Blue & white transfer printed pearlware pottery saucer, showing a group of inebriated cherubs picking grapes. Measures 4-3/4″ in diameter.
Made in England by Patterson & Co. in the early 19th century.
Marked on the bottom with the number “84” in blue, but without a maker’s name.
Saucer was repaired in the 19th century and is now held together with one dozen metal staples, including some of the smallest examples I have ever seen at 3/8″ long.
Chinese porcelain globular form teapot with cobalt blue underglaze Nanking design, “clobbered” in the mid-1700’s with red & gilt overglaze in Imari style decoration
Surprisingly, the extended lid finial has survived the past 300 years intact. Teapot measures 5″ high
Original porcelain spout was replaced in the mid-18th to early 19th century with a well formed metal spout and round backplate
This beautiful clobbered Imari teapot shows what the original spout on my teapot might have looked like
Photo courtesy of M. Ford Creech Antiques
One of the most unusual repairs I have seen can be found on this early 19th century English pearlware sugar bowl with strap handles. Both sides are decorated with the same cobalt blue transfer decoration of a sheep shearer in a pastoral setting.
Sugar bowl measures 3″ high by 5″ wide.
After a hole bore through the thin-walled ceramic bottom, a clever restorer used a small piece of glass as a patch. An early paper label reads “ENGLISH SOFT PASTE 1770”, incorrectly dating the piece to be about 55 years older than it actually is.
The underside of the sugar bowl reveals a glass patch held in place with putty. Although not an attractive repair, it was probably a quick fix and has lasted longer than the owner most likely anticipated.
This large soft paste pearlware ale mug was most likely made in Staffordshire, England in the late 1700s. Standing 6-1/2″ tall, the mug is decorated in cobalt blue underglaze with the “Chinese House” pattern, a popular middle class replacement for similarly decorated Chinese porcelain, affordable only to the wealthy. I am quite fond of this loose, stylized decoration; a melding of Eastern and Western influences. The sturdy 19th century replacement handle, with thumb rest and support straps, is made of Britannia metal, aka Britannium, a composite made up of 93% tin, 5% antimony and 2% copper. A traveling tinker made repairs such as this for the townspeople who saved their cherished broken wares in need of his services. Members of the upper class would have taken their damaged goods to a silversmith, resulting in a more refined sterling silver replacement.
This is what the simple loop handle must have looked like before it broke off, as seen on this similarly shaped mug of the same period.
photo courtesy of Earle D. Vandekar
Every one of these six matching broken Chinese export porcelain plates is held together with large brass staples, visible only from the back. I imagine the complete set of dishes was much larger than the six repaired examples I own, but I am thankful someone weeded out the “perfect” ones and left me with the more interesting much preferred damaged goods!
Out of all of the different types of inventive repairs I have shown thus far, people seem to be the most fascinated with staple & rivet repairs. I will be showing rare illustrations and photos documenting this repair procedure in upcoming posts, so please stay tuned.
Plate 1, The champion with 14 staple repairs.
Plate 2, another winner and tied for first place with 14 staples.
Plate 3, repaired with an impressive 9 staples.
Plate 4, not too shabby with 8 staples.
Plate 5, another plate with 8 staple repairs.
Plate 6, still lovely with an impressive 6 staples.
This detail shows the rich cobalt blue under glaze “log cabin” or timber frame decoration, inspired by an English design by Spode. This pattern is also known as “trench mortar”.
Each plate measures 9-1/2″ in diameter.
I am a big fan of clobbered (over-decorated) porcelains and this piece does not disappoint. A Chinese export porcelain teapot, measuring 5-1/4″ high, originally with blue underglaze Nanking decoration fell out of fashion shortly after it was made. In order to keep up with the sudden demand for polychrome Chinese ceramics, factories took the unwanted pieces with blue decoration and overpainted with brightly colored enamels, often without regard for the original design
And if that wasn’t enough, when the handle broke off it was repaired using metal staples and wrapped with lead. The result is less than attractive but the sturdy repair makes the teapot once again serviceable
This teapot escaped the hand of a painter with polychrome enamels and retains its original blue decoration
Photo courtesy of Equinox Antiques
This Chinese export porcelain teapot with globular (aka bullet) form has a blue underglaze decoration and a simple looped handle.
Teapot measures 4-1/2″ high.
Nicely painted decoration of a man on horseback is featured on both sides of the teapot.
Not only has the spout been replaced with silver sometime in the early to mid 1800’s…
…but the lid now sports a nicely turned wood replacement knob.
The wood replacement knob is held in place with this early, hand forged bolt & nut.
This example shows what the original spout and knob may have looked like.
Photo courtesy of Collectibles Articles
“Flow blue” describes a technique of firing transferware pottery with lime or ammonia chloride added to the kiln, resulting in an intentional blurry or runny effect. Over 1,500 different patterns were produced throughout Europe, England and the United States during the Victorian era
This ironstone pottery jug stands 6-1/4″ high and has a popular Oriental pattern in deep cobalt blue
Although unmarked, I believe this piece to have been made in England
A silvered metal handle with wide bands were secured to the jug, replacing the original broken handle
This similarly shaped flow blue jug shows what the original handle might have looked like on my jug.
Photo courtesy of eBay
Chinese export porcelain barrel form mug with cobalt blue underglaze Nanking decoration, measuring 5″ high. As this mug is the perfect size and shape for holding pencils, it sits on my home office desk as a pencil cup.
Visible cracks with metal staple repairs are seen all around the mug.
The rich cobalt blue underglaze decoration includes this beautifully rendered building.
This mug is a lucky survivor of much abuse over the past 240 years, as is evident from the various cracks, chips and a missing handle.
I have only seen a few examples of metal replacement handles covered in woven wire with a pattern emulating rattan.
Metal staples, painted white and blue to blend in to the glazed decoration, still hold the cracks tightly together.
This mug with similar form has its original handle, with a blue heart-shaped thumb rest, intact.
Photo courtesy of Earle D. Vandekar
This unusual fluted beehive form (aka bell form) porcelain teapot from China was made during the Kangxi reign (1662-1723). It is decorated with a flowering plant design in blue under glaze, has an upright fixed handle and is raised on three small feet.
The stylized floral decoration in vivid cobalt blue is on each of the six panels.
Teapot measures 6-1/2″ high and has eluded me ever since I purchased it 15 years ago at the New York Coliseum Antiques Show, as I could not find any research on it.
At the time, it was one of the most expensive “make-dos” I had purchased, and it was my first piece adorned with a silver repair.
The replaced silver spout is of modest design, but was made by a silversmith sometime in the 1700s-1800s, and at considerable cost to the owner.
I was thrilled to have recently found this photo showing a complete, nearly identical teapot, shown here with its original lid and spout. This one sold at Christie’s in 2008 for more than four times the estimated price.
Photo courtesy of Christie’s