Past Imperfect, The Art of Inventive Repair

Worcester teapot with thimble spout, c.1770

April 14th, 2013

A fine example of a globular form porcelain teapot made in England by Worcester in the 3rd quarter of the 18th century, it is hand painted with polychrome enamels in the Conjurer pattern, with unusual cobalt blue underglaze rim decoration.

Teapot measures 7-1/2″ wide from handle to spout and stands 4-1/2″ high minus its original flower finial lid. Metal replacement spouts on teapots are one of the most common inventive repairs I encounter and I have dozens of examples ranging from crudely cut tin, to ornately chased silver.

I purchased this one a few months ago under the guise of the spout’s having a typical metal replacement, as I was interested in owning my first Worcester teapot. But as I unpacked, upon closer inspection I discovered that the replacement spout was actually a repurposed 19th century sterling silver thimble!

What an ingenious solution to saving two precious, much used household objects. It seems that the thimble, which must have been jabbed by a needle one too many times, and finally bearing a hole in the end, was crudely cut at an angle and cemented to the damaged end of the ceramic spout. With such a simple DIY solution, I am surprised I haven’t seen more repairs done in this manner. I can only imagine that had Hints from Heloise appeared in 19th century newspapers, there would be many more examples like this in existence today.

Another Worcester example with similar form and decoration shows what the lid and end of the spout would have looked like on my teapot.

Photo courtesy of Trocadero

Tags: English, metal spout, porcelain, silver
Posted in teapot | 4 Comments »

Pair of armorial sauce boats, c.1790

April 7th, 2013

As collectors, we all have stories of “the one that got away” and for me it happened in June 1991, on the very first day I started collecting antiques with inventive repairs. Having landed in London the night before and still jet lagged, I stumbled down Portobello Road and wandered into a crowded stall selling porcelains. I spotted a pair of Chinese Export sauce boats each with a replaced metal loop handle. Pleading with the dealer to sell me just one, which I could barely afford, she broke up the pair and I happily walked away with what would be the start of my collection. Even then, I immediately regretted not being able to afford its mate, but I was pleased to at least own the one. To this day, I keep hoping I will come across the orphan I left behind and be able to reunite the two. So, if anyone can help me locate the long lost twin, I will be forever grateful and you will be rewarded for your excellent sleuthing!

The lone survivor of my maddening “Sophie’s Choice” moment

You can imagine how happy I was to have been recently contacted by dealer Polly Latham of Boston, MA, offering me a pair of Chinese Export sauce boats, each with identical replacement handles and decorated with an armorial coat of arms, no less. This pair, a part of a larger dinner service, was made for export to the English market at the end of the 18th century and bear the Arms of Maitland, 8th Earl of Lauderdale (1759-1839). Maitland, a noted statesman, politician and controversial social and political critic of his time, criticized the clergy, condemned slavery and was an ardent supporter of the French Revolution. The motto under the coat-of-arms, intricately painted in polychrome enamels with gilt highlights, translates to “Wisdom and Courage”. Each measures 2 inches high and 7.75 inches long.

I am pleased to proclaim that as long as I am the caretaker of this fine pair, they shall remain unseparated. You can click here if you want more info.

The replaced handles are made of forged brass, covered in woven rattan, and pinned to the end of the sauce boats with two metal rivets. The rattan covering is not only decorative but also used to insulate the metal handle from the hot contents.

Take a look at the rest of the large dinner service, all bearing the arms of Maitland, including a pair of identical sauce boats with original handles intact, located in the center of the middle shelf.

Photo courtesy of P olly Latham Antiques

Tags: armorial, blue & white, brass, Chinese, metal handle, porcelain, rattan
Posted in sauce boat | 3 Comments »

Small toy cannon, c.1880

March 31st, 2013

I hit the jackpot this past November while visiting friends in southern Vermont for the Thanksgiving holiday. On “Black Friday”, my dear friend Hilary and I ventured out to visit a few local antiques shops when I stumbled upon a set of three toy cannons, graduating in size, and each with a unique inventive repair.

This little gem, the smallest of the three, measures 3-1/2″ long and is 1-1/2″ tall. The tiny cast brass barrel, with its lovely green patina, is set in to the simple, yet effective, replacement base carved from a small block of wood, and held in place by two metal loops.

I particularly like the the three steps in the back and how the top of the wooden base was carved out in the exact shape of the cannon’s barrel so it would fit snugly in place. The dark greenish-brown painted surface remains mostly intact but shows some wear due, no doubt, to endless hours of battles played out in the safe confines of a patriotic young boy’s back yard. These toy cannons might have been manufactured in 1876, to help commemorate America’s centennial.

I will be posting the other two cannons from the same lot in the coming months, so be on the lookout. And please take a look at another small toy cannon, with a much cruder home-made repair, previously posted in these pages.

This toy cast iron ship’s signal cannon from the early 1800s shows what the original base on my cannon might have looked like.

Photo courtesy of Land and Sea Collection

Tags: American, brass, miniature, wood base
Posted in toy | 3 Comments »

Eva Zeisel majolica teapot, c.1929

March 23rd, 2013

This boldly painted, hard to find teapot was designed by no other than Eva Zeisel, who worked for Majolika Fabrik in Schramberg, Germany. She arrived in the small Black Forest town in the fall of 1928 and left nearly two years later in the spring of 1930, creating nearly 200 brightly colored pottery objects of Art Deco inspired design. This lightweight pottery teapot measures 7-1/2″ tall and is 8-3/4″ wide from handle to spout.

I am not surprised that this fragile teapot did not remain unscathed over the past 84 years, as the low fired clay is susceptible to breakage. A large broken piece at the top of the pot has been reapplied, aided by three large metal staples, each measuring nearly 3/4″ long. To help camouflage this none-too-subtle repair, the staples were overpainted in matching tones, with only traces of color remaining. To add insult to injury, the top portion of the handle, once broken off, has been riveted back on to the body. Tightly woven rattan envelopes the entire handle and the lower portion of the teapot, although I am not sure if this is was a later addition. Original or not, the basket-like embellishment adds another layer of quirkiness to this most desirable vessel.

The stamped mark on the bottom reads: Majolika, SMF (contained within a shield), Schramberg Handyemalt, 64.

Photo courtesy of Kulturprojekte Berlin

These are more examples of majolica designed by Eva Zeisel during her years in Schramberg, Germany

An early photograph of Eva Zeisel in her studio, c. 1930.

Photos courtesy of John Foster

Tags: German, pottery, rattan, staples/rivets
Posted in teapot | 6 Comments »

Chinoiserie print ale mug, c.1790

March 17th, 2013

This substantial ale mug was manufactured at the turn of the 18th century, possibly by Caughley, in Shropshire, England. It stands 5-1/2″ tall and is made of soft-paste porcelain with a pearlware glaze, and decorated with a bold cobalt blue Chinoiserie fantasy transfer print. It was purchased in London by my father and given to me as my 40th birthday present. Seeing it reminds me of how proud he was when he found pieces to add to my numerous collections. Although it has just 2 small brass staples by the handle and not an over abundance of obvious repairs, as more typically seen in these pages, I am still very happy to own it.

Tags: blue & white, English, pearlware, porcelain, staples/rivets
Posted in mug/tankard | 5 Comments »

Chinese coffee cup, c.1760

March 2nd, 2013

This Chinese porcelain coffee cup was made during the Qianlong period (1736-1795) for export to North America and Europe. It has polychrome enamel decoration in the Famille Rose palette and an inner rim with an iron red band and gilt Greek key detailing.

The decoration on the front of the cup shows a vase holding flowers and a box containing what looks like a teapot or an incense burner.

Cup is unsigned and stands 2-1/2″ high, with an opening of 2-1/2″.

The remains of the original broken handle have been filed down but are still visible even after the addition of a replacement handle, made from a single piece of scrolled metal. I particularly like the added flourish at the bottom of the handle.

My cup would have originally had a matching saucer and a loop handle, much like the example below.

Photo courtesy of Ruby Lane

Tags: Chinese, metal handle, porcelain, Qianlong
Posted in cup/saucer | 3 Comments »

Sterling turtle tape measure, c.1920

February 23rd, 2013

I just returned from the Antiques Garage Flea Market in Chelsea with this whimsical turtle-shaped tape measure with an inventive repair. It was purchased from dealer Janet West, who has great taste and wonderful eye for the unusual. The sterling and brass tape measure dates from the first quarter of the 20th century and measures 2-3/8″ long. Written in a quirky font in raised letters on the back “I have three feet that measure thirty six inches”, a witticism pertaining to the 3′ cloth tape measure once concealed inside the shell. When the original silver head became detached and lost, a clever person whittled a new head out of wood, carefully carving out delicate facial features. So even though this perky little turtle began its life as a sewing implement for an adult, it was reborn as a toy to be played with and loved by the next generation.

This lucky guy still has his original silver head, but I think mine has more character.

It’s no wonder the original head and flimsy cloth tape on my little fellow became detached. I would bet a small child pulled the head out one too many times, just as I would have done at that age.

Photos courtesy of Silver Magpie

I am a turtle lover and would have bought the tape measure even if it were in “perfect” condition but as you know from reading my posts, perfection is in the eye of the beholder and to me this one IS perfect. My love of turtles began in the second grade when I was taken on a class trip to the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, NJ. Soon after that I had a quick succession of pet turtles, all named Cornelius, and all buried in the back yard of our Short Hills, NJ 1920s English Tudor style house. As the turtle tape measure and my old house date from the same period, the original home owner might have owned my tape measure!

Now we have dozens of unnamed turtles, which I look forward to seeing each spring, in the pond at our house in Upstate NY. I took this photo of an eastern painted turtle laying her eggs in our garden last summer.

Tags: silver, wood
Posted in pin cushion/sewing | 7 Comments »

Wucai teapot with misplaced handle, c.1690

February 16th, 2013

This early porcelain teapot was made in China in the late 1600s and is a good example of an original form shifting to become current with the next generation. It is decorated in the Wucai palette, consisting of five enamel colors outlined in black and measures 5.5 inches high and 7.25 inches from handle to spout. What I love most about this piece is that by the time the original fixed upright handle broke off, it was replaced with a rattan-wrapped metal handle attached to the side of the teapot. Most likely the break occurred over one hundred years after the teapot was made, which explains why the placement of the new handle is more in keeping with teapots of the early 19th century. This act of altering the original form of a piece is reminiscent of clobbered wares; a practice of painting over simply decorated porcelain with multi color enamels to appeal to changing styles. An added bonus is the presence of long meal staples at the top of the neck, holding together two broken pieces back in place.

This teapot shows what the fixed vertical handle on my teapot would have looked like before the replacement handle was attached to the side.

Photo courtesy of Grays

Tags: Chinese, metal handle, porcelain, rattan, staples/rivets
Posted in teapot | 5 Comments »

Bahima milk container, c.1950

February 10th, 2013

A wooden milk container, known as ekyanzi, was made in Uganda, Africa by the Hima/Bahima tribe in the mid-20th century. It measures 9-1/2″ tall, with a 2-1/2″ diameter opening. The wonderfully graphic indigenous repairs, including zipper-like alternating folded tabs to mend cracks, and coin-shaped plugs to fill holes, are made of recycled aluminum. The equally graphic woven covers are not always found with the pots and are collected independently.

A Bahima girl with her family’s wooden milk pots. The lighter colored pots are made from gourds.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Tags: African, aluminum, metal bands, wood
Posted in pot/jar | 1 Comment »

American redware pot, c.1850

February 2nd, 2013

I found this great little red clay pottery pot in Maine a few years back and it continues to amuse me. It has an appealing patinated surface and an unusual thrifty make-do repair, typical of pieces found in New England. I believe it was made in Massachusetts in the mid-1800s and measures 6″ high, with a top diameter of 5″. When the pot cracked, no doubt due to excessive use, an iron band was slipped over the neck, but had to be made wide enough to clear the slightly flared ridge. So to tighten the band and seal the crack, five hand forged square nails were wedged between the metal band and the outside wall of the pot, forming a snug seal. This novel repair certainly did the trick to make the pot function once again and also inadvertently transformed it from a plain vessel into a folksy curiosity.