Sometimes when I go through the majolica listings on eBay I am reminded of what a minefield majolica buying has become for the novice. The popularity of the form has created a staggering number of reproductions made specifically to deceive. I have been buying majolica for 35 years so I have seen the reproduction market grow during that time. I can usually detect a reproduction from across the room but many who haven’t got this experience can be easily fooled by the high quality of the reproductions now being manufactured.
It is for that reason I’ve assembled this list of the most commonly seen reproductions, specifically those that are so good they can fool the most experienced of buyers. I have written about most of these before, but considering the number that have now flooded the marketplace, repeated diligence is now called for.
1) The Arsenal Pottery Toby plate
These copies of the Trenton pottery’s Toby plate are so well done it is difficult separating the reproductions from the authentic original. These began to appear on the secondary market about three years ago along with a similar companion piece—the Homestead plate. Because the latter has always been rather rare it is likely that those you will see are the contemporary reproductions. The Toby plate, on the other hand has always been a commonly found piece so separating the originals from the reproductions require some skill.
Arsenal Pottery majolica toby plate
Reproduction toby plate
How to tell: The weight of the newer plate is somewhat lighter than the original and much more crispy potted. The glaze on the front is much more evenly applied than the originals. The color however is usually more garish than that used on antique plates. The sponging on the reverse of the reproductions is often a good imitation of the antique, usually with a fake decorators initial drawn in the center as is often found on antiques.
2) Palissy Fish Oyster Plate
These oyster plates began life in a pottery in South Carolina. They were distributed by retail dealers as majolica reproductions and originally sold for $35. They had no marking except for a paper label identifying them as reproductions. The problems arose in the secondary market as unscrupulous dealers removed these labels and marked them up several hundred dollars selling them instead as antique plates. They have since entered the market place and are routinely offered as antiques with few people the wiser.
How to tell:
2) Palissy Fish Oyster Plate
These oyster plates began life in a pottery in South Carolina. They were distributed by retail dealers as majolica reproductions and originally sold for $35. They had no marking except for a paper label identifying them as reproductions. The problems arose in the secondary market as unscrupulous dealers removed these labels and marked them up several hundred dollars selling them instead as antique plates. They have since entered the market place and are routinely offered as antiques with few people the wiser.
How to tell:
This one is fortunately quite easy to separate from the antique. The antique plates were usually glazed in shades of green. The reproductions are always glazed in shades of blue. They are otherwise identical. It is ironic that the reproduction has given birth to a secondary reproduction which is worse than the first as well as a third worse than that and a fourth reproduction, all of much poorer quality also glazed in shades of blue.
Antique Palissy majolica oyster plate
Reproduction Palissy fish head oyster plate
3) Heron/Stork Large Pitcher
These large reproduction pitchers, most frequently glazed with a cobalt ground, were such a success in the secondary market that for many years they destroyed the market for this particular design. Dealers refused to purchase them because of the difficulty in separating the reproductions from the antiques. As time has gone on however, they have managed to find their way back into the antique booths of dealers who were not active 25 years ago when they first appeared.
How to tell:
This reproduction continues to be vexing to those who handle majolica. One of the problems is that there are at least two different reproductions. Originals are not as crisply potted or glazed as the reproductions. There is also to my eye a degree of crudeness to the originals that does not appear on the almost cartoonish clarity of the modern reproductions. The pink glaze used is also much more even and intense than those found in the originals. An example of an original appears below.
Antique heron jug
Condition is often a way of distinguishing the modern from the antique. Even though the reproductions are artificially stressed and stained to give the look of old pottery they do not have hairlines, wear or chips, something that is common in the originals. The green glaze, as can be seen by the one below, has a dull quality and is not the rich transparent green found on the antique pitcher.
Reproduction majolica stork pitchers
Several English companies made similar corn pitchers but corn pitcher reproductions from Asia can be recognized from a mile away!
How to tell:
Antique corn pitchers have crisp modeling with good glazing. Interiors are always majolica pink or turquoise. Many have English registration marks on the underside that are raised and have letters and numbers, perhaps not legible but there nonetheless.
English majolica corn pitcher
Reproductions have sloppy glazing that always runs down the side of the pitcher. Interiors are often unglazed, something you would never see on a pitcher made to be used. If they are glazed on the inside like the one below, the lining glaze is usually turquoise, uneven and runny. Also, you can see indents on the inside of the pitcher from the design on the exterior, something that is a dead giveaway that it is new. Undersides sometimes have faux English registration diamonds that are empty.
Reproduction Asian corn pitcher
5) Arsenal Pottery Dog Plate
These have been around for only a few years and are some of the most difficult to detect of all the recent reproductions. The glazing is almost identical to the antique plate both front and back.
How to tell:
The easiest way to detect the reproductions is through the obverse glazing. It is often too precise, particularly the glazing of the green leaves around the perimeter. The modeling of the leaves is thick and clumsy. The ground is also white, opposed to the ivory color on the antique.
Arsenal Pottery majolica dog plate
Reproduction dog plate
6) Arsenal Pottery Hunting Dog and Stag Plate
These reproductions appeared at the same time as the Toby and Homestead plates and are clearly being made by the same manufacturer. Arsenal made two versions of this plate—one with handles on the perimeter and one without. The plate without handles is the one being copied.
How to tell:
Reverse glazing is identical to the antique but they chose to cut corners in glazing the front of the plate. Instead of using multiple colors to indicate the dog and the deer, it is usually a solid color like the Toby plate.
Arsenal majolica dog and stag plate
Reproduction Arsenal hunting dog and stag plate
7) Minton, Etruscan, Wedgwood, George Jones and Forester Cheese Bells
These reproduction cheese keepers have been around for years yet they continue to fool people into believing they are antique. The high price they bring is only an incentive for manufacturers to create more.
a. The Minton bee skip cheese bell
Once you've seen an authentic Minton cheese bell, the reproduction becomes obvious. Unfortunately, these fool people who don't know much about majolica.
How to tell:
The easiest way for the novice to tell the difference is through the two bases which share nothing in common. Beware the lid sold without a base which is often done to deceive.
Antique Minton cheese bell
Minton antique cheese bell base
Reproduction majolica cheese bell
Reproduction Minton cheese bell base
b. Etruscan Lily cheese bell
One of the oldest reproduction cheese bells is that of the Etruscan Lily swan finial cheese bell.
How to tell:
Authentic Etruscan cheese bells are usually ivory. On rare occasions they can be found in other ground colors. The reproductions are a dark rose color, smaller, more narrow and more crudely modeled. The bases are often not glazed.
Etruscan Majolica Lily cheese bell
Reproduction Etruscan Lily cheese bell
Another cheese bell that has also been available for quite some time.
How to tell:
There are two versions of this reproduction now being made. Aside from the terrible sloppy glazing of the reproduction, one of the modern cheese keepers has a pointed finial rather than the cheese slice that is the finial on the antique. The second, and most recent, has added a cheese slice but the poor quality of the glazing is still a dead giveaway.
Antique Wedgwood majolica cheese bell
Reproduction Wedgwood cheese bell
d. George Jones majolica fence and daisy cheese bell
Another cheese bell that has been in production for at least 20 years, this one unfortunately has three different reproductions available. The more recent reproduction is better than the first two but they're all bad.
How to tell:
The original antique Jones cheese bell has impeccable glazing and clear beautiful glazes. The reproduction glazes are muddy and runny.
George Jones antique cheese bell
Reproduction George Jones cheese bell
e. Forester majolica bird and rope cheese bell
A relatively easy to find antique cheese bell, this reproduction has only been available for about 10 years.
How to tell:
The glazes in the reproduction Forester cheese bell are unappealing, uneven and often runny. It's also not as colorful as the original.
Antique Forester majolica cheese keeper
Reproduction Forester cheese bell
8) Arsenal Pottery Blackberry Plate
A commonly found majolica plate, this blackberry plate is being reproduced by several modern potteries.
How to tell
It's actually rather easy to tell reproductions from antique plates by the colors and the craftsmanship. The Arsenal originals are generally poorly crafted with muddy glazes. The new plates are tightly glazed with bright colors.
Victorian Arsenal majolica blackberry plate
Reproduction blackberry plate
Reproduction blackberry plate
I wonder how these reproductions will affect the future of the business. Eventually, those of us who know the reproductions purely based on experience will be gone while these things will continue floating around fooling new generations of collectors and scholars and damaging the integrity of future collections in this form. If you doubt their ability to deceive the experts, one only need look at the Majolica Mania exhibition catalog created by Bard College that has a modern Etruscan asparagus mug with a fake mark from the collection of the Chester County Historical Society Museum shown as antique.
There are many other reproductions circulating through the resale market. I have written about them in this blog over the years as I've come across them. I recommend that you use the search engine in the top left corner on this page to read some of the other blog posts.
In closing, the only real guarantee of buying authentic antiques is through exposure, education and buying from reputable dealers. A bargain is usually not much of a bargain in the long run. You usually get what you pay for.
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