Etruscan Majolica Animal Pieces

In 2010 it was my privilege to give a lecture on Etruscan Majolica at the annual meeting of the Majolica International Society. My interest at the time was to promote the collecting of Etruscan Majolica and to tell collectors about my new books on the company. My lecture was divided into a section on the company history followed by sections on each of the major themes the company explored in their production. For each of these I did a short video showing all the pieces presented in my book.

Etruscan Majolica triple dolphin compote.

Eleven years and a new edition of the book later, I’m happy to say that the book is still selling consistently, but the lecture has dissipated into memory. I thought it might be of interest to include some of the videos I prepared for the lecture here in this blog.

The current edition of our book

The first video I’m going to present shows the animal themed pieces the company made. From butterflies to dolphins to swans the company created some lovely things. Detailed descriptions of all these pieces appear in the book. A link to the book on Amazon is found above as well as on the sidebar to the right. 

I hope you find the video entertaining and informative.

n

Video©D.Bastas

New Discoveries in American Majolica

The Bard Graduate Center recently hosted a lecture by Research Associate Dr. Laura Microulis on her research into American majolica. The lecture concentrated on the work of the Peekskill Pottery, Arsenal Pottery and Eureka pottery. While most of her work on the Peekskill Pottery and Arsenal Pottery was basically a repackaging of information which had been published before–both in this blog and in other reference material– her research on the Eureka Pottery was new and important.

Tenuous teapot from the Peekskill Pottery

Photo of the Mayer bros, founders of the 
Arsenal Pottery, from the Bard lecture

Dr. Microulis offered the theory that much of the work previously attributed to Eureka was in fact potted by other companies from the area. Speaking for myself, her attribution of the famous majolica Fan Ice Cream pieces to the nearby Willets Manufacturing Company’s Excelsior Pottery instead of the Eureka pottery resolves an issue I have had with the Eureka attribution for many years. This original mistaken attribution gained prominence through the Charles Rebert book  American Majolica 1850-1900 and the Mariann Katz-Marks Majolica Pottery books of the 1980’s. These reference books were the very first books on the identification of American majolica to reach wide circulation. As such they’ve had a disproportionate effect on the information that has circulated since.

M. Charles Rebert majolica reference

Photo of "so called Eureka" wares from Rebert's American Majolica 

The most recent edition of the Mariann Katz-Marks book

The Fan ice cream set bears none of the familiar characteristics of known, marked Eureka pieces. The glazes are different, the reverse is glazed differently and the design and craftsmanship is more sophisticated. I have actually wondered if this set was in fact English but all the known literature attributed the pieces to Eureka. It is actually an original design of Shorter & Boulton copied in America, but by who?

Dr. Microulis has uncovered the previously unknown existence of a major American majolica manufacturer who created these pieces. Willets was a large Trenton company best known for their American Belleek and art pottery. What was not known until recently was their contribution to American majolica.

Advertisement from Crockery & Glass 1882 listing the Fan Ice Cream Set
featured in the Bard lecture.

In addition to work of the Willets Company, Dr. Microulis identified pottery shards in South Carolina which copied Eureka's molds. There doesn't seem to be any proof as yet that the South Carolina Pottery Co. created copies from these Eureka molds but the indication of the possibility of these copies is clear.

Pottery shards from the S.C. Pottery Co. (right) that
copied the Eureka holiday plate

There was one small error in the attribution of the Eureka Hare butter dish design. It is not an original design as Dr. Microulis claimed but a copy of a Wilhelm Schiller & Son design. Other companies copied this design as well so the confusion is understandable.

Eureka butter dish underplate showing the classic 
Eureka mark and sponged reverse.

Schiller & Sons  caneware butter dish

Dr. Microulis's groundbreaking work is in conjunction with an exhibition of English and American majolica, Majolica Mania, to be staged in 2019. Her lecture adds significant new information to the literature on American majolica and is worth the time for anyone interested in the history of American majolica pottery.

The lecture in its entirety can be viewed online here.

The Etruscan Baseball Pitcher

The Etruscan Baseball pitcher in its most common colorways.

The Etruscan Baseball jug is one of the signature pieces in the GSH oeuvre. First produced in the early 1880s the pitcher is the earliest known regular production pottery depiction of baseball in the U.S. The subject may be strictly American but the pitcher's roots are firmly British.

Wedgwood Athletic cricket and soccer pitcher in Argenta

The Etruscan pitcher is derived from a Wedgwood jug. The Wedgwood Athletic jug was introduced around 1872 as part of the company's Argenta line. One side of the jug features two figures playing cricket while the other side shows two figures playing soccer. The Etruscan version is a pretty faithful rendition of the Wedgwood original with one exception. As cricket was not played in the U.S., the cricket players on the one side of the Wedgwood jug were replaced by baseball players. Baseball was a growing popular sport in the U.S. The Etruscan Works itself had its own baseball team, the Etruscans, who played games against teams from local businesses.

The Wedgwood original on the left with the Etruscan version on the right

The Etruscan Baseball pitcher was made in three different sizes with the largest being the most common. There were also five different variations of the jug made: one with the baseball player on the right side of the handle and the soccer players on the left; one with the soccer players on the right side of the handle and the baseball players on the left; one with the baseball players on both sides of the pitcher with no soccer players; one with only soccer players on both sides; and one version with both baseball players and soccer players with an enlarged spout. 

Etruscan Baseball pitcher from the 1884 

Etruscan Majolica catalog

Baseball pitcher from the 1884 

Etruscan Ivory Ware catalog

There are four glazing treatments used that I am familiar with. The most commonly found multicolor treatment is a copy of the Wedgwood Argenta original: white ground with green, grey and rose trim and multicolor figures. Less commonly seen is a red ground with green, grey and rose trim and figures in colors of grey, blue and brown.

Etruscan Baseball pitcher with rare red ground

Etruscan Baseball pitcher in the large spout variation

The pitcher was also decorated using the over-the-glaze Venicine enamel treatment as well as the Ivory Ware method. These jugs were made from traditional earthenware, as were all the others, and marked with the Etruscan Majolica stamp. 

Etruscan Baseball jug in Venicine

Etruscan Ivory Ware pitcher

There does exist a unique variation of this treatment—in Etruscan China made by David Smith for his youngest daughter Alice. This pitcher is decorated in the Venicene manner with an added pink ground, pastel figures and gold trim.

Alice Smith's Baseball pitcher

Of all of these the most commonly found treatment for the jug is in a solid majolica color. These were most likely issued as promotions/premiums or issued by the potteries that succeeded the Etruscan Works at the Phoenixville location: the Griffen China Company and the Chester pottery. These solid color jugs are never marked.

Solid color Baseball jug

In addition to these variations of the baseball pitchers adapted from the Wedgwood jug, the basic design for the jug was also adapted for other uses without figures. The company used the design for vases, tumblers, and umbrella stands with solid colored grounds and gold banding or decorated with transfers. The same design was also elongated and the spout enlarged for a tall cider jug. None of these are ever marked.

Etruscan vase with transfer decoration

Phoenix Pottery umbrella stand

Phoenix Pottery banded cider pitcher

Phoenix Pottery banded tumbler

There was in addition a special version of the pitcher made by the Chester pottery for the political presidential campaign of 1896 with William McKinley on one side and of his vice- president, Garret Hobart, on the reverse. These are marked with the Chester pottery logo.

McKinley campaign picher based on the Wedgwood model

We don't know when production of the Baseball pitcher stopped but our guess is that it was sometime after David Smith left the Chester Pottery in 1885. The other pieces derived from the Wedgwood pitcher –umbrella stand, the cider pitcher, tumbler, vase and plain pitcher– continued in production for several years until the closing of the Chester pottery in 1899. It is believed that all majolica production ceased at this time.

Today the baseball pitcher is still one of the most popular pieces made by the company. Even in its unmarked, solid color variation it continues to command good prices in the collector's market.

*This post has been updated

Etruscan Majolica Rarities

Most majolica collectors and dealers are familiar with Etruscan Majolica, but most of them have no idea of the breadth of pieces potted by the company. The Etruscan Works made more than just leaves and Shell dinnerware. They made animals and umbrella stands and many, many other things. Today we'll share a few of these rarer pieces made by the company.

Most people who collect Etruscan have no idea that the company made a number of pieces with a corn theme. One of the rarest of these is the Etruscan Corn teapot. Made in two different sizes, this teapot is almost never seen. Listed in their 1884 catalog but not shown, this was an early design that was discontinued early in the company's history. It's a beautiful design but it's flawed: the teapot lid does not stay in place when the pot is poured. This is because unlike most of the company's other teapots there is a shallow flange, not a deep flange on the inside of the lid. If you're lucky to find one, chances are it will have a broken or missing lid. If you find one that's complete, snap it up because you may never see another one for sale again.

The Etruscan holy water font was a specialty piece designed by a local Pennsylvania man, Francis Malloy. Very little is known about the production history of the font as it is not mentioned in any Etruscan literature. The font is never marked as Etruscan either, bearing only the patent notice of Mr. Malloy on the base.
The font comes in two parts. The lid of the font is in the shape of a cup which allows for the distribution of water. At the edge of the cup is a small notch for the placement of a small reliquary. The lid lifts up to allow water to be easily added to the font. Because most have never seen it and because of its unconventional design it's not uncommon to find the two parts sold separately.
The font was probably made to special order as only a few complete examples are known to exist.  This one is another must: buying one of these will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Don't pass it up!

There is really no good reason why the Etruscan spice tray is as rare as it is. It was listed as a regular catalog item in the Etruscan catalog of 1884 and doesn't appear to be particularly delicate despite its small size. Yet it is almost never seen. Stylistically it fits in very comfortably with the other Etruscan wares and would be a beautiful, and useful addition to any collection.

The Etruscan jewel holder is as delicate and as rare as a piece of majolica can be. In our book The Majolica of Griffen Smith and Company, we put forth the theory that its rarity might be attributed to it being a speciality order item. It's known that the company's three dolphin themed pieces were production nightmares for the pottery because the greenware broke very easily. To get around this they may have only been made to order. No one knows for sure. All we know that they are as rare as hen's teeth today.

Those familiar with the Etruscan Baseball pitcher will immediately recognize the design motifs on the above umbrella stand. Copied from the Wedgwood soccer jug this design was used to create tumblers, pitchers, syrups, vases and garniture sets. Most likely dating from the Phoenix Pottery's latter years these pieces are usually glazed monochromatically with gold highlights and are never marked. They can also be found with decal decoration.

We've really only scratched the surface of the wide variety of majolica made at the Phoenix Pottery. If you'd like to learn more pick up a copy of our book on the Etruscan Majolica catalog. We've listed there every known surviving shape made at the Etruscan Works along with a price guide.

Etruscan Majolica: Fact and Fiction

About six months ago. I received an email from a writer at Main Line Today magazine.
He was writing an article on Etruscan Majolica and asked if I could send him copies of my two books on Etruscan Majolica for review purposes. I debated the idea for a couple of weeks before being persuaded by people I trust to send them to him.

Working in the magazine industry myself I know that it isn't always easy to get accurate reference material when working against a deadline so I felt pretty good about my decision to contribute to the article.

Well, I finally got a look at the finished article today.  It is in the February issue of Main Line Today magazine. It's a nice, overview account of the history of Etruscan Majolica.

I would very much like to thank author J.F. Pierro because he was nice enough to quote my book near the end of the article. I can tell that he clearly read my book by the structure of the article. Yet, his article still has some of the same misinformation that has circulated about the Etruscan Works for years. It is these old wives' tales that I wrote the book to dispel, but they have surfaced once again.

I can't say I totally blame Mr. Pierro. He obviously interviewed a number of people instead of just relying on my book and an author's story is only as good as his sources. Some of these stories are harder to kill than a vampire in a blood bank. Still, he did have my book which is accurate and specifically addresses these issues.

Old Wives' tale # 1: William Hill was not involved in the production of Etruscan Majolica.

This one is easy to dispel. There are newspaper articles that date the production of Phoenixville majolica to April of 1879. Hill was actively involved in the Phoenixville pottery from January 1879 to May 1880. That would mean that majolica was in production during his tenure there. 

Old Wives' tale # 2: The 1890 fire ended the production of Etruscan Majolica.

The plant fire in December of 1890 had nothing to do with the end of Etruscan Majolica. By the end of 1890 the Etruscan brand had been out of production for over one year. After David Smith left the Phoenixville Pottery in 1889, the Etruscan name was retired and the pottery took on the name of Griffen, Love and Co. and later the Griffen China Company. Monochromatic majolica production did continue on a limited scale until around 1895 under the name of the Chester Pottery, but never again under the Etruscan banner.

Old Wives' tale # 3: President Grant bought Etruscan Majolica for his daughter.

This is a total fabrication. President Grant's daughter did own pottery made at the Phoenixville Pottery but it was a solid cobalt display set with over painted decoration given to her by W.H. Schribner as a wedding gift in 1874 from the people of Pennsylvania. This was five years before production of majolica began at the plant.

I am always happy to see Etruscan Majolica receive such a nice write up from a local publication, but I would hope that the article would be totally accurate.

If you would like to read the article for yourself go to the Main Line Today Web site.

Etruscan Shell Ice Cream Bowl

In the current issue of Majolica Matters, the newsletter of the Majolica International Society, Wanda Matthes writes about her visit to a majolica collector's home. Part of the article mentions viewing the collector's large Shell collection. As part of that collection Wanda makes a reference to our book, Etruscan Majolica, Volume 2.
The reference concerns the Etruscan M-6 Shell bowl.

GSH Shell nappy

Known informally as the Etruscan Shell Ice Cream bowl, the M-6 bowl is one of the most scarce pieces in the entire Shell catalog. An unconventional treatment of the Shell motif, very little is known about the history of the piece. It received the nickname of the ice cream bowl from the late collector Anna Stern who always referred to it in that way. It's entirely possible that she got that name from the former decorators of the Etruscan Works, many who she knew personally, but there is nothing in the surviving literature that backs that up. It is actually rather deep for a Victorian ice cream server. In the 1884 Catalogue of Majolica it is simply referred to as an 8" Shell nappy.

Its presence in the catalog gives us some information as to when it was created but having never seen the bowl in Ivory Ware or Venicine, tends to indicate that it is neither an early design nor a late one. Why it is so scarce is also a mystery. Most information points to the design being one that was discontinued soon after the publication of the catalog. The page on which it is shown was one of those removed from the Catalogue when it was redistributed after the 1884 Fair. Perhaps this is a reason why.

The bowl is generally found in one of two glaze combinations, the traditional one shown above and the green-lined example shown below, which featured mottled shells.

GSH Shell nappy

Because of its scarcity there is no real established price point for the bowl as there is the other Shell bowls. I have seen examples priced as high as $700 and as low as $80. In any event it is a bowl that you as a savvy collector should not pass on should you come across one. You may never see another one again.

Tenuous Majolica

Tenuous Majolica calla lily pitcher

For many years Tenuous Majolica was a great mystery. There wasn't anything known about it so there were all sorts of theories floating around about it, the most interesting being that is was a pottery formed by William Hill after he left the Etruscan Works (which is of course untrue). Then about 18 years ago, Joan Stacke and Marilyn Karmason discovered it was actually a product of the Peekskill Pottery, a New York pottery owned by a Richard Harrison.

According to information supplied to us by one of our readers, Harrison was in the business of making stove liners for local stove manufacturers. Majolica was an offshoot of this business. It was produced for about five years at Peekskill from 1882 to 1887. Harrison was an Englishman--like William Hill and David Smith-- who had migrated to the US to make his fortune in pottery. It is his initial "H" that appears in the center of the Tenuous Majolica circular mark.

The pottery finally closed in 1896.

Tenuous Majolica corn bread plate

Tenuous Majolica corn bread plate

Tenuous Majolica shell plate

Tenuous Majolica shell platter

There is no definitive catalog of the work produced by Harrison as there is of Etruscan Majolica but it is known he made platters and pitchers in several sizes in shell, corn and calla lily patterns. He is also said to have produced a child's tea set in a cabbage motif.

Tenuous Majolica butter dish

Tenuous Majolica shell and seaweed plate

Tenuous majolica sunflower butter pat

Tenuous Majolica shell and seaweed plate

Tenuous Majolica shell plate

Tenuous Majolica corn pitcher

Floral pitcher attributed to the Peekskill Pottery

Tenuous Majolica leaf plate

Tenuous Majolica calla lily teapot

Tenuous Majolica leaf teapot

I have seen a couple of large collections of Tenuous majolica and was very impressed by the variety of work produced. From the smallest butter chips to large tea trays and pitchers, the work is well made. Tenuous Majolica has very distinctive speckled glazes unlike any other pottery that become immediately recognizable with familiarity, which is a good thing since only a small percentage of Tenuous pieces are marked. The modeling is quite primitive and the color soft, but beautiful in its own right, especially among country collectibles and other pieces of Tenuous.

Tenuous Majolica shell teapot

Tenuous Majolica leaf butter pat

Tenuous Majolica shell butter pat

Tenuous Majolica shell mug

Tenuous Majolica leaf condiment

Tenuous markings can vary. Some pieces are marked with the round Tenuous Majolica logo while others may only have an "Fireproof majolica" marking on the base. Then there are many that aren't marked at all!

Marked Tenuous is quite hard to find but if you familiarize yourself with the patterns and the look of the glazes you may be able to land yourself an unmarked find in an auction or flea market at a very good price. 

I know I have!

*This blog has been updated since it was first published