly decorated
and of exquisite finish.

In concluding our remarks on Nantgarw we may
observe that this factory was not finally abandoned
till 1820. From 181 2 to 18 14 is its firsfperiod, when
Billingsley and Walker and Young (of whom we
shall have more to say later) were all at Nantgarw.
Its second period is when the trio appear there again
from 1 817 to 1 8 19. Billingsley and Walker then
left for Coalport, and Young carried on the works till
their close.

The only marks that appear on the china are
the word " Nantgarw " with the letters " C. W."
underneath, which in all probability meant China
Works, but which by some collectors are said to
denote the name of the artist. This is impressed

NANTGARW AND SWANSEA

171

DILLWYN & COMPANY

tl^

CAMBRIAN POTTERY

SWANSEA

DILLWYN & CO

]

in the china. Sometimes the word " Nantgarw " is

found in red, but this must be

regarded with suspicion, as a SWANSEA

great many forgeries have been

perpetrated in this china owing

to its rarity and the favour

which it finds with collectors.
Swansea has a more extended

history. In the middle of the

eighteenth century a small

manufactory of earthenware ex-
isted here. This gradually grew

into the " Cambrian Pottery,"

which, at the beginning of the

nineteenth century, passed into

the hands of Mr. Lewis Weston Dillwyn, a Fellow of

the Linnaean Society and author of works on

botany.

Before Mr. Dillwyn's
day a fine opaque china
was produced at Swansea,
but under his management
and guidance the china
assumed a more artistic
appearance.

W. W. Young, whom
we spoke of as having
come over from Nantgarw,
was especially skilful at
painting flowers and birds,
butterflies and insects, and

sometimes shells. Some of the pieces of Swansea

I BVVANSl

BVVANSEA

ATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

bear his name upon them. Young was also em-
ployed by Mr. Dillwyn to illustrate his works on

botany and natural history.

Besides Young and the two Nantgarw flower
painters and decorators, there was at Swansea
Baxter, who was considered one of the cleverest
painters on china of his day. He came originally

NANTGARW AND SWANSEA

from Worcester and eventually returned there
Some of the subjects from the canvases of Sir Joshua

Stamprd ■' DHlwyn's Elruscan Ware."
'« Collection of My. W. G. Homy.

Reynolds were successfully copied by him. Baxter
was at Swansea for three years, and while there

174 CHATS 0\ ENGUSH CHJXA

decorated a service with garden scenery in the style
peculiarly his own. There was Morris, a clever
fruit painter, and Beddoes, a noted heraldic painter,
and, above all, Billingsley, the first flower painter
of his day.

About the year 1820 the Swansea factory was
discontinued and the whole of the moulds and
appliances were transferred by Mr. John Rose to
Coalport Since that date no china has been made
at Swansea, Some of the marks that we give are
of a later date than 1820, and are upon earthen-
ware.

Among the marks of Swansea will be seen the
oblong mark stamped on " Dillwyn's Etruscan
Ware." This ware was introduced in 1848, and
was of a fine rich red body. On this was printed,
in black outline, Etruscan figures, borders, and other
details. The general surface was then painted over,
with the exception of the figures and designs within
the black outlines. The result was that the figures
were left the original red of the body and the effect
was extremely good. The illustration we give is of
a specimen in Mr. W. G. Honey's collection, late at
the Cork Exhibition.

The older pieces stamped with the above-men-
tioned mark are sought after. Later the name and
title of the firm changed and passed into the hands
of Messrs. Evans & Co. Besides the manufacture
of white, and blue and white china, they supplied
Ireland and the West of England with agate earthen-
ware, and a good deal of it found its way to America.
No trade-mark was used by them.

NANTGARW AND SWANSEA 1 75

Characteristics of Nantgarw and Swansea

China.

Nantgarw porcelain is of very fine texture ; it has
a glassy appearance, and when held up to a strong-
light, such as an incandescent electric globe, it
exhibits a number of small bubbles, like pin-holes, in
the body. It is inclined to have the glaze cracked
in parts with a network almost like Chinese crackle
ware. Some of the thinner pieces will be found to
be not quite true, being slightly warped or bent,
owing to its uncertainty in the kiln.

Swansea china is frequently decorated with birds,
butterflies, and shells, drawn from nature by. W. W.
Young. Much of it is of a glassy nature like Nant-
garw; but later the Swansea ware was of a duller,
heavier nature, and having a hard white appearance.

RECENT SALE PRICES.^

Nantgarw. £ s. d.

Dessert service, consisting of twenty-four
plates, twelve dishes, centre piece,
two sugar bowls, with covers and
stands decorated in fruit and flowers.
Debenham, Storr & Son, January 6,
1903 33 12 o

* By the kindness of the proprietors of the Connoisseur these
items are given from their useful monthly publication, '' Sale
Prices.'"

176 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Plates, seven, painted with birds, bouquets £ s. d.
of flowers in border, all with impressed
mark. Foster, December 4, 1902 . 97 o o

Dessert service, each piece painted with a
bouquet of flowers in the centre, the
borders with raised white scrolls
painted with birds and flowers, con-
sisting of centre dish, on foot, four
square-shaped dishes, two leaf-shaped
dishes, seventeen plates, two small
plates. Christie, January 23, 1903 . 128 2 o

Plate, painted with border of stippled
gold and roses, the centre painted
with a pastoral landscape, figures and
sheep, exhibited at the 185 1 Ex-
hibition. De Rome & Son, Kendal,
May 13, 1903 27 16 6

Plates, pair, painted with groups of flowers,
in gilt borders, and birds in centre ;
impressed mark. Sotheby, May 4,
1903 33 o o

Swansea.

Dessert service, painted with roses and
with bands of green, red, and gold
dotted ornament round the borders;
31 pieces. Christie, January 30,
1902 28 7 o

Tea and coffee service, painted with bands
of flowers in colours and gilt ; 44
pieces. Christie, January 30, 1902 . 27 6 o

NANTGARW AND SWANSEA IJJ

Basket, painted with bouquets of flowers £ s. d.
and encrusted with coloured flowers
and foh'age. Christie, February 21,
1902 3 10 o

Dish, shaped, white and gold border, finely
painted in the centre with a vase of
flowers and fruit on a slab, a land-
scape in the background. Sotheby,
February 24, 1902 . -350

Jug, painted with bouquets and wreaths
of flowers and gilt, and with a shield
of arms, 10 in. high ; and a pair of
plates with a wreath of flowers ; im-
pressed mark. Christie, February
18, 1902 17 6 6

Jug, moulded with leaves, and with
flowers and butterflies in green and
colours, I of in. high. Christie, Feb-
ruary 5, 1902 . . . . .880

Dessert service, painted with cornflowers
and with gilt edges, consisting of centre
dish, on foot ; eight oblong, four
shell-shaped and four octagonal
dishes ; pair of sugar tureens, covers
and stands ; thirty plates ; eighteen
small . plates. Christie, November
21, 1902 65 2 o

Tea service, painted with flowers on
salmon-covered ground in panels on
dark- blue ground gilt with foliage,
consisting of sugar basin, two plates,
seven tea-cups, nine coffee-cups, and

178 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

eighteen saucers. Christie, Nov- £ s. d.
ember 21, 1902 38 17 o

Tea service, painted with sprays of various
flowers, the borders gilt with sprays
of foliage and scroll ornaments, con-
sisting of 38 pieces. Christie, De-
cember 5, 1902 45 3 o

Vases, set of three, Empire design, gilt,
and painted with panels of flowers.
Knight, Frank & Rutley, October
9, 1903 12 12 o

MINTON

Messrs. Minton, of Stoke, in Staffordshire, manu-
facture pottery, porcelain, and majolica. By this
latter, that massive ware, of bold design and bolder
ornamentation and positive colours, principally blues,
yellows, and greens, Minton's at the Paris Exhibition
of 1855 created quite a sensation, and won universal
admiration. In many examples of Minton's Faience
the figures introduced are of .parian, whose whiteness,
in juxtaposition with the brilliant colours of the other
parts, renders the whole most effective.

Ten years before the commencement of the nine-
teenth century Thomas Minton established his factory
at Stoke-upon-Trent. He was an apprentice of
Thomas Turner, of Caughley, and had worked for
Spode at his London establishment. Only earthen-
ware was manufactured at Stoke Works up till 1798,
chiefly ordinary white ware, ornamented with blue, in
imitation of Nankin china. From about 1799 down
to 181 1 a semi-transparent china was also made, but
was abandoned as unprofitable. In 1 817 Mr. Minton's

two sons entered the firm. In 1821 the manufacture

181

I82

CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

of china was again resumed ; about this time, too, a
very marked improvement was noticeable in Minton's
printed earthenware; the body was whiter, and the
glaze was more highly finished.

We give the two early marks of the firm down to

1837. These were usually in
blue, and very often had a number
underneath. In these earlier
-'V* examples the flowers and other

/\ decorations were painted. They

very shortly became mostly
printed designs, except in elabo-
rate pieces, and the personal
character of the ordinary china
grew, in consequence, of less
interest.

Sometimes " M. and C." (the

C. standing for Company), with

an impressed stamp " BB." or

" BB. New Stone," occurs. BB.

#t« signifies " best body." A design

J^ of passion-flowers printed in blue

^^^ is a favourite subject.

[»«5:|.] In 1836 Mr. John Boyle was

admitted a partner, on the death
of Thomas Minton ; the firm became then Minton
and Boyle, and the marks were accordingly changed.
After continuing for five years Mr. Boyle went over
to the Wedgwoods.

Mr. Minton was subsequently joined by his
nephews, M. D. Ho'llins and Colin Minton-Campbell.
The second Minton seems to have been of consider-

M. V- B
TeU^ar CUina .

L »837 J

MINTON 183

able business ability. In his father's dky fifty hands
were employed at Stoke, but in his time the factory

[Exhibiled at Paris Exhibition, 1867.)

employed no less than i.scx). The various branches
he developed were earthenware, and ordinary soft

1 84

CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

^T^

[^iimr^i

porcelain, hard porcelain, parian. coloured and ena-
melled tiles, mosaics, Delia Robbia ware, majolica,
and Palissy ware.

It will be seen from the accompanying illustrations
how highly decorative Minton porcelain is. The vase
we reproduce was one of the most admired specimens
of China in the Paris Exhibition of 1867.

What is known as the ermine mark (the dark

trefoil with the three dots), either
indented or painted in gold and
colours, has been used on porce-
lain since 1851, and since 1865
fUscA Since I86«"l. the word " MiNTON," impressed,

has been used for both china and
earthenware.

In 1868 the globe, with the
word " Minton " across it, was
first used, and all the firm's works
subsequent to that date are so
stamped. In 1872 the design was
registered, and frequently a rhom-
boidal stamp occurs either with-
out or in addition to the globe
mark, which has the letter R in the centre, denoting
that the particular pattern of china is " Registered "
as a design. This rhomboidal mark occurs on chinas
other than Minton's, and is a feature of modern china.
" Minton, Hollins & Co." are a firm at Stoke largely
engaged in manufacturing encaustic and majolica
tiles. They are an offshoot of the main branch.

The illustration we give of the lion ewer is a fine
example of Minton's reproduction of the celebrated

l^.lkCo.

Henri II. faience. This wonderful ware is of distinct
character and ornamentation, differing from every
other kind of pottery. It was made at Oiron, in
France, from 152410 1550. There are less than one
hundred known pieces. Five pieces are in the

Victoria and Albert Museum. Two are in the Louvre.
Some of the pieces are valued at over ;^3,ooo each.
Who shall say that there is no romance in old china
and pottery when vases and ewers, tazzas and salt-
cellars, have pedigrees as long as a race-horse's, and
whose whereabouts are as well known as that of a
reigning prince ?

CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

The plaque of painted
majolica is a good specimen
of what Minton can do. It was
made about 1865, as was the lion
ewer alluded to on p. 184, and the
candelabrum is also of the same
period. There is a fine fountain
executed in Minton majolica ; it
is 36 feet high and 39 feet in
diameter. At the summit there
is a group, larger than life size,
of St. George and the Dragon.
It was one of the features of
the International Exhibition of
1863 ; it now embellishes the
[;elain scanty grass plot in front of the
UM. Bethnal Green Museum.

MINTON 1 87

RECENT SALE PRICES.'

MiNTON. £ s. d.

Vases, pair, gold wreath handles, with
panels of Cupids in gold and pink
on an ivory ground, 16J in. high ;
and a vase nearly similar, by A.
Birks. Christie, January, 1902. . 42 o o

( These first twelve items were from
the Colin Minton- Campbell Collection^

Vases, pair, large., with winged terminal
figure handles and festoons of fruit in
relief, painted with panels of figures
in blue and white in the style of
majolica, 23 in. high, on triangular
pedestals with rams' heads and laurel
wreaths in relief. Christie, January,
1902 19 8 6

Vases, pair, large, and covers, with gilt
riband handles, painted with lilies on
pale green ground, by Mussill ; 42 in.
high. Christie, January, 1902 . . 12 12 o

Vases, pair, and covers, nearly similar,
with fruit in the Oriental taste on
brown ground, by A. Green ; 46 in.
high. Christie, January, 1902 . . 15 4 6

Vases, pair, beaker-shaped, painted with
lilies and grasses in colours and gold
on dark-blue ground, richly gilt, by
Leroi ; 33 in. high. Christie, January,
1902 . . . . . . . 33 12 o

* By the kindness of the proprietors of the Connoisseur these
are given from their useful monthly publication, '*Sale Prices."

1 88 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Vases, pair, with Cupids and flowers in £ s. d
white and colours on black ground,
m coloured and gilt borders, by L.
Birks ; 33 in. high. Christie, January,
1902 63 o o

Vases, pair, oviform and covers, the bodies
encircled by four shaped medallions
in relief, suspended by gilt cords and
oak foliage, alternately painted with
camp scenes in the Moran School and
trophies-of-arms, apple-green borders;
the ground of the vase gros bleu with
marble decoration in gold, the whole
executed in the style of old Sevres,
by Boullemin and Leroi; 21 in. high.
Christie, January, 1902 . . 162 15 o

Cup and saucer, with panels of figures,
va.ses and festoons of drapery in
white on a sage-green ground, by
Solon. Christie, January, 1902 . 11 o 6

Candlesticks, pair, decorated in grisaille
and gold in the taste of Limoges
enamel, 1 2 in. high. Christie, January,
1902 . ■ . . . . .660

Dish, on pedestal, with a figure of Fortune
in white on sage-green ground, by
Solon; iij in. diameter. Christie,
January, 1902 17 6 6

Jardiqi^res, pair, fan-shaped, with panels
of figures and exotic flowers in
colours on a Rose-du-Barry ground,
painted in the taste of old Sevres, by

Leroi ; 7 in. high. Christie, January, £

1903 . 63

Vases and covers, pair, Solon ware,
by Minton, with Classical figures
and Cupids in arabesque borders, in
white on a sage-green ground, richly
gilt, 1510. high. Christie, April 17,
1903 22

OLD ENGLISH EARTHENWARE

It requires a word of apology for including the
following " Ciiats " on earthenware in a volume bear-
ing the title "Chats on English China," but as the
chief end of this little volume is to render to the
beginner such aid as may be useful in the deter-
mination of the various classes of china, it was
thought desirable in his interest to treat somewhat
generally of earthenware in this and the succeeding
chapters.

Earthenware suggests pots and pans, and the word
is redolent of kitchen smells, but a Wedgwood tea-
14 'w

194 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

pot or a Toby jug, though earthenware they be, are
worth the having. Pottery is the poor relation of
porcelain. The one comes in silks and satins, in
purple and fine linen ; the other in cotton gown, like
Phyllis at the fair.

The following remarks may lend a zest to dusting
days, and, mayhap, the poor relation may be invited
to come down from the top shelf in the kitchen to
occupy a niche in the drawing-room.

It is to be hoped that what has already been said
on china may have created a taste in the reader for
the inventions of the potter. A blue bowl may
convey a world of meaning, and may be fragrant
with memories of the eighteenth century, if one cares
to peer beneath the surface. To the uninitiated it will
be a blue bowl — and ugly maybe at that. To some
the potter's art is as dead a thing as was Nature's
message to Wordsworth's insensate : —

" A primrose by a river's brim
A yellow primrose was to him.
And it was nothing more."

That it is not always easy to determine where a
piece of china may have come from we have already
shown, even if it be " A Present from the Crystal
Palace." The ordinary mind may possibly imagine
some hitherto unknown factory away at Sydenham,
but the legend " Made in Germany " underneath
instantly dispels that illusion.

It is necessary here to state that the world of brie-
d-brac is divided into two parts — earthenware or

OLD ENGLISH EARTHENWARE 1 95

pottery, and china or porcelain. All that is not
earthenware is porcelain, and all that is not porcelain
is earthenware. One may liken it to prose and
poetry ; what is not one must be the other, as
Monsieur Jourdain discovered after he had spoken
prose for forty years without knowing it. To con-
tinue the simile, some of Ruskin's prose writings
approach as near to poetry as do Wedgwood's finer
wares to porcelain.

Porcelain is produced by the artificial mixture of
certain minerals known by their Chinese names of
kaolin and petuntse, or their English ones of china-
clay and felspar. The former is infusible under the
greatest heat, the latter is not, but unites in a state
of fusion with the china-clay, making a paste or
" body," which is hard, and, when broken, shows a
smooth, vitreous fracture. Those who have attempted
to mend old china must have noticed how different
the broken surface is from that of pottery with its
rougher edges.

Strictly speaking these " Chats " on earthenware
ought to have appeared at the commencement of the
volume, for earthenware comes first chronologically.
In passing we will glance for a moment as to how
porcelain came into Europe.

Porcelain was first invented by the Chinese some
two centuries before Christ. It reached Europe as
the Eastern civilisation penetrated to the west, and
for hundreds of years vain attempts were made by
potters to reproduce the fineness of porcelain with its
beautiful glaze and hard paste. At -Venice, at
Florence, in France, and in Spain, during the six-

196 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

teenth and seventeenth centuries, an approximate
success had been arrived at; soft paste had been
developed to its furthest limit, but the real ingredients
of the Chinese hard paste were unknown.

Accident, however, completed what centuries of
industry had attempted. From perruque to porce-
lain seems a far cry, but the story is worth telling.

John Schnorr, an ironmaster, riding near Aue,
observed that a soft earth adhered strongly to his
horse's hoofs. Considering that this earth might be
used as a substitute for wheat flour as hair powder,
he carried some away with him, and it was sub-
sequently sold in large quantities for this purpose
at Dresden, Leipsic, and other places. This kaolin
(the base of hard paste) continued to be known as
" Schnorr's white earth."

Johann Friedrich Bottcher, chemist to the Elector
of Saxony and King of Poland, discovered the secret
about 1709. One morning, on taking up his wig, he
noticed it was much heavier than usual. He was
informed by his valet that a new kind of hair-powder
had been used. This was the ironmaster's white
earth. Bottcher was convinced that he had dis-
covered at last the base of porcelain.

This was the foundation of the manufacture of
porcelain at Meissen, and the factory then established
has supplied the world with Dresden china ever since.

So great was the secrecy at first, that Bottcher and
his assistants, when Charles XII. of Sweden invaded
Saxony, were removed by the Elector for greater
safety to the castle at Konigstein, where they were
practically imprisoned. Even the clay was sealed up

OLD ENGLISH EARTHENWARE 197

in barrels by dumb persons, and every workman was
required to take a solemn oath not to reveal the
secret. " Be silent unto death " was the motto of the
establishment.

How the method of manufacture and the secrets
of Meissen finally became known to other countries,
and how manufactories came to be set up at Vienna
and Petersburg, is one of the romances of trade.

So much for the early history of porcelain in
Europe. During this period the art of the potter
had not made very great progress in England. These
" Chats " have shown of the heroic attempts to
emulate the success of Meissen, but it was slow,
uphill work to reach the heights of Worcester and of
Derby in porcelain and of Wedgwood in earthenware.

Stoneware mugs were more in accordance with the
taste of our forefathers than pewter pots for dripking
purposes, a comparatively modern prejudice. A
variety of mugs called Longbeards, largely imported
from Low Countries, were in general use during the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries at inns for
serving all the customers. The name " Bellarmine "
was sarcastically given them in reference to the
cardinal most conspicuous in opposing the Reformed
faith in the Netherlands, the potter representing,
with grotesque art, his Eminence with short stature
and rotund figure.

It is but a short step from the ware imported from
the Low Countries to the pottery of Staffordshire.
The celebrated pattern of the Toby jug is well known.
Dickens, in "Barnaby Rudge," makes Gabriel Varden
ask Dolly to " put Toby this way." Uncle Toby

CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

himself might have suggested the design, but it is
said to be derived from one Toby Philpot, " a thirsty
old soul as e'er drank a bottle or fathomed a bowl."

JOHN BULL JUG.

Blue and uhlle (lo^ in. faigh).

From Colkciion of Mr. IV. G. Heiiey.

We give, from Mr. W, G. Honey's collection at Cork,
two fine specimens— one an old Staffordshire jug
(ic^ in. high), representing John Bull, and marked

OLD ENGLISH EARTHENWARE I99

" I, W. " ; the other, the well-known pattern of the
Vicar and Moses (9J in. high). This latter is the
work of Ralph Wood, of Burslem, and was frequently

Biue ind white (^ in. high).

reproduced by later potters. Both these pieces are
blue and white.

Of Josiah Wedgwood, the English Palissy, we
deal in a separate "Chat."

200 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

A whole volume could be written about him and
his work. His busts, magnificently produced in black
basalt, his cameos and gems, with which the name of
Flaxman must be coupled, his white terra-cotta, and
his cream-coloured earthenware, known as Queen's
ware (first made for Queen Charlotte), may be ranked
among the most important factors m the history and
development of the potter's art in England.

Of the most important of the other Staffordshire
potters, perhaps the name of Spode is the best
known. After 1798, Spode the younger commenced
to make porcelain.

Concerning Liverpool, to which we devote a
separate " Chat," it seems remarkable to read that in
1754 the making of pottery was the staple manu-
facture of the city. " The blue and white earthenware
almost vie with china," so says an eighteenth-century
journal.

John Sadler conceived the idea of transferring
prints from copper on to pottery, and struck out a
new line in printing on earthenware.

Another factory, called the " Herculaneum Pottery,"
was started on the Mersey side by Messrs. Abbey
and Graham in 1794. The making of china was
started here in 1800.

About the end of the eighteenth century, a potter
named Absolon had works at a place called " The
Ovens " at Yarmouth. The work consisted of
decorating the articles which were manufactured
elsewhere, and very little more is known about it.

At Swansea both pottery and porcelain were
made. In 1750 works were established, and in 1790

OLD ENGLISH EARTHENWARE 20I

"Cambrian Pottery" became quite well known. In
the early part of the next century a superior kind of
ware, called " Opaque China," was made.

Leeds pottery is well known. At one time it had
quite an extensive Continental trade, and the pattern-
book of the pottery was issued in several languages.
Alas ! now it is the French and the German and the
Japanese pottery books that are issued in several
languages.

It is largely cream-coloured ware and such articles
as candlesticks, teapots, mustard-pots, cruet-stands,
tea-canisters, and sugar-basins, with covers, together
with the usual dinner and tea services, that were
manufactured.

Bristol claims to have made pottery at a period as
remote as Edward I. Wherever excavations have
been made in the city, along the north bank of the
river from Bristol Bridge to Redcliffe Pit, remains of
pottery and shard heaps have been discovered.

Joseph Ring, in 1787, successfully imitated the
Queen's ware of Wedgwood and the best Stafford-
shire pottery. Ring's cream-ware is thin and well
made, the edges being remarkably sharp, and the
fluted pieces very regular and well defined. It is
generally yellower than either Wedgwood's cream-
ware or the Leeds pottery. Both of these have
coloured bodies, but Ring's Bristol ware has a white
body, the yellow surface tint being obtained by
means of a glaze.

The mugs and jugs of Newcastle and Sunderland
are much sought after on account of their quaint
inscriptions.

202 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

By kind permission, we reproduce some fine
specimens of this ware from the collection of Mr.
W. G. Honey, of Cork, which were on view at the
Cork Exhibition. Many of these jugs have a frog .in
the interior of the vessel. As the liquor is drunk the
creature appears to be leaping into the drinker's
mouth.

The mug in commemoration of the cast - iron
bridge across tlie Wear bears the date 1793. We
give three positions of the mug, and in the inverted
one the frog can be plainly seen. On the reverse
side are the following lines ; —

The Sailor's Tear.

" He leap'd into the boat
As it lay upon the strand,

But, oh, his heart was far away
With friends upon the land, j

He thought of those he lov'd the best
A wife and infant dear:

And feeling fill'd the sailor's breast
The sailor's eye — a tear."

Nottingham, too, has produced some excellent
earthenware. Wrotham, in Kent, had an old-
established factory. A dish in the British Museum
is dated "Wrotham, 1699."

London and its environs has given birth to several
celebrated potteries. Fulham pottery has a worthy
history. Letters patent were granted in 1671 to
John Dwight, for the "misterie of transparent

(Two portions.)
I ColUcUsn of Mr. W. G. Hoiuy.

OLD ENGLISH EARTHENWARE 205

earthenware, commonly knowne by the names of
porcelain or China and Persian ware, as alsoe the
misterie of the stone ware, vulgarly called Cologne
ware." There was, too, a pottery at Mortlake.
"Kishere, Mortlake," is the mark generally used.
Isleworth had a small factory at Railshead Creek,
Isleworth. Much of the coarse pottery made here
was known as " Welsh ware."

Lambeth pottery is well known, the art productions
of Messrs. Doulton having done much to popularise
their ware. In the middle of the seventeenth cen-
tury certain Dutch potters settled at Lambeth, and
made pottery tiles. Lambeth delft ware had quite
a reputation in the eighteenth century.

Some particularly quaint devices appear on the old
English jugs and mugs during the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries. They were used by the com-
mon people who could not afford silver and for whom
glass was too expensive a luxury. They succeeded
the old leathern jacks and leathern bottles, and played
no inconspicuous part in social gatherings both at
home and in alehouses. Many of the mugs have two
(and sometimes as many as four) handles, which were
made to supply the needs of several drinkers.

These English mugs possess little artistic merit,
but they come as a very interesting link in the history
of the manufacture of pottery in this country. One
would have thought that the conquering Roman who
settled in various colonies in our islands would have
left some permanent mark on our pottery ; that the Nor-
man, who possessed some artistic skill, or peradven-
ture the Spaniard who settled in the West in Armada

OLD ENGLISH EARTHENWARE 207

and was dated 1650, which conjures up pictures of
crop-eared 'prentice lads and mercers of busy Chepe,
and junketings at the fair by London Bridge in days
when train-bands and Ironsides were as integral a
part of City history as were the C.I.V/s of a year or
so ago.

Brown and chocolate-coloured body with yellow
dotted decorations is a very common form of this old
English W^re. A Posset Mug, dated 1697, bears the
inscription : " The best is not too good for you " —
evidently a present of some sort, although much of
this class of ware was in common use in taverns, as
the inscriptions go to show. We reproduce this
dated Posset Mug in the accompanying illustration ;
next to it, on the lowest shelf, is an old 'Fuddling Cup.
On the top shelf is a Cradle with incised decoration.
The other cradle has slip decoration by Joseph
Glass, 1703; while beside it is an old Posset Pot
inscribed " God bless Queen Ann." These specimens
are reproduced by the kindness of Mr. S. G. Fenton,
of Cranbourne Street, W.

Puzzle jugs were known in the time of Henry
VIII. There is a puzzle jug at the Bethnal Green
Museum, which was made by Mr. John Wedgwood,
great-uncle to Joshua Wedgwood, and is dated 1691.
The principle of the puzzle is that there are three
spouts, each projecting from a tube which runs round
the rim and down the handle to the bottom of the
vessel. The top of the neck being perforated, it
seems impossible to obtain any of the liquor without
spilling it. The secret is to stop two of the spouts
with the fingers while drinking at the third.

208 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Other forms are the Tyg, a tall cup, with two or
more handles, and decorated either with names or
initials ; and the Piggin, a small shallow vessel some
few inches high, provided with a long handle, and
used for ladling out the liquor brewed in the tyg.
The doubled-handled tygs are generally called
" parting-cups,'* while those with more than two
handles pass under the name of " loving-cups." The
word tyg comes from the Anglo-Saxon " tigel," or
tile, and survives in the word " tilewright " and other
corruptions common in Staffordshire.

Some of the puzzle jugs bear interesting doggerel
lines upon them. One runs —

" What though I'm common and well known
To almost every one in town?
My purse to sixpence if you will
That if you drink you some do spill.

Not a very good recommendation for a jug, but a
very profitable alehouse amusement from mine host's
point of view.

Another bears the lines —

" In this jug there is good liquor,
Fit for either priest or vicar ;
But to drink and not to spill
Will try the utmost of your skill."

There is a very quaint inscription on a four-handled
goblet, possibly a christening cup. It is dated 1692,
and has the sides decorated with rough devices.

By nmrto)! sf M
Cranhnirnc Slna

. OLD ENGLISH EARTHENWARE 211

Attached to one of the sides is a whistle ; the mug
has written upon it in atrocious spelling —

" Here is the geste of the barley corne ;
Glad ham I the child is born."

The orthography of potters in the age before School
Boards is something to marvel at. Apparently the
following is the gift of an amorous potter to his lady-
love. I. W. has gone the way of all lovers, but the
little mug he made for his sweetheart lies on the
museum shelf, an object-lesson to all "golden lads
and lasses " who, as Herrick's fair daffodils, " haste
away so soon."

" Ann Draper, this cup I made for you, and so
no more. — I. W."

Dated 1707, in the days of the great Marlborough.
Some mugs have the precept, " Obeay the King,"
while others bear the superscription, " Come let us
drink to the pious memory of Good Queen Anne."
One or two utter the toast, "God Save King
George." A Gossip's Bowl, dated 1726, has the
couplet —

" I drink to you with all m)' hart,
Mery met and mery part."

Another old mug, doubtless sent as a present, has the
words —

" As a ring is round

And hath no end.

So is my love

Unto my friend."

212 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

There is one quaint piece of advice given to all
lovers who wish for success in their love affairs. It
is on a level with the Shakesperian methods adopted
in the conquest of Kate in the " Taming of the
Shrew " —

" Brisk be to the maide you desire,
As her love you may require."

— Some of the pronunci-

ation is as curious as the
I spelling. We know Pope
' makes " tea " rhyme with

" day," as does the modern
Irishman ; but in the fol-
lowing lines "join" is
evidently pronounced
" jine"—

" Come, brother, shall we

Give me your two pence
oLi) PUZZLE jur.. — here is mine"

(DA(cd 1691 )

At B,ih.,ai Crie,, M.,s«m,. ^ »" invitation issued to
■ the frequenters of some inn
where the brown jug bearing the inscription had an
abiding place.

Another mug es-says to point a moral while the
toper is draining its contents. The potter who would
strew his moral lessons in stoneware had about as
much sense of the ludicrous as the gentleman who
used to mark the London pavements with the text
" Watch and Pray," which he had printed in reverse

OLD ENGLISH EARTHENWARE 21 3

on the soles of indiarubber shoes he would wear.
On the bottom of a drinking mug the notion is quaint
enough —

"When this you see,
Remember me —

Obeay God's Word."

For our part, we prefer the following, which has a
truer ring about it —

" Drink faire.
Don't sware."

A large bowl of Bristol delft bears on it " Success
to the British Arms."

A fine breezy inscription, dated 1724, smacks of
the hunting field. One can hear the rollicking voices of
the eighteenth-century squires such as Randolph
Caldecott loved to depict. Only two lines, but they
ring in one's ears as a message from the good old
times —

"On Bansted Down a hare was found.
Which .led us all a-smoaking round."

Not classical English, perhaps, any more than that of
the ladies from town who declare in the family circle
of the Vicar of Wakefield that they are in a " muck-
sweat."

A set of five plates bear a line of the following
inscription on each —

214 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

"What is the merry man
To entertain his guest
With? Wine and merry jest.
But if his wife does frown
All merriment goes doune."

There is an exceedingly interesting Fulham ware
flip mug, which bears an inscription on it showing
that it once belonged to Alexander Selkirk, from
whose adventures Defoe built up his story of "Robin-
son Crusoe." Doubtless this mug accompanied the
Scots sailor to the lonely island of Juan Fernandez
when he set sail with the Cinque Ports galley —

"Alexander Selkirke. This is my one.
When you take me on board of ship,
Pray fill me full with punch or flipp. — 1703,"

which suggests that it may have been a parting present
from one of his friends.

Jugs and mugs with portraits of Nelson are not un-
common. A quart jug in white ware with crimson
border has a man-of-war in full sail on one side, and
on the other a copy of West's picture of the " Death
of General Wolfe," probably made by Thomas Wolfe,
of Stoke-on-Trent, who was related to the general.
On one mug is a view of the Thames Tunnel and a
portrait of the engineer Brunei, to commemorate the
opening in 1843. ^^ S^^e as a headpiece a Sunder-
land jug from Mr. Honey's collection, having floral
decorations in purple lustre, and having on one side
a picture of the " Columbus y the largest ship ever

OLD ENGLISH EARTHENWARE 215

built." On the reverse side arq two jolly tars, and
the inscription runs —

"Thus sailing at peril at sea or on shore,
We box the old compass right cheerly ;
Toss the grog boys about, iand a song or two

more
Then we'll drink to the girls we love dearly."

Mugs seem to have in former days been manufac-
tured to celebrate some political event or great
victory. There were the coronation mugs of the
present Czar of Russia, at the distribution of which so
many peasants lost their lives. The Transvaal War
produced no china mementoes. Mafeking buttons
and ticklers are more representative of modern
feeling.

To us these old English mugs are as the dry bones
which, if one is only skilful enough magician, resolve
themselves into dream-pictures, historically accurate
enough, of our forbears of the eighteenth century.
Our children's children, when they come to examine
our everyday ware, will find little else to observe save
the legend " Made in Germany."

The field of English earthenware is very large
and very diverse. We have been prohibited by
space from saying anything of salt-glaze ware, of
Elers, or of Astbury, and we regretfully have to
pass on without touching Leeds ware. But we
give an interesting illustration of a group of Mason's
jugs of the celebrated " Patent Ironstone China."
The largest of these jugs is 9J in. high. This is not

2l6

CHATS ON EXGL/SH CHINA

a complete set, as the writer knows of the existence
of a jug of smaller size, making a set to which one
might appropriately adopt Wordsworth's line, " We

are seven.

MILS S

MASOK

Mason's

CAHBRmN-aRGft
Later iWayW^T.

We give, too, a set of
marks used by the firm
of Mason, from the early
days till the factory
ceased. In the adver-

^^tVusV '«i«rk' O&ol. tisement mentioned below

he says, "The articles are
stamped on the bottom
of the large pieces to
prevent imposition.'*

Miles Mason established

VL at e r IK AY W 6 J . his pottery at Lane Delph,

in Staffordshire, about
1780. " Miles Mason, late
of Fenchurch St., London,"
so runs his advertisement
in the Morning Herald,
October i, 1804, "having
been a principal purchaser

TsVambeA iH Wue^ IS13L ^^ ^^^^^n porcelain, till

^ the prohibition of that

MARKS ON MASON'S WARE. ^^^{^1^ ^y hcavy duties,

has established a manu-
factory at Lane Delph, near Newcastle-under-
Lyme." The " Ironstone China " was patented
by Charles James Mason in 1813. It consisted in
using the slag of ironstone pounded with water
together with flint, Cornwall stone, and clay, and

OLD ENGLISH EARTHENWARE 217

blue oxide of cobalt. The ware is usually outlined
with flowers in transfer printing, and painted and
gilded by hand. Some of Mason's blue plates are in
colour equal to old blue Delft. On account of its
handsome decorative effect it is rapidly rising in
value.

In Collection of Mr. IV. G. Honey.

2l8 CHATS OX EXGLISH CHINA

RECENT SALE PRICES.'
Staffordshire. £ s. d.

Jug, Bacchanalian, 13 in. high, figures in
bold relief of " Bacchus " and " Pan "
supported by a barrel with grotesque
animal handle and dolphin spout, in
rare colours and highly glazed by £ s. d.
Voyez, Cobridge, 1788. Edwards,
Son & Bigwood, Birmingham, May
13, 1902 15 o o

Vase, Etruscan, 18 in. high, snake-and-
mask handles, marked S. .A.. & Co.
(Alcock & Co). Edwards, Son &
Bigwood, Birmingham, May 13, 1902 10 o o

Mason's Ware.
Vase, 27 in., decorated with flowers and
gilt, and ornamented with' gilded
head handles supporting a cornu-
copia and mermaid. Gudgeon &
Sons, Winchester, April 3, 1902 850

' By the kindness of the proprietors of the Connoisseur these
are given from their useful monthly publication, " Sale Prices."

XII

LUSTRE WARE

J5TRE JUGS.
I., 7j in, high.)

LUSTRE WARE

The old Spanish golden red and canary coloured
lustrous dishes with Moorish ornamentation, and the
wonderful Italian majolica, with its copper and purple
and amber surfaces [^lowing like beaten metal, are
probably the early masters from which our English
potters took the idea which they adapted to the
decoration of their pottery.

In this chapter we shall treat solely of English
lustre ware. It is roughly divided into three classes
— copper, silver, and gold.

The copper or brown lustre was made at Brisling-
ton, near Bristol, as early as 1770. Compared with
the Spanish lustre dishes, it is more rudely orna-

222 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

mented and poor and inartistic in form compared
with their Arabic designs. Our English copper lustre,
or " gilty " ware, as it is called in some parts of the
country and in (reland, may be sub-divided into two
classes. The plain copper lustre, in which the jug, or
dish, or teapot is entirely covered with the copper

lustre; and secondly, the partially lustrous ware, in
which some portions of the pottery are in relief and
are coloured with some bright pigments, or left white.
In the group of lustre ware, which we reproduce,
with the exception of the centre dish, all the pieces
are copper lustre. The three fine jugs are decorated
with turquoise blue, as are also the two cream jugs

■I the ColUction of Mr. W. G. Horny.

LUSTRE WARE 225

This blue, though it comes out white in our illustra-
tion, is of a deep turquoise. On the top shelf, the
Jug to the right is decorated with red as well as blue.
It will be observed that the spouts of the jugs are
in the form of a man's head with long beard, and the
handle is the figure of a man's body. The scenes
depicted on them are'typically English in treatment.

A castle in background and a shepherd with hi.s flock
in foreground. The small lustre cup has simply a
rough -surfaced band of white running round it. The
whole form a representative group of this class of

The best period in the copper lustre is in the first
years of the nineteenth century, before the introduc-
tion of colours in conjunction with the coppered
surface. It may be observed in passing that the art

226 CHAT Si OS ENGLISH CHINA

of producing copper lustre has continued in a
spasmodic manner down to the present day, the
latter specimens being of a rougher exterior and of
a coarser finish.

Froai the ColkcHon of Mr. W. G. Honey.

By the kindness of Mr. W. G. Honey we are
enabled to reproduce some fine examples of lustre
ware from his collection on view last year at the

I.USTKB WARE 227

Cork Exhibition. The copper lustre bust, 15J in.
high, is a perfect example of lustre ware at its highest
level. This specimen has no equal in any of the
public collections. Two other illustrations, one of
which appears as a headpiece, giving half a dozen
forms of copper lustre jugs, are from the same collec-

tion. While the copper lustre jug, 8^ in. high, is a
beautiful specimen of fine modelling.

With regard to silver and gold lustre, that in all
probability became extinct for a little time, but in
recent years the great demand for silver lustre
has produced a corresponding supply, manufactured
abroad for the English collector, but it is very inferior

228 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

and easily detected from the early examples by its
coarse and dull surface and slovenly finish.

The places where lustre ware is known to have
been manufactured are at BrisHngton, by R. Frank,
about 1770; at Etruria, by Wedgwood, in 1780 ; and
by Wilson, in Staffordshire, in 1785 ; also by
Moore & Co, and Dixon & Co., at Sunderland,
about 1820.

Swansea, at the Dillwyn pottery (of whi^ we

spoke in our "Chat" on Swansea), also, about 1800,
is known to have produced lustre ware.

Different processes were employed in producing

the lustre, but they all consist in reducing the metal
from a state of combination, by dissolving it in some
chemical, and depositing it in a particularly thin
layer on the surface of the pottery, so that it exhibits
its characteristic lustre without burnishing. As may
readily be supposed, the amount of platinum used for

LUSTRE WASB 229

the silver ware, and gold for the purple or gold lustre,
is extremely small.

Of the silver or platinum lustre very many fine
examples exist, and it is extremely popular owing to

its similitude to old English silver or plate. The
sugar bowl we reproduce, with beaded pattern and
fluted design, is quite in the style of the Sheffield
plate of the Georgian period. Of the three silver
lustre cream jugs, that in the extreme right is of the
same design, while the other two show at a glance

230 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

the beauty of form that silver lustre in its best
period reached.

Other varieties of this silver lustre are quite plain,
as in the teapot we reproduce (p. 229), which is an
example of a slightly later period. This is a fine
specimen of the unornamented variety of silver lustre
which is undistinguishable from silver. In fact the
highly burnished surface of such a teapot as this
cannot be obtained on silver, the lustre is of a richer
and deeper quality. Alas ! it possesses the dangerous
property of dissolving, like a fairy gift, into nothing-
ness. Elfin gold will turn into a circle of whirring,
dancing, mocking leaves, and if your wondrous lustre
teapot slips to the ground, it lies a heap of brown
earthenware fragments.

One word in passing to collectors of this ware.
Do not wash your specimens any more than you can
help, as warm water has a deleterious effect on the
lustre, and tends to make it less brilliant ; we recom-
mend our readers to polish their lustre ware with a
soft cloth, and we wish them absolute and entire
freedom from all mishaps. Treat the ware lovingly
and kindly, it will never come again ; the potters who
made it are dead, the modern imitator is but a poor
imitator, fraudulent at heart and feeble in result ; if
cunning lie in his heart it is not in his finger-tips, for,
of a truth, his hand has lost its cunning.

Besides the plain silver lustre, there is a decorated
variety which is very handsome, and much sought
after. Sometimes the ground is of silver lustre
decorated in white, and sometimes the ground is
white with an elaborate pattern of foliage, of fruit,

LUSTRE WARE

or of birds, woven in silver thread. The rarest of

this variety is the silver pattern on a canary ground.

The first method, with the design left in white, was

produced in handsome and highly artistic styles, and

Sn.VER I.USTEB JUG (5 IN. HIOH).

(White Dcairalion,>

Frovt Ike ColUition of Mr. W. G. Honey.

there is a pattern known as the "Resist" pattern,
which is much sought after.

From Mr. W. G. Honey's collection we have
selected a very good example of this silver lustre

232 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

with design in white. Though not the " Resist "
pattern, its artistic excellence speaks for itself.

With r^ard to gold or purple lustre, the middle
dish in the group in our illustration is gold lustre ware,

From the ColktHon of Mr. IV. G. Horny.

and is probably of Swansea manufacture. Wedgwood
produced a gold lustre of remarkable brilliancy. The
dish above alluded to is decorated with stags and
staghounds, but in some of the gold undecorated
examples, such as Wedgwood's, covered witli a

LUSTRE WARE 233

mottled ruby-gold lustre, the effect was due entirely
to the shape and to the lustre.

The reason that this variety is called gold or purple
lustre is that in the lights it shines like gold, and the
rest of the pattern in those pieces decorated with
flowers and floral pattern, glows with a rich purple.

This purple lustre shows more signs of the hand of
time than any of the other lustres, and it is nearly
always found to be partially worn off. We give an
interesting example of a jug with gold lustre ground
and raised coloured flowers from Mr. W. G. Honey's
collection.

LIVERPOOL WARE

It is the hope of the writer of these " Chats" that
Worcester and Derby, Bristol and Plymouth, Bow
and Chelsea have become something more than
mere names to the readers who have followed our
joiirneyings. The china-shelf has been shown to
hold the monuments of men's lives. Behind the
delicate pencillings and the shower of rose-leaves
lies many a tragic story. Liverpool and its ware
is not the least of the great landmarks in the history
of English ceramic art

In entering on the threshold of the history of
Liverpool, and of the printed ware stated to have
been first produced there, we find ourselves in the
midst of a controversy. If discussions upon points
of china-collecting were waged physically, the

238 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

opponents in their heat would have demolished each
other long ago with their own china collections, but
luckily, they have confined themselves to hurling
opinions and nothing more tangible. Philosophic-
ally, they have agreed to differ, and have parted
good friends, to renew the argument another day,
or they have each gone to his last home and the
echoes of the conflict have come down to us, and
fresh battles are fought over the theories of dead
collectors. At the present moment a wordy war is
being waged over Lowestoft, and the laurels of that
much-disputed factory are in great danger of being
snatched away.

To John Sadler, of Liverpool, is generally ascribed
the honour of having discovered the useful art of
printing on pottery from copper-plate engravings.
He was the son of Adam Sadler, a printer, in
Liverpool, who had formerly served as a soldier
under the Duke of Marlborough in the wars in
the Low Countries. John Sadler carried on the
business of an engraver in Harrington Street, and
having noticed that some of his waste prints were
used by children to stick on to fragments of earthen-
ware obtained from the potteries, he commenced
experiments with a view of extending this applica-
tion to the purposes of decoration.

He associated himself about the year 1750 with
Guy Green, who had succeeded to the printing
business of Adam Sadler.

The jsecret of the manner in which an engraving
was transferred from a copper-plate to the rounded
surface of a bowl or a teapot, was well kept, but it

LIVERPOOL WARE 239

was fairly obvious that in some way or another the
design was transferred to paper and then retransferred
to the china object to be decorated.

Sadler and Green, after working at the discovery,
applied for a patent. The value of the invention can
best be understood by the following affidavit made by
John Sadler and Guy Green, in 1756.

" I, John Sadler, of Liverpoole, in the county of
Lancaster, printer, and Guy Green, of Liverpoole
aforesaid, printer, severally maketh oath, that on
Tuesday, the 27th July, inst, they, these deponents,
without the aid or assistance of any other person or
persons, did, within the space of six hours, to wit,
betwixt the hours of nine in the morning and three
in the afternoon of the same day, print upwards of
1,200 earthenware tiles of different patterns, at Liver-
poole aforesaid, and which, as these deponents have
heard and believe, were more in number, and better,
and neater than 100 skilful pot painters could have
painted in the like space of time in the common and
usual way of painting with a pencil ; and these
deponents say that they have been upwards of seven
years in finding out the method of printing tiles, and
in making tryals and experiments for that purpose,
which they have, now, through great pains and
expense, brought to perfection."

Two printers doing the work of a hundred tile
painters ! The stupendous nature of the invention is
seen in the light of this statement. Caxton never
made a greater discovery when he set his type
moving, and the illuminated manuscripts of the
monks became the printed page in the hands of the

240

(HATS 0\ ENGLISH CHINA

**^

1769

common people. Josiah Wedgwood, with character-
istic foresight, saw the value of the work of Sadler
and Green, and his waggons made weekly journeys
from Staffordshire up to Liverpool laden with his
Queen's ware to be decorated in the new style.

To come back to the
controversy for a mo-
ment, it is claimed that
Worcester was first to
produce printed china.
There is at the Bethnal
Green Museum a printed
mug of Worcester, dated
1757. It will be re-
membered that the date
of Sadler and Green's
affidavit was 1756. But
a claim is made for a
third factory — Batter-
sea. There is a letter
from Horace Walpole to
Bent ley, dated 1755, in
which he says : " I shall
send you, too, a trifling
snuff-box, only as a
sample of the new
manufacture of Battersea, which is done from copper-
plates." There are also dated pieces of this Battersea
enamel with the design printed upon them, dated
as early as 1753 and 1754. In all probability Wor-
cester derived the secret from Battersea, as Robert
Hancock, of Worcester fame, who signed some of

Shaw

Sapler

75b.

SavLSR \ CSZSK

756

D J

KARLY LIVERPOOL MARKS.

Thomas

Samuel Shaw;

John Penning-
ton, celebrated for his punch-
bowls and for a very fine blue
ware, are all well known to
collectors of Liverpool ware.
We give the marks of these
factories, and of other Liver-
pool makers : Philip Christian
(i76o-i7;5), W. Reid & Co.
(1756-1760), Herculaneum Pot-
tery ( 1 790-1 841 ), Staffordshire
had its Etriiria and- Lancashire
its Herculaneum. In the
earlier days of the potter

LIVERPOOL WARE 24I

the older pieces, was formerly an en-
graver at Battersea.

In spite of this fact there is
every reason for believing that at
Liverpool, Sadler and Green in-
dependently discovered the art of
printing on china, as their affidavit
declares them to have been engaged
upon it for seven years, which takes
them back to 1749.

Of the earlier potters of Liver-
pool, we have little space to deal in
this "Chat," Chaffers, a contem-
porary of Josiah Wedgwood, and a
formidable rival of the Stafford-
shire potter;

and HERCULANEUM.

242 CHATS 0\ ESGUSH CHINA

classic names were much in vogue. A favourite
pattern in Herculaneum china was a series of the
towns of England printed on the pieces, with the
name in a medallion at the bottom of the piece.
The bird is the liver, being the crest of the city of
Liverpool, and was used at Herculaneum by Messrs.
Case, Mort & Co. in 1833. The anchor mark is
between this date and 1841, when the factory
ceased.

When it is remembered that Wedgwood had his
ware printed by Sadler and Green and that Bow sent
to Liverpool to have the Liverpool designs transferred
to the Bow china, it is easy to understand how com-
plicated it becomes to determine with exactitude how
little or how much was actually printed at Liverpool,
because there came a time when the secret leaked
out and when other factories besides Liverpool and
Worcester began to print their own wares.

We reproduce a Liverpool mug, printed in brownish
red colour, representing a lover and his lass. It is
typically English in treatment and design, and it is
this quality which makes Liverpool printed ware so
interesting. There is nothing like it in any of the
Continental wares. The quaint and delicate English
pastoral scene breathes of the eighteenth century.
The refrain might run : —

" Phyllida, my PhylHda !

She takes her buckled shoon,
When we go out a-courting
Beneath the harvest moon.

UVERPOOL WARE

The ladies of St. James's !

You scarce can understand
The half of all their speeches,

Their phrases are so grand :

sid'i of Ur.
inic Slrea.

But Phyllida, my Phyllida!

Her shy and simple words
Are clear as after rain-drops

The music of the birds."

244 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Or take the old Liverpool jug with the landscape
printed in black on one side, and the humorous
heads, entitled " Courtship and Matrimony," on the
other; which heads, by the way, will our readers
kindly turn upside down to gather what the acid
doggerel written underneath alludes to. It is a pity
the jug is not perfect, but the top has a metal

5 LIVERPOOL JUG (7j 11

From tht Cothction of Caft. H. F. Mackan.

band which remedies the broken spout. The lines

underneath the heads run: — ■

" When two fond fools together meet.

Each look gives Joy, each kiss is sweet.

But wed, how crabb'd and cross they grow

Turn upside down and you will know."

We reproduce as a headpiece two exquisitely black

LIVERPOOL WARE 245

printed Liverpool tiles. It is true they are badly
damaged, but their quaint designs were worth the
preserving. The one with the gallant sportsman
firing at a deer at very close range is queerly out of

(Traiialer-priiiled and partly coloured allcr gLuInj;.)
Fivm Ihf CoUtctiott of Capl. H. F. Maclean.

perspective. The other tile is a typically English

rural scene, and pity it is that more of our rustic

scenery has not found its way to our national china.

Another of our illustrations is that of a Liverpool

246 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

mug with subject entitled " The Tithe Pig," in which
the vicar appears to have come off worst in a wordy
encounter with two of his parishioners. There is a
grim humour about many of the eighteenth-century
decorated mugs ajid jugs which are a record in
ceramics of party strifes and of long-forgotten social
enmities.

It will be seen that the Liverpool printed ware has
in it an element of decoration which some of the
other wares do not possess. Many of our readers
doubtless possess specimens of this black or brown
printed ware, mugs, or tiles, or teapots with old-world
scenes upon them like the landscapes of our illustra-
tion. Shepherds and herds, fifers and fiddlers and
dancers, village-green sports, lads and lasses "dancing
the hays " — these are the homely scenes transferred
from the old copper- plates.

RECENT SALE PRICES.

Liverpool bowl, large, painted in blue, £ s. d.
orange-brown edge, decorated with
Hogarth's *' Midnight Conversation."
Dated 1748. Sotheby, December, 1903 16 10 o

Liverpool transfer-printed tiles, " ^sop*s
Fables." Sotheby, December, 1903

From I OS. each to i i o

Liverpool transfer-printed tiles. Milkman
asleep aroused by Dairymaid ; signed,
"J.Sadler." Sotheby, December, 1903 i 4 o

Small bowl, painted in blue; subject, Man
with an Axe ; initials inside bowl,
"B. A. E." Dated 1769. Sotheby,
December, 1903 ... . .500

XIV

WEDGWOOD

WEDGWOOD JASPER C

WEDGWOOD

The pottery made in England did not exhibit any
marked characteristic, nor was it of much artistic
value until Josiah Wedgwood, by his genius, raised
Staffordshire ware to such a degree of perfection
that it was universally used on the Continent of
Europe.

Josiah Wedgwood, the youngest of a family of
thirteen, was born in 1730, and came of a race of
potters. There were Wedgwoods, potters, at
Burslem, in the seventeenth century. We give an
illustration of a puzzle jug having the inscription,
" John Wedg Wood, 1691 " (see p. 212).

Young Josiah left school at the age of nine and
was apprenticed to his brother. At eleven, he had a
most virulent attack of small-pox, which left him
a weakling. Later on in life, he had to have one
of his legs amputated owing to a weakness which he

250 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

always had after his first terrible illness. Physically
handicapped from the start, Josiah Wedgwood —
wooden-legged though he was for over a quarter
of a century — was the prince of English potters.
His genius was coupled with great business capa-
bility. His inventions were eminently successful.
Starting with ;£^20, which his father left him, he died
worth over half a million.

Thoroughness seems to have been his policy, and
prosperity always attended him. He interested
himself in getting an Act of Parliament for better
roads in the vicinity of the Staffordshire potteries.
He cut the first sod of the Grand Trunk Canal.

His aim was a glorious one. " Let us make all
the good, fine, and new things we can," he said to
his partner Bentley once, "and so far from being
afraid of other people getting our patterns, we
should glory in it, and throw out all the hints we
can, and, if possible, have all the artists in Europe
working after our models."

He allowed no imperfect thing to leave his factory.
It is a quaint scene one conjures up of the potter
who, when going through his works, used to lift
the stick he leant on and smash to pieces some
offending dish or vase, saying, " This won't do for
Josiah Wedgwood."

The beginnings of Wedgwood ware were simple
enough. In 1752, Josiah left Burslem to go to
Stoke, where he was engaged in manufacturing
knife-handles and like objects in imitation of agate
and tortoiseshell. Subsequently he entered into
partnership with John Harrison, of Newcastle, and

V WEDGIVOOD. 251

their wares were made at Stoke. In 1/54, Wedg-
wood and Harrison entered into partnership with
Thomas Whieldon at Little Fenton, the most eminent
potter of his day. Shortly after Harrison dis-
appears from the partnership. This connection
between Whieldon and Wedgwood was a most
important one. Their principal manufactures were
tortoiseshell plates and dishes, cauliflower jugs, tea-
pots with crabstock handles, and agate knife-handles.

While with Whieldon, Wedgwood produced a new
green earthenware, highly glazed and decorated with
flowers and fruit, which was mainly used for dessert
services.

The tortoiseshell ware now known by Whieldon's
name is very beautifully made. Usually the plates
and dishes are hexagonal or octagonal in shape, with
very finely moulded edges, and having a mottled and
variegated arrangement in colour, which more re-
sembles marble than tortoiseshell.

252 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Wedgwood made snuff-boxes, and various trinkets
intended to be mounted in metal. These productions
of his were coloured to represent precious stones.
When the jewellers of London and Bath were shown
these wares, they considered them a valuable dis-
covery, the secret of which they could not discover.
But learning the low price at which Wedgwood was
intending to sell them they grew less favourable,
probably from thinking the imitation would ruin the
sale of genuine jewels.

We learn, too, that Wedgwood at this time was so
incapacitated from attending to his business, owing
to the remains of his old complaint, that he was
obliged to communicate the secret of the method
and proportions of his mixtures to a workman.

The ware manufactured by Whieldon, both during
his partnership with Wedgwood and afterwards,
are of good quality, and are highly prized by
collectors. A tortoiseshell plate costs a sovereign
to-day.

Of course none of these early wares of Wedgwood
are marked. We shall show how he laid the foun-
dation of his manufactory, which he called " Etruria,"
after the Italian home of the famous Etruscans,
whose work he admired and imitated.

What Wedgwood did for Staffordshire is shown
best in the fojlowing sentence by M. Faujas de
Saint Font in his "Travels," who says, speaking
of the Wedgwood ware : "Its excellent workmanship,
its solidity, the advantage which it possesses of
sustaining the action of fire, its fine glaze, im-
penetrable to acids, the beauty and convenience of

IVBDG WOOD 253

its form, and the cheapness of its price, have given
rise to a commerce so active and so universal
that in travelling from Paris to Petersburg, from
Amsterdam to the furthest part of Sweden, and
from Dunkirk to the extremity of the South of
France, one is served at every inn with English ware.
Spain, Portugal, and Italy are supplied, and vessels
are loaded with it for the East and West Indies and
the continent of America."

Leaving the biographical side of the subject, we
come to the actual productions of Josiah Wedgwood.
We left him in partnership with Whieldon. That
partnership ended, he commenced manufacturing
on his own behalf. He speedly found that one
pottery was not enough to satisfy his tireless
energies. He became the owner of two. In 1762,
he presented Queen Charlotte with a breakfast
service of cream-coloured earthenware. In return
he received the title of "Potter to her Majesty,"
and his Queen's Ware became a great success. Every
fortnight a waggon left Burslem for Liverpool with
a freight of this ware, to be decorated by Messrs.
Sadler and Green by their transfer process at
Liverpool.

About this time he took his cousin, Thomas
Wedgwood, into partnership, and later Thomas
Bentley, of Liverpool, a man of great taste, vyho
exercised no inconsiderable influence upon the style
of design of the new pottery at Etruria. A man
of wide reading and culture, it was he who supple-
mented Wedgwood's practical efforts by his theories.
It was always Wedgwood first, but Bentley was

254 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

an ideal second. He took no part in what Wedg-
wood termed the ** useful " side of the manufactory,
such as, for example, the manufacture of Queen's
Ware and other articles for everyday use. Bentley's
partnership was only concerned with the "orna-
mental " side of the pottery, such as the manufacture
of vases and works of art.

In 1769 Ktruria was opened, and Josiah Wedgwood
might have been seen at the potter's bench arid Thomas
Bentley at the wheel, and their united labours pro-
duced the first vase, having an inscription which
runs: —

JUNE XIII., MDCCLXIX.
ONE OF THE FIRST DAY'S PRODUCTIONS

AT
KTRURIA IN STAFFORDSHIRE,

WEDGWOOD AND BENTLEY.

ARTES ETRURI^ RENASCUNTER.

The subject of decoration is Hercules in the
Garden of the Hesperides, and was a forerunner
of those classical pieces which have made Wedgwood
as honoured a name in Europe as that of Palissy
the Frenchman, of Lucca del Robbia the Italian,
or of Bottcher the German.

The range of the Wedgwood ware may be gathered
from the fact that in one of the catalogues the pro-
ductions are divided into twenty distinct classes.
It is not our intention to enumerate these, but they
comprised series of medals and medallions of the

WEDGWOOD 255

Caesars, the Roman emperors, the heads of the Popes
(consisting of no less than two hundred and fifty-
three medallions), a hundred heads of the kings
of England and France, together with "heads of
illustrious moderns." In addition to these there
were admirable busts, some being twenty-five inches
in height, of Lord Chatham, Cornelius De Witt, John
De Witt, Plato, and many more. These were in
black basaltes, durable as marble. Lamps and
candelabra of antique forms were produced from
" two shillings apiece to five guineas."

In passing, we may refer to the above fact to show
why Wedgwood or any other ware varies in value so
much at the present day. Obviously a two-shilling
lamp will not be as valuable as a five-guinea one.
Readers learn that certain china has fetched a large
price in the auction-room. Sometimes they erro-
neously infer that other china they possess, which
bears the mark of the same factory, is equally
valuable. The above will point the moral of the
story. It is. a fact that cannot be too often insisted
upon that the great factories turned out productions
by the ton, many of them intended for ordinary every-
day use, and though bearing their mark, yet not
valuable from the collector's point of view.

There are, of course, other reasons why china is or
is not valuable, but this is a very solid reason too
often overlooked. To be able to differentiate the
good from the bad, " that is the question." To know
that a specimen is good is one thing, to give the
reason why is another. When the reader begins to
do this he or she is already a connoisseur.

256 CHATS O.V ENGLISH CHINA

In order to give a fairly proportionate idea of
what Wedgwood ware is, we quote a list and
description of six different kinds of ware in his
own words : —

" I. "A tirra-cotta; resembling porphyry, granite,
Egyptian, pebble, and other beautiful stones of the
silicious or crystalline order.

WEDGWOOD 1

" 2. Basaltes or black ware ; a black porcelain
biscuit of nearly the same properties with the natural
stone; striking fire with steel, receiving a high polish,
serving as a touchstone for metals, resisting all the
acids, and bearing without injury a strong fire ;
stronger, indeed, than the basaltes itself

WEDGWOOD 257

" 3. White porcelain biscuit^ of a smooth, wax-like
surface, of the same properties with the preceding,
except in what depends upon colour.

" 4. Jasper ; a white porcelain biscuit of exquisite
beauty and delicacy, possessing the general properties
of the basaltes, together with the singular one of
receiving through its whole substance, from the
admixture of metallic calces with the other materials,
the same colours which those calces- communicate
to glass or enamels in fusion — a property which
no other porcelain or earthenware body of ancient
or modern composition has been found to possess.
This renders it peculiarly fit for making cameos,
portraits, and all subjects in bas-relief, as the ground
may be of any particular colour, while the raised
figures are of a pure white.

" 5. Bamboo, or cane-coloured biscuit porcelain, of
the same nature as No. 3.

"6. A porcelain biscuit, remarkable for great
hardness, little inferior to that of agate. This pro-
perty, together with its resistance to the strongest
acids and corrosives, and its impenetrability by
every known liquid, adapts it for mortars and many
different kinds of chemical vessels.

" These six distinct species, with the Queen's Ware
already mentioned, expanded by the industry and
ingenuity of the different manufacturers into an
infinity of forms for ornament and use, variously
painted and embellished, constitute nearly the whole
of the present fine English earthenwares and porce-
lain which are now become the source of a very
extensive trade, and which, considered as an object

258 CHATS OX EyuUSfi CHINA

of national art, industry, and commerce, may be
ranked amongst the most important manufactures of
the kingdom."

Of these various wares we give illustrations. The
three vases we reproduce are fine examples in imi-
tation of porphyry and other precious stones (see
p. 256). The material is so hard that it can be
worked upon by the lapidary, and takes as fine a
polish as the real stone it resembles.

Of the celebrated basaltes or black ware, some-
times called Egyptian ware, the vase we reproduce
as the first made at Etruria was of this class, and we
give two other examples.

We give two very beautiful specimens of the
Jasper ware. This wonderful ware was made in
seven colours: blue, lilac, pink, sage-green, olive-
green, black, and yellow. Specimens of this last
colour are very rare.

WEDGWOOD 259

We reproduce a blue jasper Wedgwood vase and

pedestal from Mr. W. G. Honey's collection ex-
hibited at the Cork Exhibition.

WEDGWOOD. BLUE VASE AND PEBESTAL.

(14 la. hifih.)
/« Celltciion of Mr W. G. Honey.

" Future ages may view the productions of the age
of George III. with the same veneration that we now
behold those of Alexander and Augustus," writes

26o CHATS 0\ ESGUSH CHISA

Wedgwood of his cameo portraits, with fine
enthusiasm.

Having dealt with the bic^raphic side of
Wedgwood ware, and of the genius of the great

profrittors 0/ "Cormoisi-rir."

WEDGWOOD pi.A(jUE {designed by Flaxman).

Hereurjr uniling the hands of EnEland Md France.

Josiah Wedgwood, and having enumerated the
various classes of ware originated by him, we come
now to the consideration of his classic wares, of
which the wonderful replica of the Portland Vase
stands as the most notable example.

C BARBESINI C

(Copied by Josiah Wedgwood.)
/« British Museum.

WEDG WOOD 263

In passing, we mention the celebrated service of
Wedgwood made for the Empress Catherine II. of
Russia, which took eight years to complete. It.
consisted of 952 pieces, of which the cost was
about ;^3,ooo. This splendid service had upwards
of 1,200 views of the seats of noblemen and gentle-
men in various parts of England. A large service
for Queen Charlotte of views in black enamel of
palaces and seats of the nobility took three years to
execute.

To his celebrated " Jasper " ware, Wedgwood
devoted immense and never-ending skill to bring it
to its final perfection.

The use to which he put this jasper is well illus-
trated in fiis series of beautiful portrait medallions.
We reproduce a design of a plaque by Flaxman,
representing the hands of France and England being
joined together by the god Mercury.

Wedgwood was enabled, by the patronage of
noblemen who possessed fine classic examples and
gladly lent them to the great potter, to copy some of
the finest specimens of the old art of the Greeks.
He was thus enabled to produce the celebrated
" Dancing Nymphs " and the " Head of Medusa "
from Sir William Hamilton's collection ; and to other
great collections he was similarly indebted.

In 1787, the collection of the Duchess of Portland
came under the hammer. The sale included the
celebrated Barberini Vase, which was dug up by
order of the Pope Barberini, named Urban VIII.,
about the first quarter of the seventeenth century.
This urn contained the ashes of the Roman Emperor

264 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

Alexander Severus and his mother, and had been
deposited in the earth about the year 235 A.D.

The body of this vase, now known as the Portland
Vase, which was composed of glass, is a rich dark
blue, approaching black. The snow-white figures
which appear on it are in bas-relief. It is a
magnificent example of ancient art

At the sale above alluded to, the Duke of Portland
and Wedgwood were contesting hotly for possession
of the vase. The price had reached a thousand
guineas. At this moment the Duke, crossing to
Wedgwood, asked him why he wished to possess the
vase, to which the potter replied that he was desirous
of copying it. The Duke immediately offered the
loan of the piece, and the vase was thus knocked
down to the Duke of Portland, and Wedgwood
borrowed it from the owner for a twelvemonth.

The subsequent history of the vase is interesting.
The Duke of Portland, as one of the trustees of the
British Museum, allowed it to be exhibited there.
In 1845 a fanatic dashed this priceless gem to pieces
with a stone. Owing to the defective state of the
law he escaped with a very slight punishment. But
so great a sensation did the affair cause that an Act
was at once passed by Parliament making similar
offences punishable by terms of imprisonment The
pieces of the vase were skilfully joined, but the
fractures are still visible, as will be seen from our
illustration. It is now in the " Gold medals room "
of the British Museum, and by its side is one of the
fifty copies which Wedgwood made for subscribers
at fifty guineas apiece. The vase itself once changed

WEDGWQOD 265

hands for eighteen hundred guineas, and one .of
Wedgwood's copies fetched two hundred and fifteen
guineas in 1892.

The body used for this vase was black jasper, a
body used on but three other occasions. The figures
on it were worked up and cut to the utmost degree
of sharpness and finish, by the seal and gem engraver
— a striking piece of reproduction. The original
moulds are still in existence, and Messrs. Wedgwood
still produce copies both in black and in a deep blue
ground. But the price is in shillings and not in
guineas nowadays.

Among the various catalogues issued by Wedg-
wood, some were issued in Dutch and in French.
There is one, dated 1775, which contains a perfect
little essay to the possible buyer of his ware. From
the point of view of the potter and artist, he. gives
reasons for the genuine work of art costing more
money than an unworthy and feeble imitation.

Wedgwood writes so simply and naturally that it
is worth the perusal of all who love china for china's
sake, to ponder over what the master potter says : —

** The proprietors of this manufactory hope it will
appear to all those who may have been pleased to
attend to its progress, that ever since its establish-
ment it has been continually improving both in the
variety and in the perfection of its productions.

" A competition for cheapness^ and not for excellence
of workmanships is the most frequent and certain
cause of the rapid decay and entire destruction of
arts and manufactures.

" The desire of selling much in a little time without

266 CHATS ON ENGUSH CHINA

respect to the taste or quality of the goods, leads
manufacturers and merchants to ruin the reputation
of the articles which they manufacture and deal in ;
and whilst those who buy, for the sake of a fallacious
saving, prefer mediocrity to excellence, it will be
impossible for manufacturers either to improve or
keep up the quality of their works.

" This observation is equally applicable to manu-
facturers and to the productions of the Fine Arts ;
but the degradation is more fatal to the latter than
the former, for though an ordinary piece of goods,
for common use, is always dearer than the best of the
kind, yet an ordifiary and tasteless piece of ornament
is not only dear at any price, but absolutely useless
and ridiculous,

" All works of art must bear a price in proportion to
the skill, the taste, the time, the expense, and the
risk attending the invention and the execution of
them. Those pieces that for these reasons bear the
highest price and, which those who are not accus-
tomed to consider the real difficulty and expense of
making fine things are apt to call dear, are, when
justly estimated, the cheapest articles that can be
purchased ; and such as are generally attended with
much less profit to the artist than those that every-
body calls cheap,

"There is another mistake that gentlemen who
are not acquainted with the particular difficulties of
an art are apt to fall into. They frequently observe
that a handsome thing may be made as cheap as an
ugly one. A moment's reflection would rectify this
opinion.

WEDG WOOD 267

" The most successful artists know that they can
turn out ten ugly and defective things for one that is
beautiful and perfect in its kind. Even suppose the
artist has the true idea of the kind of beauty at
which he aims, how many lame and unsuccessful
efforts does he make in his design, and every part of
it, before he can please himself? And suppose one
piece is well-composed and tolerably finished, as in
vases and encaustic paintings, for instance, where
every succeeding vase, and every picture, is made not
in a mould or by a stamp, but separately by the
hand, with the same attention and diligence as the
first, how difficult must it be to preserve the beauty
of the first model.

" It is so difficult that without the constant atten-
tion of the master's eye, such variations are frequently
made in the form and taste of the work, even while
the model is before the workman, as totally to change
and degrade the character of the piece.

^^ Beautiful forms and compositions are not to be
made by chance ; and they never were made nor
can be made in any kind at a small expense ; but
the proprietors of this manufactory have the satis-
faction of knowing, by a careful comparison, that
the prices of many of their ornaments are much
lower, and of all of them as low as those of any
other ornamental works in Europe, of equal quality
and bisqu^ notwithstanding the high price of labour
in England, and they are determined rather to give
up the making of any article than to degrade it.
They do not manufacture for those who estimate
works of ornament by their magnitude, and who

268 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

would buy pictures at so muck a foot. They have
been happy in the encouragement and support of
many illustrious persons who judge of the works of
Art by better principles ; and so long as they have
the honour of being thus patronised, they will
endeavour to support and improve the quality and
taste of their manufactures."

Such were Wedgwood's ideals, and he raised the
making of pottery in England into a fine art. The
inscription on his monument at Stoke-upon-Trent
shows the esteem with which his contemporaries
held him.

Sacred to the Memory of

JOSIAH WEDGWOOD, F.R.S. & S.A.,

Of Etruria, in this County,
Born in August, 1730, died January 3rd, 1795,
Who converted a rude and inconsiderable manufac-
ture into an elegant art and an important
* part of national Commerce.
By these services to his country he acquired an

ample fortune.

Which he blamelessly and reasonably enjoyed.

And generously dispensed for the reward of merit

and the relief of misfortune.
His mind was inventive and original, yet perfectly

sober and well regulated ;
His character was decisive and commanding, with-
out rashness or arrogance ;
His probity was inflexible, his kindness unwearied ;

WEDG WOOD 269

His manners simple and dignified, and the cheerful-
ness of his temper was the natural reward of the

activity of his pure and useful life.

He was most loved by those who knew him best,

And he has left indelible impressions of affection

and veneration on the minds of his family, who

have erected this monument to his memory.

The marks used by the Wedgwoods have been
few. It is usually the name Wedgwood, occurring in
various sized type from time to time. In passing, we
may say that the manufacture of china was never
attempted by the great Josiah. His work was
earthenware and not porcelain. But some of it had
many of the qualities of china, the more delicate
ware being nearly semi-transparent, as is china.
About the year 1808, and only for a few years, was
china made at Etruria, and then not to any extent ;

consequently specimens are very scarce. The mark
on this china is the name WEDGWOOD in small
capitals printed in red or blue.

On all other wares the name WEDGWOOD is
impressed, in some specimens in large capitals, in
others in small capitals, wedgwood.

270 (MATS ON EyCUSH CHINA

Sometimes, though rarely, the name occurs in
ordinary type, Wedgwood. On other pieces the
name occurs thus : —

WEDGWOOD
ETRURIA.

During the period when Bentley was associated with
Ktruria the following were impressed : —

WEDGWOOD Wedgwood

& BENTLEY. ^^ & Bentley.

The general mark used during this period was a
circular one, the letters on which were raised and
not sunk as in the others.

The marks WEDGWOOD & CO., or simply
the word WEDGEWOOD, are both spurious, and
were used by Messrs. William Smith and others of
Stockton, against whom the firm at Etruria obtained
an injunction restraining the imitators from iisin^
the name " Wedgwood," or ** Wedgewood " with an
additional t. This was in 1848.

Of the \*ar}'ing vicissitudes of the Wedgwoods
since the days of the great Josiah, i^-e have had no
space to allude. But it is sufficient proof that he
laid a very sure foundation to a fine business, inas-
much as the firm is in flourishing condition at the
present day.

His Queen's ware, which he made for the Queen
Consort of George III., was the prototj-pe of the
oniinar\- dinner ware of to-day. We reproduce a

H'A-DGIVOUD 271

quaint old Wedgwood teapot with queer design
upon it, representing the mill to grind old folks
young.

It is a far cry from Queen Charlotte to President
Roosevelt, but it is surely a singular record of a
great firm that the Wedgwoods made the new
service of china to be used on State occasions at the
White House. The design has been copyrighted,
thus ensuring its exclusive use. It is of simple gold
pattern, bearing the great seal of the United States
enamelled in colours upon it. The set consists of
over a thousand pieces, and was ready early last year.

In the conclusion of the journey round the china
shelf in this series of "Chats," the writer trusts that
they have stimulated the interest of the readers in
their old china and have helped to solve certain dark
riddles, and to give pedigree to " family jars."

> .Tiin T^i^ ;"n:.^-h rarely, th

WEDGWr
ETRUP

V.-r.g the penod when R
Kt-^Kj the i";.".-.«ing were

WEDGWOOD
X HENTLEV.

T.1S ptneril mark n
c.tcS.js one, the Icr
:;,X s-nk 25 in the
The niArks Wl
:he «\vd WEDG
"i?re Used by M'

■»:i iii;unction r
the name - \V<
«i'«iitionaI £. ^

WEDGWOOD 273

Wedgwood. £ ^. d.

Bust, black basalt, nearly life size, David

Garrick. Christie, February 4, 1902. 37 16 o

Cabaret, blue jasper, with reliefs of
Nymphs and Cupids, consisting of
teapot and cover, two basins, cup
and saucer and oval plateau ; and a
black basalt copy of a lamp.
Christie, February 4, 1902 . .660

Chatelaines, three old English cut steel
and seven ditto clasps, set with blue
and white Wedgwood plaques, in
oval frame. Christie, February 4,
1902 . . . . . . . 81 18 o

Jardinieres, pair, blue jasper, with panels
of Cupids and acanthus foliage.
Christie, February 4, 1902. . . 7 17 6

Pendants and clasps, nine, cut steel, set
withWedgwood plaques, with Nymphs
and Cupids ; and one other piece.
Christie, February 4, 1902. . . 36 15 o

Plaque, oblong, blue jasper, with figures
sacrificing at an altar, festoons of
flowers above, 4J in. by loj in., in
gilt frame. Christie, February 4,
1902 8 18 6

Portrait medallions, eight, of Addison,
Hon. W. Hastings, &c., in octagonal
frame, and eight smaller plaques
with classical subjects. Christie,
February 4, 1902 . . . . 71 8 o

Teapot and cover, light blue jasper

274 CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA

ground, with white relief subjects. £ s. d.
Sotheby, February 24, 1902 .440

Vase, of classical design, the front orna-
mented with a group of Cupids danc-
ing, in relief ; Wedgwood & Bentley.
Sotheby, February 24, 1902 . 15 10 o

Dinner set, white ground with gold and
terra-cotta decorations, consisting of
145 pieces. J. A. Maclean, Dundee,
May 9, 1902 32 o o

Medallions, set of nine, blue and white,
comprising portraits of Priestley,
Gibbon, Elers, Bentley, Cromwell,
Johnson, J. Reynolds, Capt Cook,
and Franklin, in black and gold
glazed case. Alexander, Daniel &
Co., Bristol, May 7, 1902 . . -750

Vases and covers, pair, two-handled, light
blue and white, with raised figures
and other emblems, representing
Music and Dancing, having mask-
head handles, 18 in. high. Alexander,
Daniel & Co., Bristol, May 7, 1902 .13 00

Vase, the Portland, or Barberini, a fine
example, and one of the earliest, in a
dark slate-blue body, the reliefs
harmonising in tone with the field,
on revolving stand, with metal tripod,
mirror, &c. Christie, June 11, 1902 . 399 o o

Vase and pedestal, the vase of granulated
ground, with reliefs of Flaxman^s
Muses, leafage, &c., scroll handles,

WEDGWOOD 27 s

a figure of Pegasus on cover ; the £ s. d.

pedestal of square form, fluted, with

reliefs of the Four Seasons ; vase

15 in., pedestal 8f in. high. Christie,

June II, 1902 33 12 o

Vase, on triangular base, supported by
three Atlas figures, reliefs of ara-
besque scroll, festoons, &c., figure of
Cupid on cover, 1 3 in. high. Christie,
June II, 1902 63 o o

Medallions, three, Venus and Adonis, and
Cupid riding upon a swan ; black
ground, white relief; Wedgwood &
Bentley. Christie, June 11, 1902 . 54 12 o

Medallion, large oval tri-coloured : The
Triumph of Achilles at Troy, green
ground, border on black. Christie,
June II, 1902 . . . . 24 3 o

Portraits or Heads of Illustrious Moderns.
Portraits, framed singly: — Hippo-
crates and Terence, Wedgwood &
Bentley, metal frames ; Frederick
the Great, Wedgwood & Bentley ;
and Prince Charles Stuart, metal
frames ; Marie Antoinette, Prince
Paul of Russia, and Mrs. Barbauld,
one Wedgwood & Bentley, metal
frames ; Inigo Jones, black basalt,
high relief, and Alexander, an early
terra-cotta portrait, in colour ; Joseph
n., and Dr. Benjamin Franklin, in
white biscuit ; Sir Isaac Newton,

276 CHATS ON RNGLISH CHINA

Admiral Keppel, and a male portrait, £ s. d.

looking left, in white jasper, &c., one

Wedgwood & Bentley ; General

Eliott (Lord Heathfield), circular,

white, and J. P. Elers, in a copper-

lustred frame ; Joseph Priestley,

Unitarian Minister, a portrait, in

glazed pottery, and Dr. Black, in blue

and white. Christie, June 11, 1902 ^ i,500 o o

Figures, pair, large black. Foster, Decem-
ber 23, 1902 1986

Teapot and cover, sage-green, and basin,
with groups of classical figures,
Nymphs, Cupids, and foliage in
relief. Christie, December, 1902 .16 5 6

Vase and cover, oviform, blue jasper,
decorated with rams' heads in relief,
and cameo figured panels, on plinth,
13J in. Foster, November 27, 1902 . 7 10 o

Vase and cover, campana-shaped, blue
jasper, with a frieze of Cupids sacri-
ficing, masks, laurel-branches, and a
wreath of vines under the lip ; on
octagonal-shaped pedestal, with figures
of griffons at the corners, with
classical frieze ; 20 in. high. Christie,
July 10, 1903 210 o o

' This collection of portraits, by Josiah Wedgwood, is

undoubtedly the most important one ever gathered together.

Many are unique — all are of interest, as i2i\\\\i\3\ facsitniles in

a permanent material that cannot be affected by time or

climate.

:lai. . Hr. F. RathbMe""

PLAQUE. THE YOUNG PAN.

INDEX

Abbey & Graham, ** Hercula-
neum " (Liverpool), 200

Absolon, potter, Yarmouth, 200

Allen, Robert (Lowestoft), 117

America, clay from, used at Bow,
51 ; Plymouth, 92

*' Amherst, Japan," as a mark, 182

Anchor as a mark — Bow, 54 ;
Caughley, 137; Chelsea, 34,
35 ; Liverpool, 241 ; Venice,
30 ; Worcester, 73

Angouleme sprig pattern imitated
by Derby, 22

Arms, coats of, on china, Lowe-
stoft, 115 ; Oriental china, 115,
120

Arrow as a mark, 61

Aubrey, Lady, designs on Derby
painted by, 12

" B " as a mark, 53

" B. A. E.," initials on Liverpool
bowl, 246

*' Ballades in Blue China,"
quoted, 4

Bamboo ware (Wedgwood), 257

Banks, Sir Joseph, friend of
Cookworthy, 92

letter concerning Billings-
ley and Walker, 169

Barberini Vase (Wedgwood), 260,
261, 263

Basaltes (Wedgwood), 256
Bath, Camden Place, view on

Worcester vase, 80
Batons, crossed, as a mark, 7
Battersea, 29
printing, Horace Walpole

on, 240
Baxter (painter), Swansea, 172
** B B " as a mark, 182
Beauclerk, Lady Diana, design

for Wedgwood plaque, 277
Beddoes (painter), Swansea, 174
Bee and goats jug (Bow), 62, 63 ;

Chelsea, 35
Bellarmine — mugs thus named

(Low Countries), 197
'* Benbow, Francis," name on

Caughley mug, 137
Bentley, Thomas, partner with

We<^wood, 253
Bethnal Green Museum, pieces

reproduced from collection at.

Bow, 49, 50 ; Chelsea, 29 ;

Crown Derby, 3 ; Plymouth,

91 ; Spode, 152 ; Staffordshire

delft mug, 206 ; Wedgwood

Puzzle-jug, 212 ; Worcester,

80
Minton majolica fountain

at, 186
Billingsley, flower painter, 140,

165 ; at Nantgarw, 169 ; at

Swansea, 170
Bird (as a mark), Liverpool, 241
Biscuit, definition of, xxi.
Biscuit ware (Derby), 21

279

28o

INDEX

Biscuit, white porcelain (VVedg-

wcx>d), 257
Bloor, Robert (Derby), 15
Bloor-Derby marks, 16 ; Recent

Sale Prices, 24
illustrations of, tea-pot,

iii. ; vase, 17.
Blue dragon, introduced at Caugh-

Jey, 138
Blue-printed table service, the

first made in England, 138
Bone- ash porcelain, definition of,

xxiii.
Bone, Henry (Plymouth), 94
Bottcher, J. V. (Dresden), 196
Bow, 10-64 ; characteristics of

Bow china, 61 ; discovery of

fragments of china, 56 ; marks,

S3; 54» 60, 61 ; paste, 59 ;

printed wares at, 60 ; Recent

Sale Prices, 62
china, illustrations of,

figure, 50 ; fragments of, 56,

57 ; ink -stand, 49
Boyle, John (Minton), 182
Brameld (Rockingham), 118
Brislington, copper lustre at, 221
Bristol, 97-109 ; blue delft, 97 ;

characteristics of, 106 ; end of

factory, 104 ; Recent Sale

Prices, 107
china, illustrations of, cup

and saucer, 102 ; ** Mandarin "

decorated, 97 ; vase, 103

delft bowl, 213

pottery, 201

St. Vincent's Rock, view

on Worcester vase, 80
British Museum, specimen repro-
duced from collection at (Chel-
sea), 32 ; recent Lowestoft
acquisitions at, 124 ; Portland
vase, 264
Browne, Robert (Lowestoft), 115
Brunei, portrait of, on mug, 214
Buckingham, Duke of, connection

with Chelsea, 30
" Buckle, Elizabeth," name on

Lowestoft china, 1 1 7
** Burges, William and Elizabeth,''
names on delft mug, 206

Burke, Edmund, cup and saucer
from service ordered by, 102

encouragement of Richard

Champion by, 105

Bust, copper lustre, 227

" C " as a mark (Caughley), 140
"Calder, M. and E., Norwich,"

names on Lowestoft, 116
Camelford, Lord, clay on estate of

(Plymouth china), 91
" Cambrian " as a mark, 171
"Cambrian- Argil" as a mark, 216
Cambrian Pottery (Swansea), 170,

171
" C and G " as a mark, 156

Carlyle quoted on Worcester
china, 72

Carpenter, with tools, figure of
(Chelsea), 29

Case, Mort & Co. (Liverpool), 242

Catherine II. of Russia, Wedg-
wood's service for, 263

Caughley, 135-8; Marks, 140,
143 ; old blue mug, 137 ;
Recent Sale Prices, 147

Cave, Edward, of Worcester, 69

♦*C. B. D." as a mark, 142

" C. D." as a mark, 140

Chaffers, Richard, Liverpool, 240;
mark of, 240

Chamberlain, Worcester, 78 ;
marks of, 78 ; scent-bottle, 80

Chamberlain, Lilley & Kerr,
Worcester, 79

Champion, Richard, Bristol, 97-
106 ; his death in America,
105 ; Wedgwood's opinion of,
104

Chantilly sprig pattern (Derby),
22

Charlotte, Queen, Wedgwood's
service for, 253, 263

Chelsea 29-45 ; best period of,
33 ; characteristics of china, 40 ;
decline of, 35 ; illustrations of
— figure of carpenter, 29 ;
'* Foundling " Vase, 38 ; open-
work vase, 45 ; Vase in British

INDEX

281

Museum, 31 ; marks, 34, 35,
39 ; Chelsea marks imitated at
Coalport, 143; Recent Sale
Prices, 41

Cherokee Indians, clay from, used
at Bow, 51

'♦ Chesterfield " Vase (Chelsea), 37

China, definition of, xxi.

Christening cup, 2oi8

Christian, Liverpool, 241

Clay from Virginia (Plymouth),
92 ; from the Cherokee Indians,
(Bow), 51 ;

Lowestoft used at Wor-
cester, 114

Cleopatra, death ot (Chelsea
vase), 32

Coalport, 135-148 ; Billingsley
at, 165 ; Chelsea, Dresden,
Sevres marks imitated at, 143 ;
illustrations — plate (modern),
after Sir Joshua Reynolds, 145 ;
two-handled cup and saucer,
135 ; vase, 141 ; marks, 140, 142,
143 ; Nantgarw and Swansea
incorporated with, 140 ; Recent
Sale Prices, 147 ; service made
for Emperor of Russia, 142

Colebrookdale, 136-8

Cook, Captain, friend of Cook-
worthy, 92

Cookworthy, William (Plymouth),
91-96

" Cooper, John," name on I^we-
stoft china, 127

Copeland, discovery of Parian
ware by, 21, 156^158; excel-
lence of ware of 151, 158;
illustration, plates, 1 57 ; marks,
156 ; Recent Sale Prices, 161

Copeland & Garrett, marks of,

156

Copeland, W. T. & Sons, marks

of, 156
Copper Lustre Ware, best period

of, 225 ; illustrations of, 221, 222,

223, 225, 226
Courtney (late Bloor), Derby

china, 20
Cradle, old English earthenware,

207

Crescent as a mark, Bow, 54 ;
Caughley, 140, 143 ; Lowe-
stoft, 1 30 ; Worcester, 70, 71,

78
Cross as a mark. Bow, 53, 60 ;

Bristol, 100 ; Caughley, 140 ;

Lowestoft, 130
Crossed daggers, Derby mark, 8,

9, II
Crown-Derby, illustrations of, 3,

9, II, 13 ; marks, 7, 8, 16,20;

peculiarities in crown mark, 8 ;

Recent Sale Prices, 23
"C. S. N." as a mark, 142, 143
Cumberland, Duke of, contributes

annual sum to Chelsea, 33
" Curtis, James and Mary," names

on Lowestoft mug, 118
Curtis, Thomas (Lowestoft), 118
"C. W."asa mark, 169

"D" asa mark, 7, 8, 39

Dagger as a mark, 54

** Daniell " as a mark, 142

Da vies, William (of Worcester), 69

Delft, blue (Bristol), 97; Lowe-
stoft, 115; illustration of (Old
Staffordshire), 206

Delia Robbia ware copied by
Minton, 184

Derby, 3-25; biscuit ware, 21 ;
cause of decline of, 16 ; charac-
teristics of, 22 ; illustrations of,
Bloor-Derby, Hi., 17; Crown-
Derby, 3, 9, II, 13 ; marks—
Bloor-Derby, 16 ; Crown-
Derby, 7 ; Recent Sale Prices —
Bloor-Derby, 24 ; Crown-
Derby, 23 ; Derby-Chelsea, 44

Derby-Chelsea, 8, 39 ; marks, 39,
Recent Sale Prices, 44

De Witt, Cornelius, portrait of
(Wedgwood), 255

John, f)ortrait of (Wedg-
wood), 255

Dillwyn (Swansea), Etruscan
ware, 171^ 174; illustration of,
173 ; lustre ware made by, 228 ;
marks of, 171

282

INDEX

Dixon & Co. (lustre ware),
Sunderland, 228

Dobson, Mr. Austin, quoted, 68

Donaldson, painter, Worcester, 78

Doulton, Messrs., Lambeth, 29,
205

Dragon blue, introduced at
Caughley, 138

Dresden, copied, at Chelsea, 37 ;
at Worcester, 84

marks imitated at Coal-
port, 143

origin of factory at, 196

Dudley House, Chelsea vases at,

39
Duesbury, William (the first), 6,
8 ; the second, 12 ; the third,

Duesbur)' & Sheffield (Derby), 15
Dwight, John, 202 ; the inventor
of porcelain in England, 29

Earl St. Vincent, friend of Cook-
worthy, 92

Earthenware, definition of xxi. ;
old English, 193-218

Egyptian ware (Wedgwood), 258

" England," use of word on
modern china, 144

English ware universal on Con-
tinent, 253

slip ware, 208

Etruria, 253; first vase produced
at, 254

Etruscan ware, Dillwyn (Swan-
sea), 171, 174 ; illustration of,

J73
Evans & Co. , Swansea, 1 74

*' F" as a mark, 53
Falstaff, Quin as. Bow figure, 55
" Fayence, Spode's new," 154
Felspar porcelain (Coal port), 140 ;

Minton & Boyle, 182
Flaxman, design on Wedgwood

(France and England), 260,

263

I Flight, Thomas (Worcester), 78 ;

marks of, 78
Flight & Barr, 78 ; Billingsley,

painter, with, 165 ; marks, 78
Flora, Bow figure of, 64
Fordyce, Lady Mai^ret, designs

on china painted by, 12
" Foundling " Vase (Chelsea), 37,

38
Frank, R., Brislington, 228

Frederick, Prince of Wales, por-
trait of, painted by Frye, 51

Frederick the Great (Worcester
mug), Carlyle's description of,
72 ; illustration of, xiii., 73

French sprig pattern (Derby), 22

Frc^ mug, Sunderland, 203

Frye Thomas(ofWest Ham), 51 ;
as a mezzotint engraver, 52 ;
various signatures of, 60

Fuddling cup, 207

Fulham pottery, 202

fiip-mug, Alexander Sel-

kirk, 214

Garrick, as Richard HI., Bow

figure, 55
George H., patron of Chelsea, 33
German workmen brought to

Chelsea by George IL, 33
Glass, Joseph, potter, 207
Glassy porcelain, definition of,

xxiii.
Glaze, definition of, xxi. ; leadless,

144
Globe as a mark, 184
Goats and bee jug (Bow), 62, 63 ;

Chelsea, 35
Gold Lustre Ware, 232, 233 ; jug,

232
Grainger, Lee & Co., Worcester,

81 ; marks, 79
Green, Guy, Liverpool, 238

" H " as a mark, Lowestoft, 129
Hancock, Robert, engraver, 72
76

INDEX

283

Hard paste, definition of, xxii.

Hard porcelain, first manufacture
of, in England, 91 ; made at
Bristol, 97, 98 ; at New Hall,
105 ; at Plymouth, 91

Harrison, John, 250

** Harvey, William," name on
Lowestoft, 123

Henri II. faience, copied by
Minton, 185

Herculaneum Pottery (Liverpool),
200, 241

Heylin, Edward (of Bow), 51

Hogarth, '* Midnight Conversa-
tion" of, Liverpool bowl, 246

Hughes, Lowestoft, 129

Ironstone china, Mason, xxii.,

216 ; illustrated, xvii., 217
Isleworth, 205
** I. W." as a mark, 199, 211

Tackfield, factory at, 138

japan patterns used at Derby, 22

Japanese influence on Spode, 1 55 ;

Derby, 22
Jasper ware (Wedgwood), 257 ;

illustrations of, 249, 258, 259
Johnson, Dr., experiments of, at

Chelsea factory, 40

'* K & B, Worcester," as a mark,

79.
Kaolin, xxiii., 195

Kean, Michael (Derby), 15

Kerr & Binns (Worcester), 79

King of Prussia mug, Carlyle's

description of, 72 ; Sale Prices,

Kishere, Mortlake, 205

*' L," two letters, mark on
Lowestoft, 130

Lamb, Charles, on Old China, 4

Lambeth, Dutch potters at, in
seventeenth century, 205

Lane, Delph, 216

Lang, Mr. Andrew, verse quoted, 4

Laurel wreath on Bristol china,
106, 107

Lead glaze, definition of, xxi.

Lead, large amount used in Bow
glaze, 62

Leadless Glaze, xxi., 144

Leeds pottery, 201

Limoges enamel, copied at Wor-
cester, 83

Lister, Dr. Martin, 30

Liverpool, pottery once its staple
manufacture, 200

Queen's Ware (Wedg-
wood), decorated at, 253

Liverpool ware, 237-246 ; illus-
trations of, 237, 243, 244, 245 ;
Marks, 240, 241 ; tiles, 245 ;
Recent Sale Prices, 246

Locker & Co. (late Bloor) (Derby),
20

Longbeards, mugs thus named
(Low Countries), 197

Lonsdale, Lord, Derby service,
sketches made by, 1 2

Lowestoft, 113-131 ; birthday tab-
lets, 123 ; Bow & Chelsea copied
by, 127 ; characteristics of,
130; coats of arms on, 115;
delft, old, attributed to, 115;
errors concerning, 115, 119;
illustrations of, 113, 117, 118,
122, 123, 125, 128, 129; marks,
127, 129, 130; moulds and frag-
ments "recently discovered, 122 ;
old factory, site of, 121 ; Oriental
influence on, 127 ; origin of,
114; Sale Prices, 130 ; spurious
imitations made in France, 127 ;
Worcester, its resemblance to,
127

Luson, Hewlin (Lowestoft), 121

Lustre ware, copper, 221-227 ;
gold, 232, 233 ; silver, 227-232 ;
illustrations of— copper, 221,
222, 223, 225, 226 ; gold, 232 ;
silver, 227, 228, 229, 231

284

INDEX

"M "as a mark, 182
*'M & Co." as a mark, 184
"M & B'^ as a mark, 182
Mandarin decorated porcelain,

Bristol, 97, 99 ; Lowestoft, 1 16,

1 27 ; Worcester, 83
Marriage plates, 114, 115
Mason, Miles, mark of, 216

Charles, James, 216

Patent Ironstone China,

xxii.,215, 216; illustrated, xvii.,

217 ; marks, 216; Sale Prices,

218
Mayflower, in relief, Bow pattern,

Meissen, origin of factory at, 196
Mill to grind old folks young, 271
Minton, Thomas, 181-2
Minton ware, 181-189 ; faience,
181 ; illustrations, 183, 185,
186, 189; majolica, 186 ; marks,
182, 184 ; reproduction of Henri
II. ware, 185; Sale Prices, 187
Minton & Boyle, mark of, 182
Minton-Campbell, Colin, 182 ;
Sale Prices of his china col-
lection, 187
Minton, Hollins & Co., 184
Moore & Co., Lustre ware,

Sunderland, 228
Morris, painter, Swansea, 174
Mortlake, pottery at, 205
Mottoes on earthenware, 206,

208, 211-214
Moulds, xxii. ; disinterment of, at
Lowestoft, 122; illustration of,

Nankin pattern, Caughley, 138
Nantgarw, 166-171 ; characteris-
tics of, 175 ; founders of, solicit
government patronage, 169 ;
glassy nature of, 169 ; illus-
tration of, 166 ; marks, 169,
170, 171 ; Sale Prices, 175
Nelson, portraits of, on jugs, 214
New Canton, title of Bow
Factory, 49

Newcastle mugs and jugs, 201
*' New Fayence, Spode," 154
Nollekens, Life of, quoted, 30
Nottingham, 202

Oiron faience (copied by Minton),

i8S

Old folks, mill to grind young,

271

O'Neale, painter, Worcester, 78

Opaque, xxii. ; opaque porcelain
(Spode), 153

Oriental models copied at Bow,
58 ; at Caughley, 137 ; at Chel-
sea, 35, 37, 39; at Coalport,
144 ; by Minton, 181 ; by
Spode, 1 54 ; at Worcester, 67 ,
70 85

marks on English china

(Chelsea), 39 ; Worcester, 71
porcelain, having English

coats of arms, 115, 120,
Over-glaze, xxii.

" P" as a mark, 240

Palissy ware copied by Minton,

184
Parian ware (Copeland), 158 ; how

discovered, 21
** Parrish" (of Norwich), name on

delft plates, 115
Parting cups, 208
Paste, definition of, xxii. ; hard,

91, 97, 98, 105
Pastille-burner (Crown Derby),

II ; Spode, 52
Pastorella, woman playing the

(Bow), 50, 53
Pennington, mark of, 240, 241
Perdita(Mrs. Robinson), portrait

of, on modern Coalport, 146
Petersburg, 197
Petuntse, xxiii., 195
Philips, Richard (Lowestoft), 127,

129
Piggin, 208
Pinxton, Billingsley at^ 165

INDEX

28s

Planche, Andrew, originator of

Derby works, 6
Plato, portrait medallion of

(Wedgwood), 255
Plymouth, 01-96; characteristics

of, 106 ; illustrations of, 91, 94,

95 ; marks, 94, 96 ; Sale Prices,

107
Plymouth, - Lady, designs on

Derby painted by, 12
Porcelain, definition of, xxiii., 195 ;

hardy first manufacture of, in

England, 91 ; at Bristol, 97,

98 ; at New Hall, 105 ; at

Plymouth, 91
Porphyry (Wedgwood), 256, 258
Portland Vase, 260, 261, 263
Portrait medallions (Wedgwood),

255, 274, 275, 276
Posset- mug, 207

pot, 207

Pottery, definition of, xxiii., 194
Powles, Richard (Lowestoft), 129
Prices, why old china commands

high; 106
Printed table service, first blue,

made in England, 138
Printing on china, xxiii.
transfer, at Battersea,

240; at Liverpool, 237, 239;

at Worcester, 72
Purple Lustre ware, 232
Puzzle jugs 207 ; illustration of

(Wedgwood), 212

Queen Charlotte, Wedgwood
service for, 200, 253, 263

Queen's Ware (Wedgwood), 253,
270 ; importance of, in history
of ceramics, 200

Quin as Falstaff, Bow figure of,

55
" Quinton" (of Yarmouth), name

on delft plates, 115

** R" as a mark, 184 ; initial on
Lowestoft, 129

Redgrave (Lowestoft), 129

Reid & Co. (Liverpool), 241

•*' Resist" pattern (Lustre ware),

231
" R. H.," signature on Worcester

mug, 72, 76
Richard III., Garrick as, Bow

figure, 55
Ring, Joseph, Bristol, 201
Robinson, Mrs. (Perdita), portrait

of, on modern Coalport, 146
Rockingham, unfinished ware

from, sold to Robert Allen

(Lowestoft), 118
Rose, French refugee, painter at

Lowestoft, 118
Rose, John (Caughley), 138-9 ;

Swansea factory purchased by,

174
Rose, L & Co., marks of, 142

" R. P.," initials on Lowestoft, 127

Russia, Emperor of, modern

service made for (Coalport), 142
Catherine of, Wedgwood

service made for, 263

"S" as a mark, 140

Saddlers' Hall, portrait of
Frederick, Prince of Wales,
at, SI

Sadler, John (Liverpool), 238 ;
signature on tile, 246

Sadler & Green, 239 ; Wedg-
wood's Queen's Ware decorated

by, 253

Sale Prices —
Bloor Derby, 24
Bow, 62
Bristol, 107
Caughley, 147
Chelsea, 41
Coalport, 147
Copeland, 161
Crown Derby, 23
Derby, Crown, 23

Bloor, 24

Chelsea, 44

Liverpool, 246
Lowestoft, 130

286

INDEX

Sale Prices* continued —
Mason's Ware, 21 8
Minton, 187
Nantgarw, 175
Plymouth, 107
Spode, 159
Staffordshire, 218
Swansea, 176
Wedgwood, 273
Whieldon, 272
Worcester, 84
Salopian, 136; marks, 140
Schnorr, John (Dresden), 196
Schrieber, Lady Charlotte, col-
lection of, 78
Selkirk, Alexander, his mug,

214
Sevres, artist from, at Plymouth,
94 ; copied, at Chelsea, 37 ; at
Coalport, 143 ; at Worcester,
77 ; marks of, imitated at Coal-
port, 143
*S. H." as a mark, 20
Sharp (Stevenson, Sharp & Co.),

Derby, 20
Shaw (Liverpool), 240, 241
Shylock figure (Chelsea), 41
Silver Lustre ware, 229-231 ;
illustrations of, 227, 228, 229,
231 ; modern imitations of, 227
Slip ware, old English, 208
Smeaton (builder of Eddystone
Lighthouse), friend of Cook-
worthy, 92
Soft paste, definition of, xxii.
Soqui, Sevres artist at Plymouth,

94
Spode, Josiah the first 151 ; the

second, 153 ; the third, 153

ware, characteristics of,

158; illustrations of, 151, 152,
155; marks, 153, 155 ; Sale
Prices, 159; supersedes French
wares on the Continent, 153
Sprig, Angouleme, imitated by
Derby, 22 ; Chantilly pattern
(Derby), 22
Sprinvont, Nicholas, at Chelsea,

33
Spring and Summer, group, Chel-
sea, 41

Square seal as a mark (Worcester),

Staffordshire earthenware, illus-
trations of, xi., 198, 199; Sale
Prices, 218

Stevenson & Hancock, 20

Sharp & Co. , 20

Stone china — M inton, 1 82 ; Spode,

154
Sunderland, 201, 202, 214; frog

mugs, 202 ; illustrations of mugs

and jugs, 193, 203
Swansea, 171-174 ; characteristics

of, 175 ; chief painters at, 173 ;

illustrations of, vii., 172, 173 ;

marks, 171 ; sale of factory to

John Rose (Coalport), 174; Sale

Prices, 176
Swords, crossed, as a mark, 20

" T " as a mark, 60, 63, lOO

Temple Bar, view of (Bloor
Derby vase), 25

Terra-cotta ware (Wedgwood), 256

Thames Tunnel, view of, on mug,
214

Tiles, enamelled Minton, 184 ;
printed Liverpool, 237, 239

Tithe pig — subject on Liverpool
mug, 246

"To (signature of Tebo), as a
mark, 60, 63

Toby jug, 197

Tortoiseshell ware, 250, 251

Toy sets, Lowestoft, 124

Transfer-printing, xxiii. , 72 ; illus-
trations of Liverpool, 237, 243,
244, 245 ; Worcester, 67, 73

Translucent, xxiii.

Triangle as a mark, 33, 35, 39

Trident as a mark, 171

True porcelain, definition of, xxiii.

Turner, dark blue Caughley, 136,
137 ; mark of, 140

Tyg, 208

Unaker, 51
Under-glaze, xxii.

INDEX

287

Venice, anchor as mark, 30 ;

workmen from, at Chelsea, 30
Vicar and Moses, StaflFordshire

figure, 199
Victoria and Albert Museum,

Bow, 57 ; Worcester, 78 ; Oiron

faience, 185
Vienna, 197
Vincennes, origin of, 30
Virginia, clay from (Ply niouth), 92

" W" as a mark, 71, 79

Walker, Samuel, 140, 165 ; at
Nantgarw, 169 ; at Swansea,
170

Wall, Dr. John, founder of
Worcester, 69 ; his death, 77 ;
painting by, in Merton College,
Oxford, 69

Walpole, Horace, quoted, on
Battersea printing, 240 ; on
Chelsea, 33

Wear, cast-iron bridge across
(Sunderland mug), 202

Wedgwood, Josiah, 249, 250 ; art
of the potter, views concerning,
265 ; monument to, at Stoke-
on-Trent, 268 ; opposes Cook-
worthy and Champion's patent
(Bristol), 97 ; opinion of, con-
cerning Richard Champion, 104

Wedgwood Ware, 249-276 ; early
imitation of jewels, 252 ; illus-
trations of, 207, 249, 256, 259,

260, 277 ; lustre ware, 228,
marks of, 269, 270 ; Queen's
ware, 253 ; printed at Liverpool,
240 ; Sale Prices, 273

Wedgwood catalogues, 265

Wedgwood & Bentley, marks of,
269

Wedg^wood, spurious mark imi-
tating Wedgwood, 270

Welsh ware, Isle worth, 205

Whieldon, Thomas, 251 ; illus-
tration of Whieldon ware, 251 ;
Spode apprenticed to, 151

White porcelain biscuit (Wedg-
wood), 257

Willow pattern plate, introduced
at Caughley, 137 ; illustration
of, i. ; Spode, 152

Wilson (Staffordshire), Lustre
w^are 228

Wolcot', Dr. ("Peter Pindar"),
friend of Cookworthy, 92

Wolfe, General, death of, on jug,
214

Wood, Ralph (Burslem), 199

Worcester, 67-88 ; Billingsley,
flower-painter at, 165 ; charac-
teristics of old, 83 ; illustrations
of, xiii., 67, 73, 77, 81 ; taarks,
70, 71, 78, 79; Sale Prices, 84

Wrotham, Kent, 202

Yarmouth, pottery at, 200
Young, W. W., painter, Nant-
garw, 170, 171

UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON.

HARVARD COLLEGE
LIBRARY

PtLOM THB LtBRARV OF

MRS. MARY M. BARCLAY

of St. Louii, MiMouri

DR. JULIUS HOWARD PRATT
MRS. LUCY E. MCCLELLAND
. Dr. ROBERT BARCLAY

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