Posts Tagged ‘English’

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Shelley Art Deco cup & saucer, c.1930

Saturday, February 25th, 2012

“Vogue” shaped porcelain teacup in the bright yellow Sunray pattern 11742, designed by Eric Slater for Shelley and introduced in August 1930. Discontinued in 1933, due to impractically designed hard to hold cup handle.

Teacup has footed conical form and measures 2-1/2′ high and the saucer is 4″ in diameter.

Stamped in green on the bottom: Shelley; ENGLAND; Rd 756533 with pattern number 11742-4.

A close up of one of the metal staples which was drilled through the outside of the delicate cup, holding the 2 broken pieces together.

The inside of the teacup reveals the ends of the staples flanking the crack.

This “perfect” example can be seen in the ceramics collection at the V&A  Museum in London.

IMG_0180

Tags:, ,
Posted in cup/saucer, saucer | 7 Comments »

Child’s pearlware teapot, c.1790

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

Miniature pearlware pottery child’s teapot made in England in the late 1700’s. With cobalt blue underglazed Chinese House (aka Pagoda and Fence) decoration, derived from English Chinoiserie pieces rather than actual Chinese ornamentation.

I am surprised I have not come across more examples of miniatures and children’s items with inventive repairs, as I would imagine that slippery little fingers would surely have caused many a fragile toy to break. I just hope the children who damaged these items were not punished too severely.

Teapot measures 2-1/2″ high and was most likely made in Staffordshire between the years 1780 and 1800.

The simple loop handle which broke off over one hundred years ago, was replaced with a sturdy tin replacement with crimped edges and an upper support band by an itinerant tinsmith, look at the wild thing review. The top portion of the original handle was not ground down and still remains.

Provenance sticker: Roger Bacon Collection, Skinner auction Sept. 23-24, 1982.

This similarly shaped and decorated child’s teapot of the same size still has its original handle and an intact lid.

Photo courtesy of Pinterest

Tags:, , , , ,
Posted in teapot | 5 Comments »

Free-blown glass goblet, c.1790

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

This free-blown conical shaped wine glass with gadrooned bowl stands 4-1/2″ tall. I believe it to be of European origin and made in the late 1700s.

I especially like the lozenge shaped glass bubble “imperfection” on the side, which looks like a microscopic organism.

A crafty tinsmith transformed this goblet in to a tumbler, after the stem and foot snapped off sometime during its early life.

A “witches hat” style tin replacement foot with concave bottom measures 3″ in diameter.

This unaltered goblet with the same design still maintains its original double knob stem.

Photo courtesy of eBay

Tags:, ,
Posted in glass/goblet | No Comments »

“Farmers Arms” harvest jug, c.1805

Saturday, October 15th, 2011

An English pearlware “Dutch” shape jug made in Staffordshire, England in the early 1800’s. It is decorated on both sides with a black transfer decoration with red & yellow overglaze washes and silver lustre bands at the top and bottom. Although it has been beat up over the past 200+ years, is riddled with numerous chips and cracks and lost its original handle along the way, I am glad to have plucked it from near oblivion.

The banner proclaims “INDUSTRY PRODUCETH WEALTH” along with images including a bee hive, shafts of wheat and farm tools.

Jug measures 4-3/4″ tall.

Below a banner which reads “TRUST IN GOD” is the verse:

“SUCCESS TO THE FLEECE

THE PLOUGH AND THE PAIL

MAY TAXES GROW LESS

AND THE TENANT NE’ER FAIL”

The replacement metal handle with thumb rest has been painted silver to blend in and appear more pleasing.

A metal bolt, securing the metal handle to the body of the jug, can be seen from the inside of the fragile jug.

This example has the same form and silver lustre decoration as my jug and shows what the original handle might have looked like.

Photo courtesy of Powerhouse Museum

Tags:, , , ,
Posted in jug | 3 Comments »

Hunting scene tavern jug, c.1860

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

English salt-glaze stoneware cream jug with sprigged decoration entitled “The Kill”, made in the mid-1800’s, possibly in Derbyshire. The glass-like coating is achieved by adding salt to the kiln and firing at approx 1660 degrees F (780 degrees C). As the sodium chloride vaporizes and bonds with the silica in the clay, it creates a silicate glass “salt-glaze” finish.

Jug stands 4-1/2″ high and is 5″ wide.

Over 150 years ago, a tinsmith repaired the broken handle with a metal replacement, complete with thumb rest and straps.

A screw and metal strap, part of the molded sprigged decoration, “held” the original ceramic handle in place, and now an actual metal handle has replaced the broken handle.

This jug, similar in form and decoration, still has its original handle intact.

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Tags:, , ,
Posted in jug | 4 Comments »

Bowie knife with wood handle, c.1890

Saturday, July 9th, 2011

Hunting knife with a “Bowie” blade, named after Colonial James “Jim” Bowie in the early 1800’s. Measures 11-1/4″ long from end of handle to the tip of the blade.

Marked “ALFRED WILLIAMS, SHEFFIELD ENGLAND” on the middle of the steel blade.

Both the iron guard and turned oak wood handle are replacements and are held together with the aid of a nut and bolt.

The original handle would have been made of bone, as seen on this Bowie knife made by Alfred Williams.

Photo courtesy of Northwest Pony Express

Tags:,
Posted in household | 1 Comment »

“Wounded survivor” teapot, c.1810

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

What do you do when a staunch survivor of over 200 years and with multiple battle scars exposing its difficult life appears with a fresh wound? This teapot arrived from overseas with a shattered handle, much to my dismay. I have often said that there is nothing as redundant as a “broken” make-do so I plan on repairing the handle with an inventive repair of my own. Stay tuned.

Lushly decorated porcelain teapot with bun feet and matching stand, made in Derby, England around 1810. Teapot measures 6″ tall and 11″ wide from the tip of the spout to the end of the broken handle.

Hand painted polychrome decoration features a stylized gilt cachepot surrounded by elaborate scrollwork, floral flourishes, bunches of grapes and a Greek key border.

Well over 100 years ago, the tip of the damaged spout was fitted with a gilt-finish metal replacement and the neck was repaired with 5 metal staples, overpainted in white enamel to blend in.

The matching oval tray measures 6-1/2″ x 8″…

with a symmetrical break…

held back in place with the aid of 6 metal staples.

Marked on the underside with a red crown Derby mark and pattern number “770”.

Tags:, , ,
Posted in plate/platter, teapot | 7 Comments »

Classical jasperware teapot, c.1840

Friday, March 25th, 2011

The body of this small unglazed stoneware teapot is made of pale blue jasper (comprised of 59% barium sulphate, 29% clay, 10% flint, 2% barium carbonate) and is decorated with an applied white relief jasper classical scene decoration. It was made in Staffordshire, England around 1830-1850.

Teapot stands 4″ tall. The lid has a skep shaped knob.

The replaced metal handle is fastened to the body using metal bands that wrap around the top collar and bottom of the teapot. Although this method of repair is more unsightly than two small bolts holding a new handle to the body, it is less likely to leak.

Bottom is marked only with the number “43” incised in an applied relief seal. The remains of an earlier putty repair are also evident.

Tags:, , , ,
Posted in teapot | 5 Comments »

King Charles spaniel jug, c.1865

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

Whimsical “begging” King Charles spaniel with tricorn hat pottery jug, made in Staffordshire, England, in the mid-1800’s. Painted in iron red overglazed decoration with a fruiting vine molded rim and a gold collar.

Much of the original painted decoration has worn off of Fido’s face…

…leaving this poor pooch looking a bit sad.

Jug stands 10-3/4″ high.

The previous owner of this jug purchased it in Zaire in the early 1980’s, where its missing handle was repaired with a crudely made clay replacement. I have seen many extraordinary indigenous repairs on African masks, bowls, baskets and even tiny beads.

This happy pup stands tall with paint intact and its original pottery handle.

Photo courtesy of Antique Pooch

Tags:, , ,
Posted in jug | 1 Comment »

Canary yellow mug with 46 staples, c.1820

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011

This canary yellow pottery mug with silver lustre bands and decoration was made in England in the early 19th century. I recently purchased it from a dealer in the UK who used the “tankard” as his pencil cup. He wrote me “(It) sits on my desk. Only dealers appreciate it! My customers think I am crazy”. I, of course, do not think he’s crazy and it’s too bad his customers did not appreciate it, nor see the beauty in the patterns made by the multiple repairs. It did take a little bit of convincing for the dealer to agree to sell it to me and after I told him “please consider how happy the mug will be living in America with other wounded survivors!”, we agreed on a fair price. I sent payment, the mug arrived 2 weeks later and it has become my new favorite piece!

Measures 3-1/2″ tall, 3-5/8″ diameter.

Every angle reveals more and more staples…

Comical poem printed on the front reads:

“The maltster doth crave

His money to have,

The distiller says have it he must;

By this you may see,

How the case stands with me;

So I pray don’t ask me to trust”

After this mug was smashed, the body was held together with the aid of 40 metal staples of varying size and the handle was repaired with 6 metal bands. It must have been truly cherished by whoever had it repaired.

I love the stylized sunbursts, enhanced by the addition of metal staples, on both sides of the mug.

Tags:, , ,
Posted in mug/tankard | 16 Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »