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

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Incredibly Bad George Jones Majolica Reproductions

Late last year I did what has proven to be a popular post on some of the appalling Minton reproductions available in the market. George Jones is also unfortunately the victim of equally bad majolica reproductions, perhaps more so than Minton. Some are worse than others of course but they all have been potted with one motive: to fraudulently separate you from your money. 

Here I’ve posted these George Jones reproductions followed by the original antiques. Many of these I have posted before but I thought it might be instructive to collect them into one post. Shown side by side it allows you to see the difference in quality between the poorly made reproductions and the original antique. 

Incidentally, with only one exception all of these shown were found online being sold as authentic George Jones majolica. Buyer beware!

Reproduction palm grape dish

George Joness majolica Palm grape dish
Reproduction dresser tray
George Jones majolica dresser tray

Reproduction grape server

George Jones majolica grape server

Reproduction cheese bell. This was the first iteration 
of the Jones fence cheese bell.

Reproduction cheese bell. This was the second attempt at copying
 the Jones fence cheese bell

The third reproduction fence cheese bell

George Jones majolica fence Stilton cheese dish

Reproduction cheese bell

George Jones majolica basket low cheese bell

Reproduction cheese bell. Of those shown on this post, this was 
the only one being sold as a reproduction

George Jones majolica basket Stilton cheese bell

Reproduction tall cheese bell
George Jones majolica Rustic Stilton cheese bell

Reproduction low cheese bell
George Jones majolica Rustic low cheese bell

Reproduction cow finial cheese bell

George Jones majolica cow finial Stilton cheese bell

Reproduction Punch bowl

George Jones majolica Punch bowl

Reproduction pineapple tea kettle

George Jones majolica Pineapple tea kettle

Reproduction bird serving dish

George Jones majolica bird serving dish

Reproduction strawberry server

George Jones majolica strawberry server

Reproduction sardine box

George Jones majolica sardine box
Reproduction squirrel nut dish
George Jones majolica squirrel nut dish

Reproduction sphinx center
George Jones majolica sphinx center
Reproduction bird serving dish
Jones majolica bird serving dish
Reproduction lotus pitcher
George Jones majolica Lotus jug

Reproduction pitcher

George Jones majolica Rustic jug

Reproduction bird nest pitcher

George Jones majolica bird nest pitcher

Reproduction monkey creamer

George Jones majolica monkey creamer

Reproduction monkey handled teapot

George Jones majolica monkey handled teapot

Reproduction nut serving dish
George Jones majolica nut serving dish

Reproduction compote

George Jones majolica Europe compote

Reproduction dog compote

George Jones majolica dog compote

Reproduction Empty Nest game dish
There is also a reproduction of the Full Nest game dish

George Jones majolica Empty Nest game dish. 

Reproduction oyster plate

George Jones majolica oyster plate

Reproduction fish tureen, marked MINTON

George Jones majolica fish tureen

Reproduction calla lily jardiniere
George Jones majolica calla lily jardiniere

Reproduction wall tile

George Jones majolica wall tile

On occasion these have fake marks on the base like this piece with a blank English Registration mark and Jones crescent.

Fake majolica English Registration and GJ crescent marks

The problem with many of these things is that more often than not they are sold anonymously through auctions or through the internet so returns are impossible. That is why it is best to be educated about what is available in the marketplace so you can make intelligent buying decisions. 

One caveat here; the reproductions shown do not include antique reproductions from other British or American potteries. Jones majolica was copied by several potters working in the 19th century contemporarily to the Trent Pottery. These shown here were all made in the past twenty years.

Now, I should make some allowance for dealers who sell these pieces as antique without knowing any better. Majolica is a specialized collecting area so it’s unrealistic to think that all dealers are aware of the differences between an antique piece of majolica and a reproduction. Buying from a reputable dealer conscious of their reputation will always guarantee that they will accept a return of a misrepresented piece.

For information on identifying true George Jones majolica see my post on George Jones.

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