Glazed and Confused

Etruscan Majolica: Fact and Fiction

2012-01-27T18:53:00.000-08:00

About six months ago. I received an email from a writer at Main Line Today magazine.
He was writing an article on Etruscan Majolica and asked if I could send him copies of my two books on Etruscan Majolica for review purposes. I debated the idea for a couple of weeks before being persuaded by people I trust to send them to him.
Working in the magazine industry myself I know that it isn't always easy to get accurate reference material when working against a deadline so I felt pretty good about my decision to contribute to the article.

Well, I finally got a look at the finished article today. It is in the February issue of Main Line Today magazine.

It's a nice, overview account of the history of Etruscan Majolica.

I would very much like to thank author J.F. Pierro for including a mention of my Etruscan Majolica Web site in the article. He was also nice enough to quote my book near the end of the article. I can tell that he clearly read my book by the structure of the article. Yet, his article still has some of the same misinformation that has circulated about the Etruscan Works for years. It is these old wife's tales that I wrote the book to dispel, but they have surfaced once again.

I can't say I totally blame Mr. Pierro. He clearly interviewed a number of people instead of just relying on my book and an author's story is only as good as his sources. Some of these stories are harder to kill than a vampire in a blood bank. Still, he did have my book which is accurate and specifically addresses these issues.

Wife's tale # 1: William Hill was not involved in the production of Etruscan Majolica.

This one is easy to dispel. There are newspaper articles that date the production of Phoenixville majolica to April of 1879. Hill was actively involved in the Phoenixville pottery from January 1879 to May 1880. That would mean that majolica was in production during his tenure there.

Wife's tale # 2: The fire ended the production of Etruscan Majolica.

The plant fire in December of 1890 had nothing to do with the end of Etruscan Majolica.
By 1890 the Etruscan brand had been out of production for almost two years. After David Smith left the Phoenixville Pottery in 1889, the Etruscan name was retired and the pottery took on the mark of Griffen, Love and Co. and later the Griffen China Company. Monochromatic majolica production did continue on a limited scale until around 1895 under the name of the Chester Pottery, but never again under the Etruscan banner.

Wife's tale # 3: President Grant bought Etruscan Majolica for his daughter.

This is a total fabrication. President Grant's daughter did own pottery made at the Phoenixville Pottery but it was a solid cobalt display set with over painted decoration given to her by W.H. Schribner as a wedding gift in 1874 from the people of Pennsylvania. This was long before the production of majolica at the plant.

I am always happy to see Etruscan Majolica receive such a nice write up from a local publication, but I would hope that the article would be totally accurate.

If you would like to read the article for yourself go to the Main Line Today Web site.

Book Review: "The Collector's Encyclopedia of Majolica" by Mariann Katz-Marks

2012-01-25T20:55:00.000-08:00

If there was any reference that was responsible for assisting in the popularization of majolica in the US it would have to be the original Mariann Katz-Marks books Majolica Pottery: An Identification and Value Guide/1st Series & 2nd Series. These two paperback books were the first real collector's guides to the majolica market. Released in 1983 and 1985 respectively, they were the right thing at the right time.
Preceded about five years earlier by the Charles Rebert book, American Majolica: 1850-1900, they were the first user friendly reference to majolica with pricing, something the Rebert book decidedly was not. They also listed both American and English majolica, something else that was new to the majolica reference market.

Written by a dealer who appeared to have a modest understanding of majolica, these two references were for many years the only references available. As such they had an enormous impact on shaping the early majolica market. I've written about the influence of the Marks books before here and here and here.

In time other majolica books became available including the Karmeson-Stack definitive reference, Majolica: A Complete History and Illustrated Survey and the Marks books lost their monopoly of the market and with it their influence. In 1992, the two books were combined, reformatted and expanded into the hardcover The Collector's Encyclopedia of Majolica. It is this reference that I am reviewing today.

The content in this format has remained a useful reference, particularly for the beginning collector. Created in the usual unattractive, haphazard Schroeder publications style, the photographs are large and clear if unattractively taken against a yellow or grey ground. Light on information and heavy on images, it is exactly the kind of reference the casual collector loves, providing a good overview to the forms in which majolica is available. The photo captions are short and punchy, often betraying the author's clear bias towards American majolica. There is a very short and superficial history of the pottery and a section in the back of poorly photographed maker's marks. If the book has an obvious flaw aside from its hideous design it is in the lack of representations of Continental majolica.

Like its paperback precedents the price guide is its weakest component, underestimating the prices of the English pieces and overestimating the value of the American ones. It is also more difficult to use than its paperback counterpart since it is now all located at the back of the book. This was certainly done to allow for easy updating.

Today, 29 years after the first Marks book was released, the book remains a good general reference for the beginning collector. The more sophisticated collector however, will come away wanting more substance.

Majolica Garden Seats

2012-01-22T21:07:00.000-08:00

It was a matter of chance that the British abolition of the glass tax in 1847 and window tax in 1851 happened around the same time as the invention of Victorian majolica. The vast English upper and middle classes had entered an era of ostentatious wealth where conspicuous consumption was the fashion of the day and nothing said wealth to the Victorians like the luxury of the home conservatory. New exotic species of plants, flowers and fruits were appearing from the far corners of the vast British empire and the only way to enjoy these things were in a greenhouse.

The history of greenhouses goes back to Roman times but the reemergence of the greenhouse in the last half of the 19th Century was the perfect opportunity for majolica manufacturers to use the environment to expand their list of products. Home conservatories became the center of entertainment in these newly wealthy households and majolica was great for grabbing attention.
Fountains and garden seats, formerly the domain of the iron trade emerged in the colorful majolica shown by Minton at the London Crystal Palace exhibition of 1851. Where the majority of the majolica fountains created during this period have since deteriorated the garden seats have remained for the modern collector to enjoy.

All of the major English potters made garden seats. Minton, Holdcroft, Copeland, Brown, Westhead & Moore, and Wedgwood produced these in prodigious quantities, usually with the same conceits that influenced their other wares. All of the major design styles popular during the time influenced their look: neo-gothic, Egyption revival, naturalism, Eastlake, Japonisme and Orientalism all appeared.

If you have your heart set on a garden seat, you better have a healthy bank account. Garden seats do not come cheaply. While you can pick up some unmarked examples in the $500-$600 range, expect to pay 2-5 times that for a marked example from a major potter with many designs going for several times those prices.

Still, it is a lovely addition to a collection and one that says boldly, "I love majolica!"

Majolica Ice Cream Services

2012-01-17T21:57:00.000-08:00

One of the things in my personal majolica collection that I've owned the longest is an ice cream service made by Wedgwood in the Fan pattern. There are ten plates plus platter all with the same decoration and dating to the same year. When I first started buying majolica back in the 1980's complete ice cream services like this were a fairly common thing to come across. I can't say that any more as most of these ice cream services were broken up by their owners to maximize sales profit.
It's actually quite a shame, but it's still possible to assemble a beautiful service today through diligence and selective collecting.

One of the things that I think surprises new majolica collectors is that most of these platters and ice cream plates are flat plates and not rounded bowels the way we eat ice cream today. To understand this, one needs to understand how ice cream was prepared for service during the Victorian age. In this time before modern refrigeration, ice cream was generally sold and prepared by small neighborhood shops. Ice cream was commonly sold as small balls, neatly stacked together. It was also available in a variety of different shapes, molded to entice the eye. These molds were also used by home chefs to add elegance to their table. Many of these pewter ice cream molds have survived to today and are eagerly collected by enthusiasts.

This type of display of ice cream lent itself best to service on flat services, hence the flat form of Victorian Ice cream services.

Wedgwood and Holdcroft probably made more ice cream services than any of the other major potters but the little Etruscan Works in the US also made their own contribution to the form.

The simplicity of many of these platters have kept the prices fairly reasonable with many selling for under $250 and individual plates selling for $50-$75, so they can be assembled over time with rather little pain to your pocketbook.

Sunflower Majolica

2012-01-13T21:04:00.000-08:00

I have mentioned before in this blog the influence of the Aesthetic Movement on the majolica designs of American and English majolica.
The Lily and the Sunflower both were representative of the movement but the Sunflower in particular has always been the flower most people associate with it.
More than anyone else, Oscar Wilde is responsible for the popularity of the movement in both the US and in Great Britain as can be see by some of the decorative arts from the period.

The "flowering" of the Aesthetic Movement largely took place during the 1880's. a time of prodigious majolica manufacture. Because of this, the Sunflower has appeared all over many majolica designs. The relationship between the flower and Oscar Wilde was so strong in fact that "Oscar Wilde" was the name commonly used in the Etruscan Works when referring to pieces in their Sunflower line.

Combined with the country look so popular in decoration today, these pieces are more popular than ever and generally bring prices higher than other flower-related items.

National Velvet

2012-01-04T22:13:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love sweet little Velvet Brown, the heroine of the 1944 film, Natonal Velvet.
Who would have suspected that the Brown family collected majolica?

The movie National Velvet takes place in the English countryside around the time the movie was made. All the more peculiar that a piece of Etruscan Majolica is smack darn in the center of the Brown's plate rack. Not just any piece of Etruscan Majolica but an Etruscan Majolica Begonia leaf tray, probably their most famous form.

Now, you would be correct in saying that English manufacturers made begonia leaves too, but those English leaves are decidedly English looking, often glazed in shades of turquoise. There is no mistaking the classic Etruscan glazes shining on the technicolor screen though-- that classic combination of green, yellow and pink that distinguishes the Etruscan leaf from all the others is decidedly Griffen Smith's alone.

What a joy to find that the set decorators at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had such wonderful, if geographically inappropriate, taste!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

What better way to welcome in the new year than a plate of warm Greek loukoumades drizzled with honey and chopped walnuts on a Wedgwood majolica Fan plate!

To all my readers, healthy and happy 2012!

A sad reproduction

2011-12-31T11:07:00.000-08:00

I've been writing a lot about reproductions lately. Unfortunately they have begun to permeate the majolica scene more than ever before. My last post was about an exceptionally good reproduction that is currently flooding the marketplace. This last post of the year is about the opposite--an exceptionally bad reproduction.

I have to admit I get a little giddy when I see something like this offered on line with a straight face. It's bad on such a cosmic level that it's hard to believe anyone would take it seriously but I need to remind myself that not everyone is familiar with every specialty. I know that I could very easily be fooled by a bad Chinese porcelain reproduction because I know very little about Chinese porcelain. Still, this is still an awful piece by any measure.

The above plate is being offered on line as an authentic George Jones piece of majolica in the Palissy style. The price is $700+. The reverse has a GJ "applied pad" signature.

Now, there are several things wrong here.
To the best of my knowledge George Jones never made majolica in the Palissy style. The closest I can think of would be their plates done for the Biarritz resorts and even that doesn't look anything like true Palissy.

The conceit that the reproduction platter is GJ Palissy is absurd. Of course one look at the reverse should hammer that home for anyone with even the most basic knowledge of majolica.

Compare the mark on the reproduction (top) with the genuine article (bottom).

Not even the glaze is correct, with the repro glaze not being shiny like the real thing.

I would hope that no one who reads this blog would be fooled by anything like this.
I would hope!

A sinister reproduction

2011-12-28T19:56:00.000-08:00

I recently found the above plate on eBay. This otherwise innocent looking blackberry plate is actually one of the most sinister reproductions currently scamming majolica buyers across the country. I call the piece sinister because the quality of the reproduction is absolutely top of the line, good enough to fool the most experienced majolica dealer. If I weren't familiar with the original myself I too would have been taken in by it.

The pattern this plate reproduces is one originating, I believe in Great Britain though most commonly it is found within the U.S. as a copy made by the Arsenal Pottery of Trenton, NJ. The difference between the Arsenal examples, shown below, and the contemporary copy shown above is obvious when shown side by side, but collectors rarely have the luxury of being able to make such comparisons in the field.

The difference in the reverse is also striking, the contemporary reproduction shown on top even reproduces the stilt makes of the older plates. The reverse treatment, however is not in keeping with that of the Arsenal Pottery. That's not to say that all plates with this modeling treatment are suspect but I would take extra care when examining one like this.

These plates I believe are coming from the same pottery in the Carolinas that gave us the excellent reproduction fish head oyster plate about 15 years ago. Those were being retailed as reproductions when new but later appeared on the secondary market as real antiques. These blackberry plates are possibly being distributed the same way though it would not surprise me if the intention to deceive with these is there from the beginning. It certainly seems that way. The plates are never marked and are artificially distressed to appear antique.

I've written about this pottery before. They have reproduced a number of different pieces over the years, all slipping quietly into collections under the radar of most dealers. Until these are revealed as the contemporary copies they are, they will continue to destroy the validity of our majolica pottery heritage and the collections of enthusiasts across the globe.
I would encourage readers everywhere to not purchase these plates and expose them as copies whenever feasible.

Meet Me in St Louis

2011-12-18T20:47:00.000-08:00

Christmas is the time of year that all the old movie chestnuts with even the slightest connection to the season show up on our TV screens. At the top of my list of Christmas themed movies has to be the wonderful 1944 film, Meet Me in St. Louis.

I've probably seen this movie a hundred times. In fact, I even have a photo of me taken in college watching Judy Garland singing "Have yourself a merry little Christmas", a song from the film on the TV in my bedroom. That was a long time before many reading this blog were born. I watch the movie every year when it finds it's way onto TV. I mention all this to illustrate how one can know a film as intimately as I know this one and still find surprises in it.

The movie takes place in St. Louis as it follows the Smith family just before the opening of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. The story is a musical trifle, just an excuse for the wonderful songs, period settings and talents of its stars.

Last night as I was paying my annual homage to the Smith family, I noticed majolica among the Victorian settings of the Smith home. In this case there was in the bedroom of the grandfather a lovely Jugendstil majolica sanitary set on a dresser. The film's director, Vincente Minnelli, was a Broadway set designer before he went west to Hollywood to become a director. He had a remarkable eye for set detail as can be seen in any of his period films like Gigi and Lust for Life.

What a lovely surprise to find my favorite pottery in my favorite holiday movie!

See if you too can catch it the next time the movie comes around to your TV set.

Christie's European Decorative Arts Sale

2011-12-02T20:32:00.000-08:00

On November 22 Christie's held a large sale of European decorative arts. There were a number of pieces of majolica in the sale but two in particular should be of interest to the average majolica enthusiast.
One of those broke records for the price it brought when the hammer fell and the second was a bellwether for where majolica prices have gone in the past six years.

The majolica sale of the day was a large Hugo Lonitz hawk perched on a rocky precipice. Standing almost 24" tall, the hawk was a gorgeous example of Lonitz animal work. The pre-sale estimate was $3,000 -$5,000 but no one expected the price it ultimately brought: $56,250. I believe that is a record for a piece of Lonitz at auction.

The other big majolica sale was no surprise to seasoned majolica collectors though it was probably a disappointment to majolica investors.
The Minton vulture and serpent teapot has long been the rarest and most coveted of the Minton figural teapots. Only a handful are known to exist and Christie's put a pre-sale estimate of $20,000 - $30,000 on their example. The final price brought was $37,500. That's certainly a great price, but it is only about half the price the vulture and serpent teapot in the Karmason collection sold for in 2005: $71,875.

Both auctions were a good indication of where the majolica market has grown in the past few years. Where good English pieces have always brought a good price, the growth in the market is in Continental majolica. Fine makers like Lonitz and Massier are finally being appreciated for the exceptional work they did. That, I think, is a good thing for the future of majolica collecting.

The Hours

2011-11-26T17:39:00.000-08:00

The Hours is a lovely movie starring Ed Harris and Meryl Streep. It's a movie I've seen probably a dozen times since its release in 2002. It's most famously known for being the movie that Nicole Kidman won an Academy Award for, but it has other fabulous performances as well from Julianne Moore, Ms. Streep, John C. Reilly and a scene stealing cameo by Toni Collette. It was clearly an A-List project from the start with an all-star cast and a phenomenal score by the reclusive Phillip Glass, who does not usually lend his talents to film work. It is clear from the period details in the film that no expense was spared in bringing this story to the screen. That is true in the dressing of the sets as well.

I've always loved observing movie set design. The right designer can make a huge difference to the overall effect of a film. Sometimes the design can even overshadow the rest of the movie. Who can think of Barry Lyndon, The Great Gatsby or My Fair Lady without being enthralled by the beauty of the sets? The Hours isn't overwhelmed by the set design, but it clearly had a large budget. If it weren't such a moving story it could have easily been overshadowed by the gorgeous period sets. Ironically, it isn't the set pieces that brings us to this blog, but the contemporary story involving Ed Harris and Meryl Streep.

Meryl Streep plays one of those hip New Yorkers who lives in a fabulous old New York apartment with her partner Allison Janney, her daughter Claire Danes and no apparent means of support. She spends her day buying huge containers of flowers and arranging a fabulous party in her home for her dying friend, poet Ed Harris. The apartment is decorated in typical hip New York fashion with lots of books and clutter and loads of little antique knick-knacks. Among this splurge of decor I noticed a piece of majolica, a large Haynes pottery pitcher filled with flowers! What a lovely discovery!

I'm always looking for majolica in movie sets but I don't find it very often. I've written about my previous discoveries on these pages but they've been few and far between. I would encourage readers to drop me a line when they find a piece of majolica in a movie set. It's just such a wonderful little treat for us collectors!

Strawser Fall Majolica Auction 2011: Day 2

2011-10-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if it was a matter of too much of a good thing with Majolica Heaven and the Fall Auction set for the same weekend but the Strawser Fall Auction proved to be a bonanza for buyers and big disappointment for consigners. For investors it could only be considered a disaster as the prices of majolica at auction continued to tumble to pre-1990 levels.

There were no real big dollar standouts at this year's auction where the bargains were the biggest news.
A Wedgwood garden seat sold for $150+ commission. A George Jones shell plate sold for $35+ and a Minton Strawberry plate sold for $160+.

Many high ticket items failed to reach reserve including the cobalt Minton cheese stand and Minton ewer featured on the cover of the catalog. Other items that failed to reach reserve were the Figural Massier bulls pulling a cart, the Boch Freres monumental rooster, the pair of Minton barrel form garden seats, a GJ turquoise water lily garden seat, and a rare George Jones Turtle spittoon.

All was not doom and gloom for consigners however, with many pieces actually surpassing their estimate.

Among these was the cobalt Wedgwood dolphin oyster plate, which brought $2400+, nearly $900 past its estimate...

the Wedgwood Salmon platter which sold for 2000+, $500 past its estimate

a cobalt GJ bird handled pitcher, 1400+...

one of the two Wedgwood monkey compotes, $3100+...

a rare Wedgwood cheese keeper, $2700+...

all three of the available GJ Father Christmas pitchers, $1050-$1850+...

the pair of Brownfield bracket shelves, $2100+...

the GJ rooster teapot, $8000+...

the Holdcroft teapot, $1500+...

and a GJ cow butter dish, $2700+.

Most of the other pieces fell well within their estimates. Notable among these were: the Copeland "Sloth and Mischief", $12500+; the Minton bullrush platter, $4600+; and the GJ boar game dish, $5250+.

The biggest sale of the day was the monumental Minton wine cistern which brought a formidable $15,500+ commission.

Strawser Fall Majolica Auction results Day 1

2011-10-28T17:29:00.000-07:00

The first group of majolica pieces from the Strawser Fall Majolica Auction have been sold and by far the biggest surprise was the incredibly strong showing for several of the French figural pitchers. Of these, two Fives Lille pitchers were the stars bringing astonishing prices once the hammer fell.

The Fives Lille figural jug of a drunk man with a bottle brought an amazing $3,000 plus 18% commission, bringing the price to an eye-popping $3540!

Another Fives Lille pitcher that brought a high price was the French lion figural pitcher, which sold for $2100 plus commission.

Other French jugs also did well.
A Sarreguemines figural toby jug with helmet brought $1650 + commission and a French figural jug of man with tall hat brought $1300+.

A Georges Dreyfuss pitcher of a cockatoo brought $1100 + commission.

Two other Sarreguemines jugs brought good prices as well. A clown jug brought $900+ and a griffen jug brought $750+.

Other continental pieces that brought high prices were a large Sarreguemines jardiniere, $1650+, a French parrot pitcher, 550+, and a continental figural of an American Indian, $900+.

Two Etruscan pieces brought good prices: an Etruscan holy Water Font base brought $800+ and a gorgeous wicker and begonia leaf tray brought 650+.

Tomorrow's auction features the oyster plates and the big, showy English pieces. We'll be following that one and report back to you once it's done.

Guilty Pleasures Part 2

2011-10-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

Last time, I described some of my guilty pleasures in majolica.
Here are a few more.

I have always loved the design of this platter. If you separate the beautiful design from the terribly garish glaze treatment the plate usually gets, you can appreciate the gorgeous Art Nouveau lines of it with the elegant dragonfly in the center. I always thought it was designed by someone who understood art and great design but glazed by someone who didn't have a clue.

Another guilty pleasure is the large group of mottled wares made by many of the major potteries, particularly Wedgwood and George Jones. The mottling was supposed to imitate tortoise shell or snake skin.
Why I'm not supposed to like these I think has something to do with its retail popularity, which is minimal. I think it's quite gorgeous, but then I'm an artist, I like the way colors flow together when they're allowed to but most people don't seem to like it so it's not fashionable.

The last group of wares I've always liked that I'm not supposed to is the Wedgwood Argenta wares. Dealers who specialize in majolica hate Argenta. It's a very slow seller in the majolica world. Most people buy majolica for the bright colors so it seems natural that those wares with the most restrained color palettes would be the least popular. I've always loved the restricted colors of Argenta. The combination of colored glazes used are very sophisticated. Maybe they're too sophisticated for most casual observers. Of all the majolica wares I find these to be the most timeless in their appeal. They have a contemporary quality lacking in the more boldly painted wares. They would fit in beautifully among the most austere furnishings.
But don't tell that to a majolica dealer. They're likely to roll on the floor laughing at the idea.

Guilty Pleasures

2011-10-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

Wikipedia defines a guilty pleasure as something one enjoys and considers pleasurable despite feeling guilt for enjoying it. The "guilt" involved is sometimes simply fear of others discovering one's lowbrow or otherwise embarrassing tastes.
When people speak of guilty pleasures they're usually talking about movies or books or sometimes foods. I must admit that I have guilty pleasures where majolica is concerned as well.

My guilty pleasures actually go back to my earliest attempts at finding majolica. At that time only the most pedestrian majolica was easily found with none of the biggest names really available outside of specialty dealers. There were certain patterns I saw again and again in my tour of antique shops and shows and learned to love them for their simple rustic beauty. It wasn't until I really got to know the breath of the majolica palette that I learned that I wasn't supposed to like them.

I can distinctly remember my first run in with this type of majolica snobbery. I saw a majolica dealer at a show who specialized in fine English pieces. At the time one of my early loves was the Etruscan Cauliflower pattern so I asked the dealer if they had any. I will never forget the disdain with which they told me that they didn't carry "American crap." It was a rude awakening to the snobbery that exists very much to this day in certain circles of the majolica community where American and unmarked majolica is concerned. Thanks to this run in I carry a certain amount of shame of my love for the Etruscan Cauliflower pattern. I don't admit it openly to new majolica enthusiasts when I first meet them. Not until I "feel them out" and feel comfortable around them do I admit that it is still my favorite majolica pattern.

I have other guilty pleasures as well. The very first piece of majolica hollowware I bought was in Texas-- a bowl in a commonly found overlapping begonia leaf pattern. It's a simple, rustic pattern that to me defines the essence of the beauty of majolica.
I eventually gave the bowl to my Mother as a Mother's Day gift after she told me she admired it. She used it to serve salads in. Today that bowl is in my sister's possession, having inherited it after my Mother's passing. Every time I see it I am reminded how much I love this common majolica pattern.

Another pattern that I loved early on is the simple pond lily plate. I actually had a rather large set of it at one point with plates in several sizes and a lovely dessert stand supported by standing herons. I was forced to sell it all to put a deposit on a car many years ago. It made me sad but I still dream of reassembling it some day.

It's a pity that majolica snobbery cast a dark shadow on my love of these wonderful pieces but I have since learned that snobbery exists in every collecting field. As you get older you realize that you really need to keep true to yourself and the things you love, in spite of whether others approve or not.
Only that way can you be really happy.

The Latest Majolica Reproductions

2011-09-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

For any collector or dealer it's important to keep up to date on the latest majolica reproductions.

Some are better than others. Most are not marked and intend to deceive.

Here are a few I've seen online recently.

As I have said many times in the past, there's nothing wrong with buying a reproduction so long as you know that is what you are buying. My problem is always with those who choose to misrepresent the article as an antique, like the "marked Etruscan" asparagus mug.

If you know what is available in the marketplace you're in a better place to make an informed purchase.

Whoopie Goldberg's Majolica

2011-09-22T17:49:00.000-07:00

On September 27, the Dallas Heritage Auction Gallery will offer for sale a large group of decorative arts belonging to actress Whoopie Goldberg.

Among other things, the auction will include Limoges and Fiesta dinnerware, silver and McCoy as well as four pieces of majolica.

For more information on the auction go to the Heritage Web site or for a complete listing go to the Live Auctioneers online listing.

Strawser Fall Majolica Auction 2011

2011-09-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

It's that time again!

Strawser's Auctions has posted images online for their Fall Majolica Auction. This year's auction is being held on October 28 and 29 in conjunction with the Majolica International Society's annual convention, held this year in my hometown, Philadelphia. As usual it's a wonderful mix guaranteed to excite any majolica collector.

It's a wonderful group with something for everyone.

For more information on the auction as well as more photos go to Strawser Auctions Website or the Live Auctioneers Web site.

For information on the Majolica International Society and this year's convention in Philadelphia go to the MIS Website.

I'll be there.
Be there or be square!

Rare or Desirable?

2011-09-20T18:40:00.000-07:00

Recently a dealer contacted me about a piece of majolica I had described in this blog as "very rare." He wanted to know if this "rarity" translated to a very high monetary value for said piece. I had to admit to him that I didn't think it did.

"How can that be", he asked.

I told him that rarity does not always translate to desirability. The distinction needs to be made when one appraises the value of a piece.

It is desirability that establishes the price of a piece, not the rarity. Where the rarity of a piece of majolica may influence the demand for it, there are many pieces that are in great supply that still command high prices. In a situation like that. you're talking about relative rarity in relation to demand, not true rarity.

Take, for example, the classic George Jones strawberry server.

As far as a piece of majolica goes this server is pretty common. It's not at all unusual to see several offered for sale at a large antiques fair. Still, the piece demands a price of about $1,000 because many people desire it as part of their collections.

Now compare that to this extremely rare piece of Etruscan Majolica.

There are only a few of these known to exist, probably less than six, yet at a recent auction this piece brought only $600. That's because fewer people collect Etruscan Majolica so the demand is simply not there.

Doesn't seem fair does it, but there's nothing fair about the marketplace.

It is simply supply and demand.

Minton Majolica Oyster Plates

2011-09-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

Imitated by many yet matched by none, the Minton six well oyster plate is the standard against which all others are compared.

Made in a variety of different colors, the turquoise plate is the most commonly found of the colors and usually the least expensive for the collector.

The most sought after plates in the series, however, are in other colors. The most expensive color is also the rarest, yellow.

Other colors in great demand are the cobalt, pink and malachite plates.

The malachite plates are made from two colors of slip covered with a tranparent green glaze. This gives the plates the appearance of being made of carved malachite.

Beginners sometimes confuse the malachite plates with the mottled plates. The latter are not made from different colors of slip but instead two different colors of glaze applied to a regular earthenware base.

The reverse of all the Minton plates is usually turquoise or green and all are marked on the reverse with the usual Minton marks. With a variety of copies made by smaller potteries around the same time, these marks are a guaranteed way of identifying the Minton examples.

Minton made other oyster servers as well.
The rarest is certainly their Pallisy style oyster plate which is almost never seen.

Other oyster plates had fish shaped wells, wicker grounds and wells in a variety of different shapes, colors and combinations.

The company also made revolving tiered oyster servers in two sizes.

With the prices of most majolica having dipped significantly in the past few years, Minton's oyster plates have remained in demand among collectors. They remain a good value for the investor and a beautiful addition to any collection.

Majolica Spotlight: Banks & Thorley Bamboo

2011-09-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

Banks and Thorley as a pottery didn't last very long–they were only in operation from 1875 to 1878–but they left their mark on majolica with their beautiful Bamboo pattern.
Potted at the height of the Aesthetic Movement, the pattern was a response to the influence of Japanese tastes on Western decorative arts. It is a large, fully realized pattern that must have been very popular in its day judging from the amount of pieces that survive today.

The pattern is really a very simple one. The ground of all the pieces is a golden basketweave against which are displayed multicolor bamboo fronds. The handles are usually brown.

The pattern is available with several different size pitchers of two different types. The first, which is the most common, is pictured above. It has a smooth rim and a spout. The second has an unusual ragged top rim. This type was made without a spout.

The pattern came with both a teapot and tea kettle.

There are also two different cream pitchers, two different sugar bowls and two types of teacup. The one type has the brown reed handles of the other pieces while the other has delicate butterfly handles.

In addition the pattern came with the usual other pieces: butter dish, butter pat, dessert plates, dessert stand and basket.

Most of the pieces wear an applied English Registration Mark on the base indicating the pattern was registered by Banks & Thorely on May 17, 1876.

Bamboo is a good pattern for the beginner majolica collector . Pieces are relatively inexpensive, available and very decorative. A complete teaset is a thing of great beauty.

Majolica Banks

2011-08-31T21:46:00.000-07:00

Wherever you find collections of continental majolica you will find majolica banks.

These were very popular in Europe as gifts for children and were manufactured for a very long time. In France there were several manufacturers of these banks: Sarreguemines, Orchies, La Faiencerie d' Onnaing and St. Clement were all known to have manufactured them, some well into the latter part of the 20th Century. They were also manufactured in Austria, Germany and Czechoslovakia. Many of the molds used in production for tobacco humidors, bottles and pitchers were adapted for use as banks as well. It is generally these pieces that bring the highest prices.

While not quite as popular among collectors as humidors, the rules for pricing humidors also apply to banks. Animals are the most popular subject with more colorful and whimsical subjects commanding the highest prices. Human subjects are less popular among collectors.

A New Old Face on the Scene

2011-08-16T15:46:00.000-07:00

We're adding a new name to our Resources section today: Black-Eyed Susan's Boutique.

Susan's been handling majolica and Staffordshire for 30 years and recently closed her shop in Philadelphia. She's still selling though through her Ebay shop and by appointment.

I've been following her listings on Ebay for some time now and she has a charming selection of both American and European majolica across all price ranges including the adorable French Cat and Mouse bank posted above.

We're always happy to add a new resource for our readers, especially if it's one of our other readers!
Stop by and take a look at her Ebay store when you get a chance!

The REAL Cost of Reproductions

2011-08-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

One of the nice things about writing a blog like this is hearing from readers who share my enthusiasm for majolica.

Earlier today, a reader sent me photos of two pieces she purchased at auction recently asking if the pieces were indeed George Jones majolica as she suspected.

I get photos like these from time to time and more often than not, I end up being the barer of bad news. I usually have to inform the reader that the pieces owned by them are not old majolica but reproductions. I hate being the one to burst the bubble of excitement of the purchaser but it's better to share the truth than allow them to continue ignorant of the facts. In this case, I did indeed need to break the bad news. The two pieces sent to me were British reproductions of George Jones pieces.

The first one was a reproduction of the GJ Quail "Empty Nest" terrine.

The second was a reproduction of the George Jones Calla Lily Jardiniere.

To a seasoned buyer, both of these reproductions are well known but to a beginner just starting to turn a collector's eye to majolica, they are reasonable facsimiles of things they may have seen in books. But are they really?
Neither one of these pieces bear the kinds of phony potter's marks you see in many reproductions made to deceive. Instead they bear simple style numbers. Compared side-by-side with the real thing they really look nothing like the original in any real way, only in the most superficial way. I can only assume that the intention to deceive was not paramount in the maker's mind when these were reproduced. Perhaps they were designed only to offer a reasonable facsimile to people who can't afford the original. In any event, the buyer should have done her homework better but, having made the same kinds of mistakes myself in the distant past, I'm not the one to start pointing fingers. The simple truth is that you learn more from your mistakes than your successes.

So what is the result of buying a reproduction when you think you're buying the real thing?

Well, aside from the financial loss which in certain cases could be severe, there is both a loss of innocence and a loss of enthusiasm. I hate to see things like that. I can still remember my excitement at purchasing my first piece of majolica, a begonia leaf. This person will not have a fond memory like that to look back at like I do. I can only hope it doesn't turn her off to majolica completely. I'd hate to see that happen.

It's a Dog's Life

2011-08-03T20:59:00.000-07:00

Man's best friend is clearly also majolica's best friend.
Aside from cats, I can think of no other animal found more frequently in majolica than dogs. The variety is stunning. In everything from inkwells to humidors to plates to pitchers, dogs are everywhere in majolica.

Like cat,s dog themed majolica always bring a premium price. Expect to pay twice as much for a piece with a dog on it as you would most other animals, but then, who could turn their nose up at one of these wonderful pieces?

Going Green

2011-07-31T12:19:00.000-07:00

One of the simplest and most elegant ways of displaying majolica is by collecting all green majolica.

All green majolica has been a staple of households for 250 years. It is a classic English country look that is often paired with painted or natural country pine furniture by decorators.

Wedgwood has been the leader in the production of this green dinnerware from the start. Beginning from the time of the Wedgwood Whieldon partnership, green glazed earthenware has provided an elegant colorful background for the service of food. Once the manufacture of majolica began in earnest after 1851, potteries from Minton to the smallest independent pottery began the production of this ware. As a result, there is plenty of green majolica to pick from.

It has proven so popular it remains in production today.

Mixed in with regular majolica it adds a lovely counterpoint to the bright colors in the majolica pieces. As an accent in rooms with porcelain or other types of pottery it adds a beautiful bit of color.

It was meant for everyday use and was inexpensive when it was new. It remains reasonably priced today with most pieces selling under $100.

So the next time someone tells you that they love majolica but can't afford the prices, steer them towards green majolica. It's an inexpensive way of collecting majolica that still looks like a million bucks!

The Case for Cuspidors

2011-07-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

Cuspidors have an image problem.

When I was an antiques dealer traveling around the country I was surprised at the large number of majolica collectors who simply wanted nothing to do with cuspidors. Maybe it's the unfortunately vivid alternate name of "spittoon" that puts people off. It certainly can't be the pedigree. Cuspidors were made by virtually every majolica manufacturer from Minton to the tiniest independent pottery. It certainly can't be the design. Cuspidors come in every color and shape imaginable, from the elegant George Jones tortoise to the humble but beautiful Sunflower of Griffen, Smith and Company. No, it simply has to be the original intended usage, as a container for spittle or chewing tobacco. I can think of no other ceramic, save for the chamber pot, that has this problem.

According to Wikipedia, the golden age of cuspidors was from 1840 to 1918 though they've been in use in Asia for centuries. It took the flu epidemic of 1918 to put an end to its use by genteel society. Since this was also roughly the golden age of majolica manufacture it just makes sense that they would have been made in majolica as well as other materials.

While majolica collectors spurn cuspidors, they are adored by decorators. I can't tell you how many decorator rooms I have been through that feature at least one cuspidor as a flower vase. The large, squat shape of these containers are perfect for table centerpieces, allowing for plenty of flowers while not blocking the view of the guests on the opposite side of the table. Indeed, it is a wonderful vessel for this use though I would place a glass liner inside to protect it.

All that being said, there are some wonderful cuspidors out there.

Wouldn't one of these look great on your dinner table filled with fresh flowers?

The results are in!

2011-07-16T18:09:00.000-07:00

The results are in from Skinner's summer majolica auction.

The big winner of the day was the Minton Prometheus vase which brought a whopping $22,000.

Other big sales were the Minton fruit basket which brought $10,000; the Minton boy on a shell compote, $4,500; and the George Jones sweetmeat centre, $5,000.

Not everything sold high with many nice items selling under $1,000.
The peacock jardiniere brought only $200; the Wedgwood centre sold for $300 and the Holdcroft garden seat brought $500.

It's that time of the year again.

2011-07-08T17:59:00.000-07:00

Michael Strawser is driving cross country collecting majolica for his Fall auction. This year's auction should be fabulous. With the Majolica Society Convention in town the consignments are likely to be terrific!

Here is the notice Michael sent out:

"We are currently accepting Majolica and Oyster plates for our Fall 2011 Majolica Auction which will be held on October 28 & 29 in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. The auction will be held in conjunction with the Majolica International Society' Annual Meeting. In late July and early August we will be traveling from Indiana to New England to Florida and back to Indiana picking up Majolica and Oyster plates for this auction. We also will be picking up antiques such as art pottery, lighting, toys, ceramics, art glass, coin collections, sterling, and other antiques for our Fall Americana Auction in Indiana.

We may also be planning a trip to the west coast as we have had a number of calls to pick up collections across the western states.

If you are interested in having us pick up your items please contact Michael to arrange a time for him to meet with you. Please email him at michael@strawserauctions.com or contact him at our office."

Skinner's Summer European Furniture & Decorative Arts Auction

2011-06-28T19:37:00.000-07:00

The Boston auction house Skinner recently posted online the 27 majolica lots that will be available in their July 9, 2011 European Furniture & Decorative Arts auction.

It's a wonderful group of high quality pieces with some rarely seen things included. Among the highlights is a Minton Prometheus vase, Palissy Monkey teapot and Etruscan Lily cheese bell with a rare brown ground.

For more information contact Skinner Auction and Appraisers.

Madoff's Majolica

2011-06-19T18:03:00.000-07:00

In the middle of watching a program on the November 2010 auction of disgraced financier Bernard Madoff's estate, what should flash before my eyes but a handful of majolica pieces among the loot! I had never heard that Madoff collected majolica so my curiosity was peaked. What did Madoff collect?

It didn't take long before I discovered the complete listing online of Madoff's majolica collection. The listing claimed a collection of 21 pieces. Here is the listing as it appeared online:

21 piece majolica pottery collection. [5] pineapple pitchers of various sizes, [1] corn motif syrup pitcher, [2] wedgwood pierced edge plates, [1] floral border plate, [5] assorted small cabbage motif plates, [1] davenport grape plate, [2] leaf form plates, [4] modern large cabbage plates.

It's not a very impressive collection for someone who swindled people out of 65 billion dollars over a period of 30+ years but an interesting collection nonetheless. The lot brought $375 at the auction.

The Madoff's bought what they liked and they apparently liked earth tones. I found it ironic that among the pieces was a collection of pineapple pitchers. The pineapple is a traditional symbol of hospitality. Who knows how many of Madoff's guests who gazed on these pieces ultimately became the victims of his hospitality?

I guess we'll never know.

Another Etruscan Majolica Fake

2011-06-09T20:12:00.000-07:00

I was cruising online the other day and came upon this pitcher for sale by a legitimate antiques dealer.

The pitcher is a fake. Not only is it a bad reproduction but to add insult to injury it bears a fake Etruscan mark on the reverse. This is not an Etruscan design.

I'm sure the dealer selling it has no idea it is fake either. No legitimate dealer would risk their reputation by selling an obvious forgery. The pitcher it is copying is show below, an unmarked American majolica pitcher by the Arsenal Pottery.

This pitcher above is being sold on Ebay as unmarked Etruscan, no doubt because of the presence of this copy. This form of disinformation only confuses legitimate buyers and sellers.

The reproduction has been available for several years now. Goodness knows how many honest dealers and collectors it has taken in.

The mark is easy to detect as counterfeit. Like the fake mark on the base of the so called "Devil" mug the mark is reversed. (See our post on the Devil mug here.)

Unfortunately, the presence of fakes like this on the market do no good for anyone except the original seller. They demean the market and fool honest people.

There is another reproduction of the same pitcher also available. This one is not marked and is clearly sold as a reproduction by a company that retails reproductions. These unfortunately show up on the secondary market and are sold as antique by ignorant dealers. They are very successful at fooling people.

I would encourage anyone who sees these reproductions to say something to the dealer to get these things off the market or at least have them marked as reproductions. There will always be reproductions so long as there is a dishonest dollar to be made but that doesn't mean we should stand by and allow the market to accept them as old.

The National Archive of Great Britain

2011-06-01T23:49:00.000-07:00

I recently came across a growing Web site that I thought may be of interest to majolica collectors. Since 2008, Great Britain has been digitizing, and making available online, the complete archive of government records open to the public. This includes birth and death records, service records and immigration records, but what should be of interest to majolica collectors is the digitizing of the British design registers of registered designs in Victorian Great Britain. While this is by no means complete, I believe it's about 5% of the entire archive, the records show a fascinating window into many of the majolica designs we know today.

Who, for example, knew that one of the most commonly available corn pitcher designs found in the majolica market today, was an 1869 registered design of James Ellis and Son?

Or who knew that the famous Samuel Lear Lily of the Valley pitcher of the 1880's was actually stolen from an 1866 registered design of James Edwards and Son?

Of course all the major British potters are represented with Minton and Co. showing the largest number of registered designs.

George Jones is represented on the archive as well.

Of course, Wedgwood is as well.

If you're interested in checking out the Web site go to: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/default.htm

Military Majolica

2011-05-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

On this Memorial Day I thought I would highlight majolica with a military theme.
There is no majolica with any American military personnel that I am aware of, but there are quite a few French and Austrian pieces with military themes.

The first one that I became aware of is probably one of the strangest majolica pitchers I've ever seen. It was potted by the Orchies company to commemorate the Russian encroachment on the Far East. The pitcher is of a large Russian polar bear grabbing control of a Korean soldier. This invasion of Korea in 1898 ultimately led to the Boxer Rebellion and the Russo-Japanese War.

The majority of military themed items are less specific in nature and in smoke-related items. Some of these may have been famous figures that would have been familiar to the general population but I really don't know for sure.

There were also pitchers made of military figures.

Here is a Schiller vase with military figures that relate to Napoleon.

Here is a Sarreguemines pitcher of Napoleon and another unmarked of same.

Finally there is the wonderful Renaissance helmet pitcher made by Wedgwood.

With Memorial Day we come to the end of the Spring antiques season. Some of you will be traveling to Great Britain and Europe to advance your majolica collections while others will be heading for the beach. Whatever you do, be safe and have a wonderful summer!

Happy Birthday to Majolica

2011-05-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

It would be inauspicious for me to ignore the anniversary of the debut of Victorian majolica which occurred in Great Britain one-hundred-sixty years ago this month.

Happy birthday majolica!

Spotlight: Wedgwood's Lincoln Pattern

2011-05-24T19:21:00.000-07:00

Wedgwood's Lincoln pattern is certainly the least appreciated and most misunderstood of all of Wedgwood's majolica dessert patterns. In the 1870-80's while Minton and George Jones were finding inspiration in Classicism and the Art Nouveaux treatment of the natural world, Wedgwood embraced the radical new styles of Japanism that developed after the 1851 and 1861 International Exhibitions.

This Anglo-Japanese style was something that industrial designer Christopher Dresser championed during the development of the Aesthetic Movement and helped the style become one of the major influences on ceramic design in the last quarter of the 19th century. Where many smaller potteries utilized the style, Wedgwood was the only one of the three major British majolica manufacturers to develop majolica designs specifically featuring it. Its influence can be seen in Wedgwood's Fan, Palm, St. Louis, Grosvenorand Chicago patterns, but it developed full flower in the Lincoln pattern. The Lincoln name, in fact, became the umbrella under which three similar Aesthetic Movement patterns were marketed. These became extremely popular for the company, with over 56 different wares marketed under the Lincoln name.

There are three similar dessert designs marketed under the Lincoln name that I am aware of. All have similar decorative components and were designed to compliment the other Wedgwood Anglo-Japanese patterns. (It's an interesting aside that the Lincoln cheese bell is often found with the Fan base as in the example below. Perhaps this mixing and matching was common, we don't know. The correct Lincoln underplate, shown below the Fan dome, looks very different with a flat profile and chrysanthemum feet). They were developed as Argenta patterns but were also glazed in other color motifs as well.

The main components one finds across all of these patterns are abstracted blossoming Prunus branches against a simple, non patterned ground. One of the designs has the same greek key border seen in the Palm wares. Two feature the stylized chrysanthemums from the St. Louis pattern. One has a wicker ground covering a third of the design with insects resting on top of it also seen in the St. Louis pattern. This bold use of asymmetry was typical of the Aesthetic style.

Today these styles strike most of us as odd in their abstraction. It's actually hard to believe they were created over 130 years ago. Where the concept of "more is better" is the common credo behind most Victorian design, these are very modern looking but cool in their austerity and in the simplicity of their geometric lines-- the exact opposite of what most collectors look for in majolica. Perhaps this is why Lincoln pattern wares are not very popular among general majolica collectors. They have never brought high prices. If you put them in context of their times though, they were an extraordinary adventurous step towards the development of modern ceramic design, something for which we should all be aware.

Happy Anniversary to ME!

2011-05-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Today is the one year anniversary of this blog.

In the past year we have made 135 entries on everything from mocha majolica (above) to packing for a move. We've posted 1600+ photos and enjoyed every minute of it.

For those who have followed the blog in the past year I want to extend my thanks and to those who have written, I appreciate your correspondence. I've learned a lot this past year and I hope that you have found something here to enhance your appreciation of the pottery we all love, MAJOLICA!

China Display

2011-05-13T15:28:00.000-07:00

Recently I came across an interesting blog by interior designer Joseph Davis called Master Class: JPD School of Design Palm Beach, Florida
It's an useful guide by a professional on decorating and all thing related. In it he discusses his philosophy on such things as decorating for children's rooms, cleaning silk flowers and cleaning up pet urine, among other things. It's a light-hearted blog full of useful information all illustrated with beautiful photos taken from his portfolio and from the Internet.

The entry that caught my attention was his thoughts on displaying china in the home for maximum impact, Let's Dish It Up! His entry on majolica was a bit elemental but his advise on display was excellent.

Here is his list of do's and don'ts on china display:

NEVER display crystal or glassware in a cabinet. It doesnt have the color or interest and looks pretentious; clear items should be kept behind a closed door.
NEVER wallpaper the insde of a cupboard which will have finely detailed china in it, the patterned paper overwhelms it.
NEVER pack a wall-rack or hutch-top with so much china it heaves; it should have a "user friendly" look, not a "dont freekin' touch me or everything will crash to the floor" look...
NEVER display miniatures with standard sized items, it'll look like "Alice in Wonderland".....stupid.
NEVER put lots of different patterns of china in the same display vignette unless you have a good eye and design sense( too Sanford and Sons)
NEVER, ever, let some one tell you your taste isnt good, or it's wrong. Your taste makes you unique. Certainly the world is full enough of mindless followers...be urself, buy what you like. However, let someone offer to help you display, or offer advice on procurement or collecting...you dont have to do it, but they just may have an idea you hadn't considered...

Check out his blog! I think you'll like it.

French Animal Pitchers

2011-05-10T04:17:00.000-07:00

One of the most popular--and competitive--areas of majolica collecting is in French figural animal pitchers.

Every imaginable type of animal is represented on these pitchers from cats and bunnies to rats and lobsters. They were largely the work of the Sarreguemines and St. Clement factories but were also created by Frie-Onnaing, Fives Lille and other smaller potteries on the continent. They've proven so popular, in fact, that they are still being made today. (More on that later on in this blog.)

The pitchers bring very good prices at auction with the more unusual pitchers often bringing in excess of $500. The Sarreguemines animal head pitchers are probably the most sought after of them all, routinely bringing $800-$1200 at auction.

Some of the animal pitchers, with small alterations, can also be found as bottles.

Often sold as Absinthe bottles, there's no proof that I know of that connects the highly addictive liqueur with the bottles though it is true that they were sold as containers for some kind of liqueur.

The bottles usually bring about the same prices as the pitchers with some of them having their own decorative cork stopper.

About Reproductions

As I mentioned earlier, many of these pitchers are still in production by the St. Clement pottery. To add to the confusion, St. Clement purchased the molds to many of the Sarreguemines pitchers and is reproducing them as well. They are being sold as reproductions by the factory, but unscrupulous dealers will often try to pass them off as antiques. There are ways, however, to tell the new pitchers from the old.

There's a very good article on this on the Shantique Gallery Web site. Here are some highlights from that article showing the things to look for:

Very glassy, glossy, glaze.
  A very acid lime-green [glaze] used on the piece.
The wrong model numbers: Most old St. Clement animal pitchers will have a 3 digit model number or a 3 digit with a slash and another number (222/4). Please note, I said "most", not all. There are a few rare examples of 4 digit animal pitchers. The new animal pitchers usually have a 4 digit number. For instance, the new cat pitchers carry the number 7486 on the base, while the old one has the number 525. The new monkey pitchers bear the number 7490 while the old ones have 435.  
A Sarreguemines mold marked St. Clement: The two Sarreguemines molds used by St. Clement that I see most often in on-line auctions are the "Boar" (or Sanglier) with the number 5285 and the "Pink Pig" (or Cochon Rose) with the number 3318. These are both Sarreguemines model numbers, but the pitchers are marked with St. Clement marks.

Victorian Dining: Recipes

2011-05-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

I was looking at Francatelli's suggested Victorian Christmas menu I posted a couple days ago and got to wondering if it was possible to actually recreate one of these courses.

As it turns out, it can be done very easily. Charles Elme Francatelli was a prolific writer and many of his books on Victorian food and manners are openly available on the Internet.
His book, The Modern Cook, A Practical Guide to the Culinary Arts in all its Branches is available on Google Books free of charge.

Another book, A Cook's Guide and Housekeeper's and Butler's Assistant has an entire Web site devoted to it. It is from here that the Christmas menu I described is listed. So, choosing one of the recipes from that menu at random, here are the directions for preparing Salad a la Rachel directly from the book so that you too can eat like a Victorian.

Salad a la Rachel:

Prepare the shred celery and eggs as in the foregoing case; season them with Prince of Wales' sauce*, pile up lightly in the salad-bowl, garnish round the base of the salad with thin slices of German sausage or ham; sprinkle over the surface, first, the powdered yolks of eggs, and next, some black truffles shred fine.

This has a very charming effect, and is considered a wonderful stimulant.

*The Prince of Wales Sauce:
First, prepare the following ingredients, viz.: four hard yolks of eggs, four anchovies washed and wiped, a handful of tarragon, chervil, burnet, chives; these to be well parboiled, and afterwards pressed in a cloth to extract all the water; a tablespoonful of capers, the same of French mustard, and three raw yolks of eggs; place all these in a mortar, bruise them together with a pestle, and then proceed to work in nearly half a pint of salad-oil, and half a gill [1/4 cup] of tarragon vinegar by degrees.
When this is done, rub the sauce thus produced through a hair sieve or tammy.

I wouldn't suggest serving this directly on your best majolica plates because the dressing is bound to steep into the soft earthenware body and cause a stain, but it will give you an idea of what food being served on majolica was like.

Desert Island Majolica

2011-05-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Did you ever play the Desert Island game with majolica?

The basic premiss is this:
If you were alone on a desert island with only five pieces of majolica, which five pieces would you choose?

Assuming there were other vessels available for practical uses like drinking and eating, the choices would purely be based on aesthetics.
It's an interesting thing to consider. For most collectors there's no such thing as too much majolica so trying to choose just five things to represent your interests in majolica is quite a dilemma.

For myself I think I would have to start with a Minton teapot. In my opinion Minton made the most fabulous teapots of any manufacturer. There are so many lovely ones to choose from but for me the favorite would be the classic Minton monkey.

There are other teapots that are rarer and some that are more elegant, but for me the Minton monkey personifies the color, whimsey and ingenuity that made me love majolica in the first place.

My second choice would be another Minton piece, the Minton beehive cheese keeper. This one was a slightly harder choice to make because there are other cheese keepers I like almost as much, like the George Jones Waterlily cheese stand.

My third choice would be the George Jones Punch bowl. I just love this piece, especially with the orange bowl.

For a jardiniere I think I would choose the Brown, Westhead Moore passion flower. I can't really explain why I like this piece, I just do.

My final choice would be a Minton piece, the Minton mermaid center. From the moment I first saw this piece I fell in love with it. It just struck me as so lovely, so elegant and a great example of Minton's figural work.

That's it! It's a hard game to play as there are so many wonderful designs out there that I like just as much.
Ask me in six months and I may choose five different pieces but for now this is what I'd pick.
How about you?

Victorian Dining

2011-05-07T06:14:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased an Etruscan Corn patterned bud vase. In my 25+ years of buying majolica I've only seen two others so naturally I was thrilled to have the opportunity to pick one up for myself. It's probably the most unusual of the Etruscan Corn pieces as it's the only one that was modeled directly from a corn cob. This is a tiny vase, very delicate in its potting, only 4" in height and an inch in diameter, but very detailed in the modeling of each and every corn kernel.

This led me to think of how different the food of the Victorians was from that we know today. I don't know if this was the standard size of a corn cob then but if it was it's probably about half the size of the hybrid corn we eat today. So many of the foods we know today were unknown then and so many others were new. Others were common for the time but practically extinct today. Sardine boxes, celery vases, strawberry servers, and ice cream sets were all created to feature these new foods on the Victorian table. But not only was the food different, the way they ate was very different as well.

For Victorians, dining was an art with each course it's own work of art. The dining services alone could be huge with each setting consisting of up to 24 pieces, between the china, silver and crystal all tailored for a specific purpose.

In Martin Scorsese's 1993 film of the Edith Wharton novel The Age of Innocence, set in the 1870's, Scorsese took great pains to try and communicate this high Victorian preoccupation with the elegant preparation and serving of food.

As is shown in the film, Victorian meals were astonishingly complex with twelve courses commonplace per meal. Here is a suggested menu for Christmas dinner from the Martha Stewart's Entertaining of its time, Francatelli's The Cook's Guide and Housekeeper's and Butler's Assistant:

Turtle soup

Turbot à la Vatel

Fillet of soles à la Tartare

Roast turkey Perigueux sauce

Braized ham à la jardiniere

Spiced round of beef

Marrow patties

Salmis of pheasants à la financière

Sweetbreads à la St. Cloud

Mutton cutlets a la vicom

Roast Woodcock

Roast Grouse

Mince pies

Plum pudding

Broccoli with Parmesan cheese

Salad à la Rachel

Punch jelly

Italian cream

Croûtes à l'ananas

Meringue à la Parisienne.

This is the world majolica was made to service, something to keep in mind as you make your way through the fish services, oyster servers and spoon warmers made in majolica.

Education never ends

2011-05-04T19:59:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I received a letter from a young man in Middle school requesting an interview on majolica for a class project. One of the questions he asked me was my opinion on what makes Etruscan Majolica so good. It was one of a dozen questions he asked me during that interview but the one that made me think the longest. Why is Etruscan Majolica so valued today?

The answer I gave him was that the Etruscan Works had a distinctive color palette that distinguished it from other majolica being made at the time. I also said that they used ceramic modelers and glaze formulas from England that resulted in the highest quality product available for the time.

While both of these are correct, I think there's more to it than that. It was a rare combination of glazes, subject range, quality, distribution and name recognition that put the Etruscan name up front. Majolica from other American manufacturers had some of these qualities but not all. It was the unique combination that makes Etruscan more popular than any of their American contemporaries.

One of those things that distinguishes Etruscan wares from others has to do with something we still deal with today: branding. Most Etruscan Majolica is very plainly marked with the Etruscan Works circular Etruscan Majolica impressed mark. This gives Etruscan a pedigree that distinguishes it from the work of many other potteries that also produced good majolica. Eureka pottery is equally as handsome as Etruscan yet it isn't nearly as collectible as Etruscan. Eureka marked very few of its wares and those marked wares command a premium price, but most of it does not. For nearly 100 years no one but the most knowledgeable knew who made it. Eureka also produced a narrow range of patterned pieces, all of them very specific to the Aesthetic style, which fell out of fashion by the turn of the century.

The Carr pottery made a wide range of colorful majolica of a high quality but it is also rarely marked. To this day we aren't certain what range of wares Carr made.

The Arsenal Pottery made majolica that was colorful and broad in range but it too was unmarked. The quality was an issue with Arsenal as well with most of it being variable.

On the other hand, Bennett "majolica" is all strongly marked and carefully glazed, but it lacks something that Etruscan Majolica has an abundance of: color! People who collect majolica buy it for its color. Etruscan Majolica has a gorgeous color palette. Bennett "majolica" is mostly white. The same must be said of Haynes "majolica."( I've placed quotations around the word "majolica" because it's my belief that most of what Bennett and Haynes called majolica was really decorated earthenware.)

Morley majolica is also well marked, and Morley certainly can be colorful, but Morley lacks both range in subject and quality. There's a good amount of Morley available but it is, frankly, mostly unattractive.

New Milford marked their majolica as well but their output was limited and largely restricted to Lettuce Leaf with only a few exceptions like the vase above. The Peekskill Pottery did some nice majolica as well but their output was also very limited.

There was one more component that I haven't mentioned so far that is also responsible for Etruscan Majolica's popularity and that was the range of product distribution. Because of their national deals as premiums, Etruscan Majolica found its way in homes across the United States at a time where this kind of national distribution was limited to only the largest companies. No other majolica manufacturer had a similar deal.

All of these were responsible for why Etruscan Majolica is more popular today than any other manufacturer of majolica during the golden age of American pottery manufacture. What we remember most though, is the beautiful work the company did.

Easter Majolica

2011-04-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

For the upcoming Easter holiday I thought I'd post some pieces that may be appropriate to your Easter table.

Of course the ultimate Easter centerpiece would have to be the GJ "full nest" Quail game dish, replete with chicks and bunnies galore!

Not everyone can afford a "full nest" game dish so the "empty nest" version will have to suffice for some.

Although some might prefer the Minton Hare and Mallard tureen.

Then there are the Minton bunnies on which you can artfully arrange your peeps!

The Choisy-le-Roi rabbit plates would be perfect for appetizers...

... as would some of the Choisy game bird plates!

Of course you'll need something to hold the flowers. How about something from Massier or Holdcroft?

Of course you'll need something to hold all those jelly beans and chocolate eggs! How about a nice humidor from France or box from TCBW Moore & Company or butter dish from Eureka?

Let's not forget something to hold all those pretty eggs. Maybe a nice egg basket or server?

When dinner is all said and done set out the first strawberries of the season in a wonderful strawberry server!

Or give each of your guests their own strawberry portion on a plate from George Jones.

Then sit back and relax with a sweet liquor from your bunny bottle and try to forget the clean up!

Enjoy your holiday everyone!

Chicken Feed

2011-04-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

The first time I ever saw a George Jones tea tray was in a photograph in a magazine. The article wasn't about majolica, it was about how a man decorated his home.

The man had a farm and this big expansive kitchen. One wall was covered with shelves full of majolica. On his kitchen island he had a Minton beehive cheese stand. I believe there was also a Minton monkey teapot somewhere nearby. The tea tray was turquoise and he kept it on the shelf with the other majolica. He filled it with dried corn and seed and fed his chickens off of it.

Yes, you read that correctly--he fed his chickens off of it. This is the same tea tray that George Jones made to match his monkey handled tea set. Similar to the one above from the Madelena Web site that is retailing for $4150. These chicken ate in style!

It reminds us that not too long ago majolica was considered a disposable remnant from a garish age.

I'd love to see that article again. If any readers know where it appeared please drop me a line.

Oh by the way, years later I was at a flea market and I saw a GJ tea tray in terrible condition that had the entire center covered with little nicks, like a bird had pecked at it.
Now I'm not saying that was the same tray I saw in the magazine article, but I couldn't help but wonder.

Think Pink!

2011-04-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

When I hear the phrase "Think Pink", the very first thing that comes to mind is the opening number in the movie "Funny Face" where Kaye Thompson proclaims:

Red is dead, blue is through, green's obscene, and brown's taboo!"

It's the first line to a raucous musical number where Thompson, playing a Diana Vreeland type character decides the fashion for the coming season, and the color for that fashion is pink!

She could just as well have been speaking about Victorian majolica. Pink is so strongly associated with majolica that the color "majolica pink" has come to describe that vibrant lavender-pink hybrid that we all know so well.

Pink was used as a lining color by most of the English and American majolica manufacturers and as result is probably the most common of all majolica colors. Pink as a ground color wasn't quite as common though George Jones, Holdcroft, Minton, Wedgwood and the Etruscan Works all used it. Sometimes it was closer to dusty rose, sometimes a vibrant magenta and other times closer to lavender -- regardless it was all gorgeous!

What better way to start a new Spring week then to kick back and immerse ourselves in that loveliest of all majolica colors, pink!

Pink majolica is one of the most sought after colors available so expect to pay a premium for it... but isn't it worth it?