Fabulous Majolica Tea Sets: Part 2

In the first part of our look at majolica tea sets we saw the fabulous tea sets of the large potters of Great Britain and France. In this post we will take a look at some of the tea sets made by other potteries both in Europe and the United States. Let’s begin in Europe.

The palissy potter, Caldas of Portugal made a set using cabbages and snakes. These were made in several different configurations.

Caldas palissy partial tea set

The Rörstrand pottery of Sweden created a set that included a tea pot, hot water pot and coffee pot.

Rörstrand beverage set

The Belgian pottery Wasmuël created this floral tea set.

Zsolnay of Hungary created a large dessert series including a tea set with coffee pot and chocolate pot

The unheralded small potters of Great Britain made some charming sets. An unknown English potter created several different designs using the same color palette.

Joseph Roth made an interesting set with a monkey on a coconut.

The Victoria Pottery did a unique set using a hexagonal shape as their base. It was available in a number of different color glaze grounds.

Victoria Pottery tea set

There are a number of unattributed and small English pottery tea sets, each with their own appeal.

Based on a Royal Worcester shape

English oak and acorn tea set

Blackberry tea set

Unattributed maker’s tea service. 

Design registered to retailer Blumberg & Co.

Corn majolica tea set

Crane and marsh tea set

Asian inspired tea set

 Warrilow & Cope cottage tea set

Faux bois tea set

Rustic sunflower set

Flying swallow tea set

Floral and fern tea set

Wicker and holly set

Attributed to Joseph Roth.. Also made by Forester

Wild rose and basket

Fish set, possibly by Forester

Aesthetic Movement sunflower tea set

Lovebirds tea set, possibly by Adams & Bromley

Pineapple majolica tea set, possibly Wardle

Ivy majolica tea set

Copy of George Jones apple blossom and wicker tea set

Japonisme Fan tea set

Of course there are also the American potters, starting with the best known and best documented, the Etruscan Works of Phoenixville Pennsylvania. Their Shell pattern began as an Ivory Ware product but gained great popularity after being covered in colorful glazes. It was also later decorated in the Venicine style.

Etruscan Majolica Shell tea set

Etruscan Majolica Cauliflower tea set

Etruscan Majolica Bamboo tea set

Etruscan Majolica Bird tea set

Etruscan Majolica Ivory Ware Shell tea set

Etruscan Majolica Venicine Shell tea wares

Etruscan Pandora faux alligator tea set

Etruscan utility tea set with gold banding and enamel decoration

Then we have the Chesapeake Pottery which produced a couple of different designs, each decorated differently in the two majolica lines they produced. Also, a set by Arsenal Pottery..

This Clifton Decor tea set is a copy of Wedgwood's Blackberry pattern

Chesapeake Pottery set marked Avalon Faience

Chesapeake Pottery Clifton Decor Japonisme tea set

Avalon Faience bamboo and wicker, identical in shape to the set above

English tea set copy attributed to the Arsenal Pottery

Finally, we can’t forget the children. Potters created tiny toy tea sets for them to play with.

Wild rose toy tea set

Robin toy tea set

So ends our look at majolica tea sets. As I said at the end of Part 1, there are sets I did not include for lack of adequate photographs such as the rare Tenuous majolica set of the Peekskill Pottery or the Lettuce Leaf tea set of the Wannopee Pottery. Some sets, such as the fan tea set from the Willits pottery of Trenton aren’t marked, making adequate attribution to that pottery impossible. 

If I haven’t included your favorite tea set, the endless variety of sets created over the 60 year period in which majolica was fashionable, makes any definitive look at the subject impossible. I hope instead to have given you a fair survey of the subject through the best available sources.