stoneware « Past Imperfect, The Art of Inventive Repair

Posts Tagged ‘stoneware’

Black salt glazed teapot with metal handle, c.1830

Sunday, November 13th, 2022

This black basalt (aka Egyptian black or shining black ) stoneware low form collared teapot was make in England in the early 1800s. It has elegant engine turned banding decoration and measures 3.5 inches high, 9.5 inches from handle to spout.

Early in its life, the original handle broke off and was replaced with a metal “tinker” replacement. I like how it has taken on a dark patina over the past 150+ years, nearly matching the dark glaze of the teapot. The lid also took a tumble at a later time and was glued back together, suggesting that the break/repair was done more recently. I wish staples/rivets were used to repair it but that’s a bit selfish of me, I know.

This teapot with similar form and decoration suggests what the original handle on my teapot might have looked like.

Photo courtesy of Ebay

Tags:basalt, English, metal handle, pottery, salt glaze, stoneware
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Stoneware teapot with flute player, c.1760

Saturday, June 27th, 2020

This globular form salt-glazed stoneware teapot was made in Staffordshire, England, c.1760-65. It has a molded crabstock spout and is decorated in polychrome enamels of pink, green, yellow, blue, and black. I quite like how the male flute player and the female dancing among oversized flowers are rendered. Measures 3.25 inches high, 6 inches wide from handle to spout.

Someone must have been a bit clumsy over 200 years ago, as the little teapot has not one but two early repairs – a metal replacement handle and a metal replacement knob. These are both a bit rustic and most likely done by an itinerant tinker, traveling from town to town to repair all types of broken household objects. Thanks to the unsung hero who helped preserve this charming teapot, as well as the original owners who had to good sense to have it repaired and then pass it on for future generations to enjoy.

This teapot, with similar form and decoration, suggests what the original handle and knob might have looked like on my teapot.

Photo courtesy of John Howard

Tags:English, globular, metal handle, metal knob, salt glaze, stoneware
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Samuel Hollins coffee pot with silver lid, c.1790

Sunday, May 17th, 2020

I was thrilled to find this elegant baluster form, dry-bodied redware pottery coffee pot recently. It was made by Samuel Hollins in Staffordshire, England, circa 1784-1813, and stands 9 inches high. The applied sprigged decoration of a woman playing the harp is featured on one side, and The Birth of Achilles is on the reverse. Thin silver resist bands decorate the middle, rim, and spout.

The owners of this coffee pot must have been well off, as instead of carving a new lid out of wood or taking it to an itinerant tinsmith for a tin replacement after the original lid broke, they brought it to an established London silversmith for repair. The heavy sterling silver replacement lid is clearly stamped with the maker’s initials HWC, for Henry William Curry, and a date mark for 1867. I think the shiny new lid, beautifully offset by the rich red color of the stoneware, looks better than the original. But then of course, I’m biased.

Check out a previous post, Samuel Hollins stoneware coffee pot, c.1800 showing another Hollins coffeepot with similar form and decoration, but with a more humble repair.

This is what the original domed lid on my coffee pot would have looked like, had it not been broken and replaced.

Photo courtesy of WorthPoint

Tags:English, metal lid, pottery, redware, silver, Staffordshire, stoneware
Posted in chocolate/coffee pot | 3 Comments »

Miniature Westerwald stoneware jug with silver handle, c.1750

Sunday, July 29th, 2018

This tiny hand-thrown, salt glazed, baluster form stoneware jug with cobalt decoration was a mystery to me when I purchased it two years ago. I found it in Hawaii, of all places, and the dealer knew nothing about it. The unusual silver replacement handle with a hand hammered band, and what appears to be a coiled snake at the base, threw me off. These details gave off a 70s vibe – more 1970s than 1770s. After a bit of research I discovered I had a miniature Westerwald jug, made in Germany around 1750 and possibly earlier. It stands just 3.5 inches high.

Not all miniatures were made for children to play with. Some were made by potters as souvenirs, while others were made possibly as salesmen samples. As with most pieces from my collection, we will never know how the original handle broke off. But it appears that the original owner must have truly treasured this tiny tank, as it was brought to a silversmith who fashioned a splendid silver replacement handle. Thank you to the unknown artist who transformed a broken jug into a unique conversation piece that has lasted over 250 years…and counting.

This miniature jug, with similar form and decoration, shows what the original handle on my jug might have looked like.

Photo courtesy of ebay

Tags:German, metal handle, miniature, silver, stoneware
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Mansion form teapot with metal lid, c.1750

Saturday, February 17th, 2018

This whimsical teapot in the form of a three-story Georgian mansion is made of saltglaze stoneware pottery. The molded decoration includes a coat of arms, guards, animals, vines, birds, a dancing couple, and a crane on a serpent’s head spout. It measures 5.75 inches high, 8 inches wide from handle to spout and was made in the Staffordshire region of England, circa 1750-1760.

After the original lid broke or went missing, an intricate tin replacement in the form of a shingled roof with a chimney as knob was made by a clever tinker. This is one of just a few replacement lids I have come across where the repairer copied the form of the original, and I am so glad that he (or she) did!

This teapot of similar form suggests what the original lid on mine might have looked like.

Photo courtesy of eBay

Tags:American, English, metal lid, pottery, salt glaze, Staffordshire, stoneware
Posted in teapot | 2 Comments »

Samuel Hollins stoneware coffee pot, c.1800

Saturday, December 2nd, 2017

This impressive drabware coffee pot was made by Samuel Hollins in Stoke-on-Trent, England, c.1795-1800. Made from unglazed dry bodied stoneware, it has sprigged decoration on the top portion, a ribbed lower portion, and silver lustre painted trim lines. It measures 8.5 inches high and 7.75 inches wide from handle to spout. On the underside is the impressed mark S. HOLLINS.

It appears that soon after the coffee pot was made, the tip of the spout broke off and the lid went missing. Luckily for the owner, a local tinsmith made a sturdy metal replacement lid, adding a hinge and a sawtooth edged collar. Although quite different in appearance, the new lid is more likely to remain on the pot, and the chance of another mishap his less likely.

This one shows what the original spout and lid would have looked like on mine.

Photo courtesy of WorthPoint

Tags:English, metal lid, metal spout, pottery, stoneware
Posted in chocolate/coffee pot | No Comments »

Sprigged stoneware jug, c.1840

Sunday, June 26th, 2016

This small sprigged baluster form stoneware jug is decorated with applied vines of grapes around the middle and impressed leaves along the rim. A wash of brown glaze covers the top half of the jug. It was made in England in the mid 1800s, most likely in Bristol or Chesterfield, and measures 3.25 inches high and 4.5 inches from handle to spout.

Sometime in the late 1800s to early 1900s, the handle became detached. Luckily, the owner found a proficient tinsmith who fashioned a sturdy metal replacement with crimped detailing and horizontal support straps.

This jug with similar form and glaze shows what the original handle on mine might have looked like.

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Tags:English, metal handle, pottery, stoneware
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Mortlake stoneware jug , c.1800

Saturday, April 18th, 2015

This heavy salt glazed stoneware ale jug was made in Mortlake, London, in the late 1700s to early 1800s. It has an attenuated baluster shape with applied sprigged decoration including a panel of “The Two Boors”, horses and hounds, classical figures, trees and a windmill on a mound. It stands 8″ high and has a rilled neck and a narrow base, much of which has been chipped away.

It’s apparent that the original handle is long gone but luckily for me, a tinsmith in the 1800s fashioned a wonderful metal replacement handle. It has crimped edges for extra support and a finger rest for comfort when tightly gripped. I imagine the original owner and a chum were inspired by the front panel depicting “The Two Boors”, drank too much ale and dropped the jug. But if it weren’t for our ancestors who drank to excess, my collection of ale jugs with inventive repairs would be minimal to nonexistent.

This jug of similar form has its original handle intact.

Photo courtesy of Nest Egg Antiques

Tags:English, metal handle, pottery, salt glaze, stoneware
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German Annaberg jug, c.1680

Saturday, October 18th, 2014

This early black-brown salt glazed stoneware pewter-mounted Birnkrug “pear jug” was made in Annaberg, Germany in the second half of the 17th century. It has incised scaled body decoration of stylized relief palmettes and leaf ornamentation divided by applied molded borders, the front with a figure of Jesus. It is embellished in polychrome enamels and gilding, which have remained surprisingly vibrant after over 330 years. The hinged pewter lid is connected to a ball thumb piece and inset with what appears to be a coin with a crucifixion scene.

As rare as this 10″ high jug is, it is even more special to me by possessing a pewter replacement handle, added by an 18th century tinker, most likely in Germany, after the original handle broke off. The delicate handle, with an intricate stippled wave design and border, is supported by a mounted pewter base ring and lid collar. I first saw this pricy jug at an antiques shop over one year ago and passed on it. But I recently stopped by the shop again and was delighted to find that no one else had snatched it up. After a brief bargaining session with the friendly dealer, I was finally was able to purchase this gem and add it to my collection.

This jug of similar form and decoration still has its original handle.

Photo courtesy of Bonhams

Tags:German, metal base, metal handle, pewter, pottery, salt glaze, stoneware
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Georgian Castleford teapot, c.1810

Sunday, July 20th, 2014

This handsome Castleford-style teapot with neoclassical design was made in England in the early 1800s. It is made of fine-grained unglazed black basalt stoneware with a hinged lid set in a scalloped rim and fastened with a metal pin. It measures 5-1/2″ tall and 8-3/4″ from handle to spout. Two different classical tableaux in detailed relief are on each paneled side, with acanthus leaves at the top and the bottom.

When this teapot was dropped over 150 years ago, the spout broke in two places and the knob came undone. Typically, fragile lids on teapots with this design snap off so I am surprised that this lid remains intact. A 19th century tinker repaired all of the broken bits by attaching two metal sleeves around the breaks in the spout and riveted on a new metal replacement knob. The metal repairs were originally painted black to blend in with the black basalt color of the pot, but time and age have peeled away the paint, leaving a pleasing patina to the metal. There is a later putty repair to a crack on the underside which is useless now, but I imagine it served its purpose at the time it was applied.