The impressed mark of JRL for Joseph Roth London is one of the rarest and most mysterious in the English pottery collecting world. Very little is known about the concern. It has not been verified if this is a successor to Whitman & Roth which potted some majolica in the early 1870s. It's even been theorized by Bergeson that Roth was not a potter but a retailer who commissioned work from another pottery. What we do know about Roth is that he was in business a scant six years from 1877 to 1882. In that brief time he registered seven original majolica designs, two of which went on to be among the most copied Majolica designs during the Victorian period thanks, no doubt, to the Forester Pottery who purchased the company’s molds after the company failed.
The best known of the Roth registered designs is the flat sided teapot. This pot has roots in Japanese design and is very similar to one made by George Jones. The Roth version is decorated with wild roses. The design has been copied and elaborated on by many different potteries so unless the piece has the JRL logo on the base there is no guarantee that Roth is the manufacturer.
The best known of the Roth registered designs is the flat sided teapot. This pot has roots in Japanese design and is very similar to one made by George Jones. The Roth version is decorated with wild roses. The design has been copied and elaborated on by many different potteries so unless the piece has the JRL logo on the base there is no guarantee that Roth is the manufacturer.
Another well known design is the Fern and Rope cheese bell. This is a common pattern due to the large number of copies made by Forester who purchased the Roth molds after the close of Roth's London concern. I have also seen this design on pitchers though I suspect that is not a Roth original.
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| Mark on the underside of the cheese bell stand |
One of the most whimsical pieces potted by Roth is their monkey and coconut tea set.
Roth three piece monkey and coconut tea set
An unusual design made by Roth is a pattern reproduced extensively by Choisy-Le-Roi and Villeroy & Boch. The Roth examples have exceptionally fine workmanship as opposed to the continental examples whose workmanship varies from excellent to poor.
Other designs made by Roth include a whimsical pair of wall pockets in the form of bird nests, overlapping begonia leaf plate and small leaf trays.
Roth majolica wall pockets Roth majolica leaf plate |
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Underside mark of JRL on leaf trays  Small JRL majolica card tray  Roth majolica sardine box  JRL shell and coral toast rack  Roth apostle/astrology majolica jug  Roth copy of a Brownhills design |
Roth overlapping begonia leaf plate
 Acanthus leaf tray  Joseph Roth majolica sardine box |
Much copied plate, the rim was copied from Wedgwood
and used by numerous companies including Etruscan Pandora
Roth doesn’t have an established market value but as with most majolica, marked pieces are preferred over those without marks.
