The Fan Ice Cream Dish... from Staffordshire

Fan ice cream clatter with six plates.

Attribution for a design has long been a tricky process. We’ve written on this topic before. One of the signature pieces that the American Eureka Pottery of Trenton, NJ has been associated with over the years is the double fan ice cream set with its colorful assortment of individual fan plates. These have never been found marked as Eureka yet conventional wisdom stated that they were made by Eureka. This may harken back to the first available book on American Majolica by Charles Rebert. This book was riddled with inaccuracies including attributing these fan pieces to Eureka, yet because it had no predecessor its word was taken as gospel. 

Recently, there has been a scholarly challenge to this attribution by Dr. Laura Microulis of Bard University who has theorized that these fan wares were not made by Eureka but by Willets Manufacturing Company, a neighboring Trenton pottery. This theory is based largely on an advertisement for fan wares made Willets Excelsior Pottery that appeared in 1882 for the company. We outlined this in a previous post. The matter seemed to be settled by this new scholarship, however, it was still at odds with another theory on the attribution of these fan dishes—that they were English in origin.

Willeets ad for Fan wares

It is well known that a series of similar round plates and tea sets were made by the British pottery of Shorter and Boulton, yet to the best of my knowledge this company has never been associated with these fan dishes. Recently I photographed one of these fan ice cream dishes with an English Diamond Registration mark—for March 1881—on the reverse. The design is registered to Shorter and Boulton, a year before the Willets advertisement.

English Registration mark for March 17, 1881

I should say that the presence of this new design attribution throws a bit of a monkey wrench into our assumptions about this design as American but does not necessarily destroy everything we know about the pieces. After all, it was common practice for companies to copy designs from each other. In fact we have illustrated such copies in this blog, and it was especially common for American companies to copy pieces from elsewhere. The Etruscan Works of Phoenixville, PA was notorious for reproducing numerous Wedgwood designs among its earliest work. Still, it does force us to reevaluate the origin of this clever and popular fan design.

Wedgwood Athletic jug on the left and the American copy on the right 

Given this information we have no choice but to conclude that this fan design was an original Shorter & Boulton design that was copied by American potters. This actually makes much more sense than attributing the fan design to any American pottery. The Shorter & Boulton fan series is large and consistent. All the pieces have small flowering Prunus branches and most have a pebbled sharkskin ground. The bird found on the double fan platter is repeated again and again on hollowware pieces of different types. It makes for a cohesive overall look for the pattern. [For a quick purview of Shorter & Boulton’s known fan wares look here.] While the different components were copied and reworked by smaller potteries they never work better than they do here. We do not know how long these designs remained in production at Shorter & Boulton. Unless further study proves otherwise the design origin must now be considered English.

Merry Christmas to All!

George Jones Sardine box

May all your dreams come true!

Wedgwood Majolica "Monkey" Wares

One of the more whimsical group of wares created by the Wedgwood factory are their monkey themed wares. Difficult to find in any form, they are among the most sought after pieces in the company's catalog.

In majolica, the centerpiece of the group would have to be the stunning, large, figural monkey compote. To the best of our knowledge all pieces were made in four majolica ground colorways: Argenta, cobalt, turquoise and ivory as well as in decorated earthenware.

An Argenta example of the monkey centerpiece.

This monkey stand was also made as a gas lamp with a coconut oil reservoir substituting for the bowl, shown below in decorated earthenware.

The compote bowl came with a simpler tree stump base as well.

Matching plates, chargers and teapots complete the service.

Wedgwood 8¾" majolica plate, c.1880

Wedgwood Argenta monkey plate

Wedgwood ivory ground monkey plate

Wedgwood Argenta majolica plate c.1879. 11 3/8”

This was made as a low platter with twig feet.

Wedgwood majolica monkey charger

Wedgwood Argenta majolica monkey teapot

Wedgwood majolica monkey teapot

Reverse of the above Wedgwood monkey teapot

These are all wonderful additions to any collection ... but if you aspire to add them to yours make sure your purse strings aren't too tight– they command a premium.

Judith Krantz, Majolica Collector

Novelist Judith Krantz

A brief appreciation for a fellow collector.

Judith Krantz recently died at the age of 91. For those unfamiliar with her she was one of the last of a generation of glamour obsessed romance novelists whose stock in trade was the steamy lives of the rich and powerful. Like Barbara Cartland, Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Suzanne she made a fortune packaging her roman-a-clef storylines for consumption of the masses. Unlike those she wrote about however her own life was considerably less scandalous. A graduate of Wellesley she had a rather conventional life working as a journalist and editor at numerous magazines. She was married to the same man for 53 years and raised two children. She didn't publish her first novel until the age of 50. Today 80 million copies of her books are in print.

She favored the English Country style of decoration in her Bel Air home, which included majolica. Over the years I've seen many photographs of her home but had some difficulty finding them for this article. Those I found show her fine taste in majolica.

Two majolica hand vases decorate her mantle.

Two English majolica cranes, one by Holdcroft, one by
Minton, decorate her living room.

Hers was a dying breed of journalism. As people read less and now depend on TMZ, Instagram and Twitter for their gossip you could say that she was a product of her time. We're unlikely to see her like again.

James Beard: the Dean of Chef Majolica Collectors

James Beard

Say the name James Beard to most people under 40 and you’re likely to get a blank stare. That’s a shame. In the last half of the 20th century James Beard was one of a small group of influential writers who transformed the way people thought about American cuisine.

Born in Oregon in 1903 Beard began his education at Reed College. After being expelled from college for his open homosexuality he moved to New York and began to seek work as an actor. Things being what they were during the depression he found it difficult supporting himself with his acting work, so with a friend he began a catering company, Hors D’Oeuvre Inc., to capitalize on the growing NY social scene. In 1940, Beard began his career as a food writer publishing his first cookbook, Hors D’Oeuvre and Canapés based on his catering experience. After a stint in the United Seamen's Service, Beard used his minor celebrity as a caterer to create his own TV show I Love to Eat in 1946, the first national television cooking program. He soon developed a reputation as a specialist in American food. In 1955 he opened the James Beard School.

James Beard c. 1930

Beard's first book Hors D’Oeuvre and Canapés

Beard on the set of his TV show "I Love to Eat"

Through the 50s, 60s and 70s he became a fixture in American pop culture. Besides being a champion of American comfort food he believed in using the freshest ingredients and newest methods of food preparation. He was the first serious chef to advocate the use of the food processor and pioneered the farm-to-table movement. In 1981 he helped establish City Meals on Wheels to feed the homeless and housebound elderly in NYC. Regular appearances on television and in magazines as well as more than 20 new cookbooks kept him in the public eye until the 80s when his health began to fail him. He died in 1985 in his home in Greenwich Village of congestive heart failure. By the time of his death he was known as the Dean of American Cookery. In his will he directed that his belongings be sold and the proceeds donated to Reed College, the college that expelled him 60 years earlier.

When his belongings came to auction at Doyle galleries, Beard's collection of decorative arts became a sensation. Among these was a large collection of English, Portuguese and American majolica. This came as no surprise to his friends who were often treated to elaborate meals in his home. It also came as no surprise to readers of his cookbooks. In 1965 Beard published Menus For Entertaining which featured some of his majolica in the photos. On the cover he displayed two of his game terrines. Inside he had a full set of Wedgwood dessert wares and some of his palissy pieces.

Cover of Beard's 1965 book Menus for Entertaining

An image from the cookbook showing a Wedgwood desert set

In total 60 lots of majolica were sent to auction.

Doyle catalog of the Beard estate

Page from catalog showing a Holdcroft dolphin compote PHOTO:Doyle

Wedgwood strawberry pieces and English corn pieces  PHOTO:Doyle

English majolica pieces  PHOTO:Doyle

Three Majolica Palissy pieces sold for $3100  PHOTO:Doyle

Minton game terrine from the cookbook cover sold for $350  PHOTO: Doyle

This continental corn tureen brought the highest price for a
single piece of majolica at the auction–$4000  PHOTO:  Doyle

Beard had two partial Wedgwood dessert services with dolphin
stands–one with shells another with reticulated borders

Among the lots was a set of eight Minton fish plates which sold for $3500

A pair of Sarreguemines dolphin vases sold for $1700

Also included were a fish platter for $2100; a pair of garden seats, $2300; and a Minton tiered oyster server, $1800.

Julia Child and James Beard.

After his death, good friend Julia Child felt it was important to maintain Beard's legacy. The James Beard Foundation was founded by Child and teacher Peter Kump, founder of the New York Cooking School, in Beard's 12th Street Greenwich Village home. Its mission is to honor chefs and restaurants who advance the celebration of American cuisine. To win a James Beard award is one of the most prestiges honors in the culinary world. The foundation also sponsors scholarships and hosts charity dinners for members who can eat at the James Beard house.

The James Beard House

In retrospect it's easy to see what a strong influence he had in the development and presentation of contemporary food. Without James Beard there would have never been a Julia Child. Without Julia Child there would never have been a Martha Stewart. Without Martha Stewart there would never have been an entire industry of home caterers, party planners and TV food personalities. His influence reaches far and wide even today, 34 years after his passing.

Twins Separated at Birth: 2

As we saw in the first edition of Twins Separated at Birth, attribution in ceramics can be a tricky subject. Unless a piece is actually marked you can never be sure which pottery produced it. Majolica was produced for such a long time that factories often copied the work of other potteries. This is more common among the smaller potteries but it occasionally happened with larger potteries as well. 

One well documented example is this figural of two cherubs carrying a barrel. The design certainly originated with Minton and was made in several versions including a version with each cherub on its own. They have all the design attributes of Minton. Yet the design was also successfully copied by Holdcroft. The Holdcroft version included a flower frog which made clear the intended use as a centerpiece. The Minton versions could be used for anything. I've never seen one with a flower frog from Minton though they may have made them. Both potteries signed their work and used glazes distinctive to their factories, leaving no question to the attribution.

Minton version with cherubs holding an oval barrel

Minton version with cherubs holding a round barrel

Minton example that substitutes a shell for the barrel

Holdcroft version with a round barrel and flower frog

Another commonly seen twin is the rope and acanthus leaf cheese bell. These are generally attributed to Forester but the original was registered by Joseph Roth, London. When Roth folded after just a few years in production Forester purchased their majolica molds. The Roth examples are marked; the Forester examples of the same design were not. However we know Forester made the piece because it appears in advertising from the company catalog. In addition to Forester other companies copied the design as well including the Bendigo Pottery of Australia.

Joseph Roth majolica cheese bell

Bendigo Pottery fern and rope (PHOTO: MAAS)

Another well known piece, the monumental Wedgwood fish platter, has its own twins but the makers are unknown. The MIS has suggested that one of the makers may be Holdcroft but I have never seen one marked as such. The quality is variable on these though it is often quite as good as the Wedgwood original.

Wedgwood majolica fish platter

Holdcroft majolica fish platter

One commonly found majolica twin is the Copeland cauliflower teapot but in this case the twin, made by the Etruscan Works of Phoenixville, PA is more well known than the Copeland original. Very popular with collectors the GSH designers created a complete service of dessert wares around the teapot. To the best of my knowledge matching pieces were not made for the Copeland original.

Copeland majolica cauliflower teapot

Etruscan majolica cauliflower teapot

Since we're discussing Etruscan twins the GSH bird and iris teaset is a slightly altered twin of Forester's own bird and iris teaset.

GSH bird and iris teaset

Forester bird and iris teaset

With an English designer–most likely Hamlet Bourne of Staffordshire–the Etruscan Works copied many original British designs creating American twins of their English cousins. Even the most famous Etruscan piece, their baseball pitcher, is an adaptation of Wedgwood's cricket jug.

GSH majolica baseball jug

Wedgwood majolica cricket jug

Among the other "twins" of European majolica created by the Etruscan Works are the E-3 butterfly pitcher after a jug by Forester; the lily dessert stand; the C-7 geranium cake tray; the E-12 corn pitcher from a BWM original; the C-11 strawberry server from a Wedgwood original; the E-5 corn creamer; the K-2 cow butter from a GJ original; the N-14 sardine dish also from a GJ original; the E-1 straight side jug from a Wedgwood original; the Asian peasant plate from a Choisy Le Roi original; the A-6 pansy pat from a Copeland pat; the A-1 pond lily pat from a GJ original; and the A-7-2 pat. Many of these copies were specifically intended to undercut the sales of the more expensive imported versions.

Etruscan Majolica E3 pitcher

Forester majolica pitcher

Other copies exist from other potteries of course but if I were to list them all I'd be here all day. Still, this gives a good idea how common the practice of "twinning"was.