A look at the design, market and legacy of Victorian pottery

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

William Hill: The Missing Founder of Griffen, Smith and Hill

Little has been written about William Hill, the fourth original member of the partnership of Griffen, Smith & Hill, and for good reason. His tenure at the company lasted less than a year and a half and his influence on the operation is unknown. Unfortunately, we also don’t have any photos of him or his family so he has remained a cypher in the company’s history. However his initial remained on the company’s monogram until 1889 when David Smith also left the partnership and the company was dissolved. As a result Etruscan wares are always referred to as the product of Griffen, Smith & Hill instead of the company that actually manufactured the bulk of it, Griffen, Smith & Company.

The Etruscan monogram of GSH. After Hill’s departure the company 
kept the logo but claimed it stood for “Good, Strong and Handsome.”

What we do know is that Hill was born in Longton, Staffordshire, England on February 9, 1837, Longton is one of the six pottery towns in England that make up Stoke-on-Trent, an area collectively known as “The Potteries.” 

Longton, Staffordshire

Longton, Staffordshire

His father was a potter by trade so William grew up in the ceramics business and began to apprentice in the field at a young age. By the age of fourteen records show that he was already employed as a potter.

In February 1863, he married 32 year-old Jemima Frackleton. They lived in Dresden on Longton, Staffordshire where they had three children: two sons‚ William Jr. and Tom and a daughter, Jemima. In the Spring of 1868, Hill left Great Britain for the United States to find work in the pottery business at the burgeoning pottery center in Trenton, New Jersey. In October of the same year Jemima and the three children boarded the ship, City of Baltimore to join Hill in the USA.

The Trenton pottery industry

City of Baltimore was primarily a passenger ship that carried
European immigrants to the United States

A year after moving to Trenton, tragedy hit the young Hill family when three year-old daughter Jemima died in September 1869.

In 1872‚ Jemima gave birth to their fourth child, Frederick in Trenton. It is unknown how Hill became aware of  the operation at the small Phoenix Pottery in Phoenixville but it seems likely that Hill made the acquaintance of David Smith who also worked briefly in Trenton. After Smith’s appointment as manager of the Phoenix Pottery, Hill moved his family to Phoenixville‚ Pennsylvania, a western suburb of Philadelphia, to join the operations at Beerbower & Griffen at the Phoenix Pottery 

The Phoenix Pottery

Workers at the Phoenix Pottery

In 1879 he developed a partnership with the Griffen brothers and David Smith at the Phoenix Pottery which they renamed the Etruscan Works. The partnership became known as Griffen, Smith & Hill. Census records show that Hill’s eldest son William Jr. also joined the operation. 

From the Phoenixville Independent, January 1, 1878:

Co-partnership— We the undersigned, have this day formed a Co-partnership, under the firm name of Griffen, Smith & Hill for the manufacture and sale of White Earthenware,& c., at the Phoenix Pottery Works, Phoenixville, Penna. We have purchased the business and interest of Beerbower & Griffen for that purpose, and all accounts of the said firm will be settled by us. Henry R. Griffen, George S. Griffen, David Smith, William Hill Phoenixville, Pa.

Majolica production began almost immediately at the Etruscan Works as the new company took advantage of the latest fad in ceramics as seen at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition.

An early production Etruscan Majolica Cauliflower plate

Carr exhibit at the 1876 Exhibition showing 
parian, majolica and other earthenwares

A.B. Daniell & Son retail exhibition in Philadelphia 
showing a large collection of majolica

Gilded Minton majolica Prometheus vase shown at the 
1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition

It is not known what Hill’s formal role was in the operation but it is believed he was involved in early pottery production and design. Unfortunately the partnership lasted only sixteen months. 

Pottery production at the Phoenix Pottery

He withdrew from the firm in May of 1880 and the company name changed to Griffen, Smith & Company. 

From the Phoenixville Messenger, May 8, 1880:

DissolvedThe partnership heretofore existing between Griffen, Smith & Hill, was dissolved by mutual consent on Monday last, at the annual meeting by the retirement of Mr. Hill.

Hill left Pennsylvania and moved his family to Boston, Massachusetts where there was a thriving pottery import business. We do not know if he tried producing his own pottery but he soon began his own crockery selling business in the pottery district of East Boston. He did well in this line and the family prospered. His son Tom soon joined him. Hill continued to operate his business for the next 28 years.

In June of 1908 William’s wife Jemima died of a stroke at the age of 78. After her passing Hill retired, moving to Roslindale, Boston to live with his adult son Frederick and his family. He remained there until his death by gas asphyxiation in 1913 at the age of 76. He is buried with his wife in Woodlawn Cemetery in Boston.

Woodlawn Cemetery, Boston Mass.

Many years ago I was contacted by one of William Hill’s descendants and I requested information on him. I never did hear from them again which was a disappointment, but at least we know that William and Jemima have family that continues today.

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Help in Identifying Unmarked Majolica

There are many clues to identifying a piece of majolica in the absence of a mark.

Most easily is the advertising done by the potteries. Many potteries had sales catalogs they used to sell their products. Some participated in international exhibitions or advertised in the trade journals of their day. Here in this blog I have posted many examples of these catalog pages and trade ads. Forester, Lear, the Etruscan Works, Massier, Orchies, George Jones, Minton, Wedgwood, Arsenal, Desvres and others all have graced the posts of this blog. A look at some of the individual blog posts I’ve made here can help instantly identify an unmarked piece.

Advertisement for Thomas Forester from Potrero Gazette

Advertisement for Samuel Lear from Pottery Gazette

George Jones catalog page

Another way is by the treatment on the reverse of the piece. Potteries had a relatively consistent means of glazing the reverse of their wares. This is my no means fool proof because there are exceptions to every pottery but on a whole there are some glaze treatments that are more common from some potteries than others. If one were to examine several similar treatments of the reverse glaze one can pretty accurately get an idea about who made what.

Let’s take the work of Thomas Forester for example. Forester was one of the most prodigious potters of Victorian pottery in Great Britain yet few of his wares were ever marked. However, they treated the reverse of their pieces in several similar ways. The most common of these treatments was with a distinctive mottling technique done only by them. It is a muddy green and brown mottle. either plain or with a yellow center on flatware. An example is shown below.

Underside of Forester plate

This same glaze treatment is frequently also used on the obverse of pieces. Another treatment they used was with a yellow wash with a decorator’s number or a combination of the green and brown mottle or sponged brown glaze with a yellow or white center on their flatware, generally with a decorator’s identification mark.

Minton almost always marked their pieces as did Wedgwood but George Jones did not. Minton preferred a green, turquoise or white underside glaze on some pieces and blue and brown on their Palissy pieces. Large pieces are sometimes unglazed. Wedgwood used white sometimes plain, sometimes with a green and brown mottle or blue and brown mottle though they frequently varied. They also used an ivory glaze splashed with brown on some flatware. 

Both Jones and Minton did exceptional glaze work with little glaze running. Wedgwood is usually exceptional in their glazing too but they are more likely to be less consistent with their work. The three are known for their exceptional work that makes them stand out among the run of the mill production.

Jones generally used a distinctive mottling on the underside they referred to as “snakeskin.”  There is usually a “thumbprint” on the underside with a pattern number. Hollowware pieces, especially pieces with a small foot such as jugs often did not have the snakeskin mottling but instead were glazed in a solid color such as turquoise or pink, but there is usually a pattern number present. I have written about Minton, Wedgwood and George Jones identification before so you can refer to those posts for more detail.

Reverse of a Jones plate showing the distinctive snakeskin mottling 
and thumbprint with the pattern number

Reverse of an Adams & Bromley plate

Reverse of an Adams & Bromley platter

Adams & Bromley almost never marked their wares but consistently used either a solid yellow glaze on the complete underside of their pieces or a sponged brown glaze.

Fielding, Lear, Brown-Westhead & Moore and Wardle most frequently used plain white glazes on the bases of their pieces and the potteries’ wares are often confused with each other. Sometimes they are marked and sometimes not, Occasionally they will have an English Registration mark. Recognizing their patterns are the easiest way of differentiating them. Refer to the posts on those potteries for patterns. 

Shorter & Boulton fan ice cream platter

Shorter & Boulton preferred a gray wash on the underside of their pieces. Copeland is usually white and most often marked. Brownfield is only occasionally marked but they used distinctive buff colored clays with a clear glaze which will be recognizable with experience. The same is true for George Skey. They also both frequently used a similar color palette for many pieces. Refer to the posts on Brownfield and Skey for details.

Green glaze reverse of a Holdcroft plate

Gray and brown mottled reverse of a Holdcroft oyster plate

Holdcroft often marked their wares but they also preferred a distinctive dull green underside glaze which makes identification easy. They also used a recognizable gray and brown mottle and occasionally a distinctive brown and green mottle

Advertisement for Thomas Heath majolica
Advertisement for Hugh Sutherland majolica

Unfortunately there were dozens of small potteries that made majolica throughout Great Britain that never marked their wares nor did they register their designs through the English Registration system so their output remain unknown. Some of these potteries are: 

  • Hall & Miller
  • Thomas Heath
  • William Hines
  • John Kent & Son
  • William Kirby & Co.
  • Lincoln Pottery
  • J. Dunlop Mitchell & Co.
  • Mountford & Thomas
  • Oakes, Clare & Chadwick
  • Thomas Poole
  • Pugh & Glover
  • Robinson & Chapman
  • Rosslyn Pottery
  • Snow & Littler
  • Hugh Sutherland
  • Wagstaff & Brunt

There are many, many more. A list of some of these can be found in Victoria Bergesen’s book Majolica. Some were only in business for a short time so their anonymity is understandable but attribution on their output remains virtually impossible and frustrating.

Other potteries in this blog that feature identifying information include Victoria Pottery, Joseph RothWasmuël, Belfield, MawSalopian PotteryFives-LilleJames CarrRoyal Dux and Onnaing. See their entries for assistance in patterns and identification.

French wares are usually marked but not always and there is no real consistency regarding the base treatments among those that are not marked. These can be vexing and require experience in recognizing predominant glaze combinations. Most frequently the underside will be the predominant color on the piece, especially in hollowware. They also often used a red lining on the inside of their hollowware jugs which you do not see outside of France and Brussels. Fortunately there are catalogs from the companies that have survived and numerous print publications with identity guides. 

Catalog page for Onnaing majolica banks

Catalog page from Fourmaintraux Masse in Desvres

Thomas Sergent used a very distinctive clay body and color pallete which assists in identifying his unmarked pieces, 

Another problematic issue with French majolica is that many patterns have been reissued into the 20th and 21st century so understanding the contemporary markings and glazes are crucial for differentiating Victorian pieces from contemporary ones.

MentonMassier and Théodore Deck’s work are almost always marked.

Page from the 1884 Etruscan Majolica catalog 
Etruscan Majolica reverse treatments

In addition to a contemporary catalog of their majolica, Etruscan Majolica was always glazed on the reverse in one of four combinations. Most pieces were marked but some of the later pieces were not. They also used a pastel color palette that becomes instantly recognizable on sight. Refer to my post on Identifying True Etruscan Majolica for detail on identifying these.

Eureka majolica plate reverse

Reverse of Arsenal plate

Eureka and Arsenal potteries used either a sponged brown glaze on their reverses or left them white while Morley and Haynes always left theirs white. Eureka had a limited output so their patterns are easy to recognize. Arsenal had a relatively small line of wares but their catalog has recently been overwhelmed by very good contemporary reproductions. See my posts on Arsenal and common reproductions for assistance in identifying these. Morley and Haynes marked almost all their output with ink marks but also had distinct ways of glazing their majolica. Refer to those posts for details. Tenuous sometimes marked their majolica but sometimes did not. Their glazes and patterns, however are distinctive to them so a little practice can help recognize their wares. Most frequently they used a gray glaze on the undersides.

Tenuous Majolica mark

Of all the potteries who made unmarked majolica those in central Europe these potteries are the most difficult to identify. Some potteries like Gerbing & Stephans, Schütz, Bernard Bloch, Zsolnay, Schiller, Brothers Urbach, Julius Geiner & Sohn, Fischer and Strnact marked their wares pretty consistently while many smaller potteries did not. Most of the records of these companies were lost during the world wars that plagued this area during the 20th century so we cannot identify their pottery until marked examples surface. One thing that many potteries in this area had in common was the use of impressed catalog numbers on the base. Unglazed bases on items like smoke sets are also common.

English Registration mark

One identifying feature that you should NOT use, unless you know how to read it, is the English Registration mark. I have instructions for reading this mark here, but you often find dealers confusing the English Registration mark for a George Jones or Minton mark, which is incorrect. Understanding the Registration mark requires additional references not yet available online.

Another mark frequently mistaken for a pottery’s mark is the decorator’s mark. Most potteries used decorators who were paid by the number of pieces they decorated. To distinguish their work they would apply a brushed, written or stamped mark on the underside of the pieces they painted. They are marks made entirely for inside company production use and have no significance for pottery identification. A mark like this can be seen on the green Holdcroft plate shown above. Other potteries used impressed numbers and/or letters also for inside company use. Many of these are irrelevant to the contemporary collector.

Solid green majolica, unless marked, is usually impossible to identify because these patterns were copied extensively throughout Europe by numerous potteries. Some patterns are consistently produced by certain potteries but unfortunately these too were copied so identification cannot be authenticated without a mark.

There really is a lot of information both on this blog and other online sources that will help you identify the makers of antique majolica. With a little bit of research it will become easy to narrow down, if not identify many unmarked pieces either by their advertising, pattern, glazes or underside glaze. Be forewarned though, that copying and exceptions are rampant when identifying majolica. There are exceptions to every rule.

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

The Majolica of Gebrüder Schütz, Schütz Blansko and Schütz Cilli

Gebrüder Schütz majolica plate

Schütz majolica is not well known in the United States by name but there are very few collectors who have not encountered some of their output. In spite of their excellent craftsmanship, the companys' work has been largely overlooked for over a hundred years. The Schütz potteries have a history that is an interesting and complex one involving two feuding brothers who operated together then separately under connected potteries with similar products under similar names. Among the larger potteries in Bohemia they employed up to 200 workers at their peak.

Letovice, Blansko c. 1900

The pottery was originally established by Peter Eugen Selb and Carl Gustav Lenk in Olomuczany near Blansko—then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but now part of the Czech Republic—along the Morava River in 1849. Purchased in 1852 by Karl Schütz the pottery that was to become Gebrüder Schütz Handelsgesellschaft was expanded and then trusted to his sons Ludwig and Arnold in 1859 for their management. The company took on the trade name Gebrüder Schütz Blansko. 

They specialized in kitchenware and decorative hand painted earthenware. In time they expanded to more decorative housewares, brick, stoves and majolica. Around 1870 the company purchased a second facility in Petrovče near Cilli—now Celje—in which they developed finer wares that had them competing, and winning, in major exhibitions throughout central Europe. This second plant took the name of Schütz Cilli.

Gebrüder Schütz majolica wall pocket

Gebrüder Schütz majolica vase

Gebrüder Schütz Blansko majolica charger

Gebrüder Schütz Blansko majolica plate

Gebrüder Schütz Blansko majolica shark charger

Gebrüder Schütz Blansko majolica plate

The brothers Schütz operated the companies together for 31 years under the names Gebrüder Schütz, Schütz Blansko and Schütz Cilli with Arnold managing the main plant in Olomuczany while Ludwig operated the branch plant near Cilli. In 1890 disagreements between the two brothers led to a permanent split with Arnold Schütz remaining in Olomuczany with Schütz Blansko and Ludwig Schütz operating Schütz Cilli in the branch facility at Petrovëc, Liboje.

The Schütz factory purchased in Petrovče near Cilli c.1870

Schütz Blansko majolica plate

Schütz Blansko majolica dandelion charger

Schütz Blansko majolica plate
Schütz Blansko majolica Art Nouveau grape charger

Schütz Blansko majolica Deer wall plate

Schütz Blansko majolica plate

Schütz Blansko majolica decorative charger

Schütz Blansko majolica decorative charger

Schütz Blansko majolica Nubian decorative charger

Schütz Blansko majolica vase

Schütz Blansko majolica vase

Eight years after the split between the Schütz brothers,  Arnold handed over management of Schütz Blansko to his son-in-law Wilhelm Julinek who sold the property to Oskar Basch. By 1906 the pottery was operating under a partnership including Basch, Emil Mandl and Franz and Wilhelm Julinek. The pottery ceased production of household ceramics and concentrated instead on the production of tile, brick and pipes for construction. The business closed in 1922.

The Schütz Cilli factory
 
Workers at the Schütz Cilli factory 1898
The letterhead of the Schütz Cilli factory 1913

The Schütz Cilli facility in Liboje was first called Filialfabrik für Steingut when it was part of the main plant in Olomuczany then changed names a couple of times—both incorporating Ludwig’s name—until it became Majolika und Steingut Fabric L.R. Schütz in 1904Ludwig expanded the plant continuing operation of the branch plant after the split, producing a wide range of household wares and majolica until his death in 1907. In 1909 his widow Maria took over the management of the plant, operating it until 1919 when the factory was sold to the Abel family. Maria died in 1946.

Schütz Cilli majolica pitcher and basin

Schütz Cilli majolica vase

Schütz Cilli majolica vase

Schütz Cilli majolica vase

Schütz Cilli majolica vase

Schütz Cilli majolica vase

Schütz Cilli majolica vase

Schütz Cilli majolica vase

Schütz Cilli majolica vase

Schütz Cilli majolica ewer 

Schütz Cilli majolica plate

Schütz Cilli majolica plate

Schütz Cilli majolica decorative charger

Schütz Cilli majolica charger

Schütz Cilli majolica plate. These butterfly plates are 
identical to those made by Josef Seidl 


Schütz Cilli majolica Richard Wagner commemorative plaque

Schütz Cilli majolica decorative charger

Schütz Cilli majolica charger

Schütz Cilli majolica plate

Schütz Cilli majolica plate

Schütz Cilli majolica lobster plate

Schütz Cilli majolica dessert stand

Schütz Cilli majolica stand

The Abel family continued production of pottery in 1920 making different types of ceramics under the name Majolika Celeja using some of the old majolica molds. The company was nationalized in 1946 under the new Czech Republic with the new name Keramična Industrija Liboje.

Marks

There were several marks used by the Schütz factories. Pieces only stamped with the circular mark of a kneeling archer inside a G are often attributed to Gebrüder Schütz (Schütz Brothers) or Schütz Blansko with pieces specifically stamped Gebrüder Schütz considered older. Because of the split between the brothers it is sometimes difficult to date Schütz Blansko or Schütz Cilli pieces to before or after 1890 due to the fact that both marks were in use from 1870 forward until the closing of the companies. To complicate matters the two companies shared each other’s molds so a piece with the same design could be by either Schütz Blansko or Schütz Cilli. In auction listings it is common to see both Schütz Blansko and Schütz Cilli attributed to Gebrüder Schütz. Production numbers impressed on the back of each piece may be a way of identifying the design date but to the best of my knowledge these records have remained in private hands and are not available to the public.

The best way to date pieces made after the split is by the addition of other marks on the base of the ware. Although Schütz Blansko used the archer mark from 1859 to 1906, ware intended for export had to also have the country of origin stamped on the ware after 1890. Schütz Blansko pieces marked Austria or Made in Austria can reliably be attributed to after that date. The same is true for Schütz Cilli which used two marks, one impressed and one ink stamped, both which included country of origin after 1890.

Gebrüder Schütz mark used between 1854-1870

Kneeling archer logo used by Gebrüder Schütz Blanko

Schütz Blansko mark used between 1854-1906

Schütz Blansko mark used after 1890

Schütz Blansko mark used after 1890

Schütz Blansko mark used between 1897-1906

Schütz Cilli mark 
used after 1870

Schütz Cilli mark used after 1906

Schütz majolica is usually easy to find though it may not be identified as such. Gebrüder Schütz, Schütz Blansko and Schütz Cilli usually bring similar prices with dealers rarely differentiating between the three. Prices also tend to be reasonable for the most part with only the elaborate hollowware and decorative chargers commanding high prices.