Articles

William de Morgan at the Ashmolean Museum Oxford

March 17, 2022 7:20 pm by Darryl Views: 41

If you are a fan of the works of William de Morgan, then a visit to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford should be on your itinerary. The De Morgan Foundation has on semi-permanent loan, since 2017, a fine collection of William de Morgan works. The display includes tiles, dishes, and vases, and works from different periods and factories.

Below are some images from the collection.

William de Morgan Antelope Dish 1888-1907

William de Morgan Artichoke Dish 1872-1907

William de Morgan Squirrel Dish, Sands End Pottery, Fulham, 1888-1907

William de Morgan Cherub Vase, Cantagalli Factory, Florence, 1890-1900

William de Morgan Related
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford – https://www.ashmolean.org/
De Morgan Collection – https://www.demorgan.org.uk/
William De Morgan – the Arts & Crafts Pioneer
William De Morgan Price Guide

Random Collecting Feature

Wemyss Ware

Wemyss Ware Wemyss Ware (pronounced Weems) is named after the castle situated on cliffs between East Wemyss and West Wemyss in Fife, which was the home of the Grosvenor family who became patrons of the Fife Pottery in Gallatown, near Kirkcaldy. The Fife Pottery was built in 1817, traditionally the Fife Pottery had paid its way by producing useful domestic wares, and it was not until the 1880s when the production of the hand-painted earthenware, with characteristically bold decoration, recognised today as Wemyss Ware began. The first piece of Wemyss Ware appeared in 1882 on the initiative of Robert Methven Heron. R. M. Heron had studied painting at the studios of the Edinburgh artists of his time and had travelled extensively in Europe. The production of Wemyss style pieces, particularly with traditional subjects such as the cock and hen patterns, had already begun when R. M. Heron brought back to the pottery six continental artists to augment the staff at the Fife Pottery. Five returned, and the one who remained was Karel Nekola, who became chief decorator and instructor at the pottery. Karel Nekola introduced a new style of ware to the pottery which was initially fired at a low temperature in order to produce a soft ‘biscuit’ body which would be able to absorb the colours from the decorator’s brush. It is this initial firing which is responsible for giving Wemyss Ware a body which is very fragile. After being painted and dipped in a soft lead glaze the pottery was again fired at a very low temperature, this time so as to avoid spoiling the brilliant colours. Wemyss Ware was decorated with natural subjects, such as flowers, in particular the red cabbage roses, but also buttercups, honeysuckle, sweet peas, carnations, Canterbury bells, thistles, irises, violets; and fruits are to be found including: cherries, plums, apples, pears and oranges may be seen, but also rare fig pattern, or lemons and grapes. Pictured: A Wemyss ‘Cabbage Roses’ ewer and basin – The basin painted by Karel Nekola, ewer 16cm high, 19cm diameter, both impressed WEMYSS and with green painted Wemyss mark, ewer with blue printed T.Goode & Co mark. Sold at Bonhams, Edinbugh for £275, August 2011. Image Copyright Bonhams. Wemyss Ware was a instant success, and with interest shown in the pottery by the Grosvenor and other Scottish families, Wemyss became an exclusive, expensive product much sought after by the affluent. Thomas Goode & Co. the well-known Mayfair china shop, became the companies sole retail outlet in England. Goode’s would often request special shapes and designs. Pictured: A large Wemyss Ware pig, with sponged black markings, the details picked out in pink, 46cms long, impressed WEMYSS WARE, R.H. & S., and bearing red printed retailer’s mark for T.GOODE & Co. Sold at Bonhams, Edinburgh for £1,995, December 2004. Image Copyright Bonhams. Karel Nekola continued to work at the pottery until disability prevented him and even then continued working at home, using a small kiln which was built for him in his garden, so that at his death in 1915 he had completed 30 years arduous service for the pottery. Edwin Sandland became chief decorator to the Fife Pottery following the death of Karel Nekola. Edwin Sandland, was from a family of potters and was a decorator in the Staffordshire area, and was posted to Perth during the Great War. He joined the pottery until his own death in 1928. New designs were introduced at this time and typical Wemyss motifs were painted over an all-black ground. Another innovation was to paint the design over splashes of various colours thus producing a gaudy effect. At the same time means were successfully found to raise the temperature of the final firing and so produce a glaze which was free from crazing. Despite new designs and new techniques the great economic depression of the 1930s meant that the pottery ceased trading in Fife. Wemyss Ware at Bovey Tracy 1930-1957 Thus the Fife Pottery came to an end in 1930, but Wemyss Ware secured a kind of extended life when the patterns and designs were taken over by the Bovey Pottery Co. of Bovey Tracey in Devon. Here Joseph Nekola, Karel Nekola’s son, following in his father’s footsteps, continued the familiar style of painting on a harder, whiter body, under a brilliant glaze which was free from crazing. A number of pieces produced during this time are marked as “Plichta.” Jan Plichta was a Czech immigrant that sold and exported wholesale glass and pottery, and items he ordered from the Bovey Pottery were marked with his name. Wemyss decorators produced items for Plichta, which sometimes leads to confusion, but in general Plichta items are inferior in quality. One of the lead apprentices at the pottery was Esther Weeks who went onto become head decorator in 1952 when Jospeh died. The pottery at Bovey Tracy closed in 1957. Wemyss Ware and the Griselda Hill Pottery Ltd® In 1985 Griselda Hill started producing Wemyss Ware® back in its birthplace in the heart of Fife. Griselda was inspired by the memory of her grandmother’s Wemyss® pig, which she discovered to have been made locally when she moved to Fife in 1984. The first product was a cat modelled on an example in Kirkcaldy Museum, and over the years since then the Pottery has developed a range of Wemyss Ware® which can easily stand alongside the originals. Pictured: A modern black and white Wemyss Ware pottery cat from the Griselda Hill Pottery Ltd®. This and other cats etc are still available at https://www.wemyssware.co.uk/ As with the original Wemyss Ware®, the success of the Pottery is based on the quality of the hand painting and the beauty of the designs and colours. All the artists have been working at the Pottery for over fifteen years, and have become very skilled at their work. While some new technology has been introduced to minimise production problems and environmental pollution, the techniques of hand decoration remain the same as ever. Being hand painted, each piece is unique. Pictured: A modern small clover Wemyss Ware pottery pig from the Griselda Hill Pottery Ltd®. This and other animals etc are still […]
Fulper Pottery A Short History

The Fulper Pottery Company was founded in Flemington, New Jersey in 1899 by Charles Fulper and his sons. However, the pottery had existed since 1815 when the first pottery was created by Samuel Hill. The pottery initially produced a wide variety of utilitarian ware, and drain tiles and storage crocks and jars from Flemington’s red earthenware clay. In 1847 Dutchman Abraham Fulper, an employee since the 1820s became Hill’s partner. He later took over the company. It was not until the early 1900s when William Hill Fulper II (1870-1953) started to experiment with colored glazes and the company started to create some of the art pottery it is famed for. Fulper is credited with inventing the dry-body slip glaze, which was used to create colorful designs on his pottery. He also developed a method of using electric kilns to fire his glazes, which resulted in brighter and more consistent colors. Fulper Pottery’s Vasekraft line was inspired by the work of German potter John Martin Strangl. The line includes a wide variety of vases, bowls, and other vessels, all with Strangl’s signature clean lines and simple forms. The company is especially known for the Fulper lamps-with glazed pottery shades inset with colored glass-were truly innovative forms. The firm’s most spectacular and innovative accomplishments are the table lamps made with glazed pottery bases and shades, which were inset with pieces of colored opalescent glass. These were produced from about 1910-1915 and are very rare, especially in perfect order. William Hill Fulper II was also an excellent advertiser and marketeer and Fulper’s Vasekraft products were sold throughout the United States in the most prestigious department stores and gift shops. Fulper’s pottery was exhibited at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, where it received a gold medal. His work is also included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. During its first twenty-five years, Fulper Pottery was particularly known for its flambé glazes, which were heavily influenced by Chinese and Japanese ceramic traditions. These glazes, which resulted in vibrant and often unexpected colors, helped to establish Fulper Pottery’s reputation for innovative and high-quality art pottery. After World War I, Fulper Pottery began to shift away from its Germanic roots and move towards more Oriental-inspired forms. The company’s designers began to experiment with new shapes and glazes, inspired by the Art Deco movement that was sweeping Europe at the time. The Vasekraft name was changed to Fulper Pottery Artware. These new pieces were softer and more graceful than the functional stoneware that Fulper had been producing up until that point, and they proved to be very popular with the public. In the 1920s, Fulper Pottery was one of the leading producers of Art Deco ceramics in the United States. The company’s designers created a wide range of vases, lamps, and other objects that were both beautiful and stylish. Fulper’s pieces were featured in some of the most prestigious design magazines of the day, and they were popular with both collectors and everyday consumers. In 1925, Charles Fulper died, and his sons took over the operation of the pottery. Under their leadership, Fulper Pottery continued to experiment with new glazes and firing techniques. They also began to produce a line of dinnerware, which was very popular during the Depression-era. The Great Depression hit Fulper Pottery hard, as it did many other businesses. The company was forced to lay off a large number of employees and cut back on production. However, Fulper’s designers continued to experiment with new ideas, and the company managed to survive the difficult economic times. William Hill Fulper II died suddenly in 1928. The company continued to be run with Martin Stangl as President. In 1935, Fulper Pottery Artware production was ceased at the small remaining Flemington location, and that building was utilized solely as a retail showroom for the company’s ceramic products. After 1935, the company continued to be Fulper Pottery, but produced only Stangl Pottery brand dinnerware and artware. Related Fulper Pottery at Auction American Pottery at WCN
Make Mine a Guinness – Guinness Collectables and Guinness Collecting

The City of Dublin is often referred to as the heart and soul of Ireland, and within the heart of the City itself is Ireland’s number one visitor attraction – The Guinness Storehouse. Opened in November 2000, it has to date, attracted over 3 million visitors including myself on a recent trip to the emerald isle. The huge structure is breath taking and the in-depth knowledge that I gained from just one day at the Storehouse is second to none, so I highly recommend a visit, especially if you are an avid collector of Guinness memorabilia or if not, purely to soak up the history of a brewery which began more than 250 years ago. Born in 1725, Arthur Guinness was familiar with the duties of running a brewery as he often helped the workers on this family estate brew the beer, so when on 31st December 1759 Arthur signed a 9,000 year lease at an annual rent of £45 for a disused brewery in Dublin, he was well aware of the business ahead of him. Determined to make the brewery work he began by brewing a strong black beer made from roast barley called “porter,” worldwide, today, this drink is known as “Guinness.” The first shipment was exported to England on a sailing vessel and proved a success but by 1775 the Dublin Corporation Sheriff tried to cut off the water supply where the Brewery drew its free water. Defending his right, Arthur threatened the authorities with a pickaxe and they left well alone. Arthur died in 1803, aged 78 leaving behind a large personal fortune of £23,000 and a flourishing business, which was then taken over by his son, Arthur Guinness II. From 1833 Guinness has been the largest brewery in Ireland, and now in 2006, 5 million glasses of the black stuff is enjoyed in over 150 countries around the globe each day. This is largely due to the successful growth of the Brewery’s business, which from the end of the 19th Century through to the 20th Century employed between 3,500 and 4,500 people at any one time. Throughout history the brewery had family members directly involved and the influence that the Guinness family had on Dublin is evident throughout. Benjamin Lee Guinness took over from Arthur Guinness II after his death and later became Lord Mayor of Dublin along with being elected for the Parliament of Dublin City in 1865. After Benjamin’s death in 1868, Edward Cecil Guinness took the reins and was to be the first Lord Iveagh. He was also responsible for establishing the Guinness Trust, which later became known as the Iveagh Trust and provided homes for the poor in both Dublin and London. After Benjamin’s death in 1927 Arthur Edward Guinness took over and was then followed by Rupert Edward Guinness who was the 2nd Lord Iveagh. It was under Rupert that the first official advertising campaign for Guinness was launched. The final family member to be directly involved with the running of the Brewery was Benjamin Guinness who passed away in 1992. Today, the brewery is owned by Diageo, the world’s leading premium drinks company who also boast Baileys, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker Whisky amongst others in their drinks portfolio. With such an impressive history it made sense to open a visitors centre that paid homage to the Guinness Dynasty. So in November 2000 The Guinness Storehouse was officially opened on the site of the original brewery. This impressive seven storey high building was the first steel framed building created in the Chicago Style in the British Isles. A H Hignett carried out the architecture and the steelwork was supplied by Sir William Arroll. Taking over 3 years to complete this £30million visitor experience has been designed so that people can take a journey through the past, present and future of the world’s most famous beer. Aside from the fact that you can spend the day discovering the ingredients, process, craft, time and passion that goes into making each individual pint, you can also relax in the lavish Gravity Bar with your free pint, which is situated above the roof and from the outside is seen as the head of a pint of Guinness. This is the highest bar in Ireland and has 360 degrees panoramic views across Dublin – an experience not to be missed. There is also an impressive array of advertising collectables on show in the Storehouse, covering everything from vintage bottles and mugs to the more modern Carlton Ware figurines. Amongst the display is the original Harp, which today is the registered trademark of Guinness. Made in 1702 by Cormac O’Kelly of Ballynascreen it was adopted by Guinness in 1862 and is their signature piece appearing on everything from the bottle labels to merchandise. During my visit I was lucky enough to meet with Claire Hackett, an archivist at the Storehouse whose job involves documenting all the Official Guinness merchandise that has been produced from 1930 onwards in Ireland (the UK and overseas marked is archived in Scotland). Although the earlier items were more point of sale pieces such as showcards, the range did expand and by the 1950s items were made to target wholesalers and licensed trade. It wasn’t until the 1980s when Guinness started to produce merchandise for customers as well. Claire explained to me that the Storehouse is used as a vehicle to show the home of Guinness and has many of the earlier collectables available on show. She also told me that the archive system is readily available to the public, so if you come across a piece of Guinness memorabilia and are not sure where it dates to, the archivists can help you find it, date it and recommend organisations such as the Guinness Collectors Club for valuations. “It is normally figurines, key rings and cufflinks that turn up and are very popular but the most unusual item I have ever come across is a hair brush that is shaped like […]
Flirty Thirties – Sophistication And Elegance – Dolls in The 1930s

Flirty Thirties – Sophistication And Elegance – Dolls in The 1930s by Sue Brewer Lights! Camera! Action! This was the decade of the movie idol. People from all walks of life filled cinemas to watch glamorous actors and actresses on the big screen, escaping everyday worries as they drifted on a sea of music and romance. Stars became household names – though, unlike today’s celebrities, managing to retain their mystique in a waft of fur, satin, diamonds and aloofness. 1930 opened with a literal high for women when Amy Johnson became the first female aviator to fly solo from England to Australia. Sadly, the year ended with a tragic aviation low when the airship R101, on its inaugural flight from England to India, crashed in France, exploding in flames with a loss of 48 lives. The early years of the decade were a combination of emotions as light-hearted young people danced the night away to jazzy music, contrasting with despair and poverty faced by millions as the Depression, following the earlier U.S. Wall Street Crash, hit home. Characterised by instability, with changes of governments, unrest amongst lower-paid workers and, amazingly, three kings in one year (1936), the Thirties were turbulent times. Germany was proving a constant threat, and a sense of unease permeated the atmosphere – this was sensed even in the fashion industry, where clothing became more simple and casual, as though preparing women for the lean times ahead. Even so, it certainly wasn`t all doom and gloom. A magnificent 1000 ft. liner, the ‘Queen Mary’, was launched in 1934; cruising was the height of fashion amongst the upper classes, and this magnificent ship with its Art Deco design, was deservedly popular. Sophisticated, elegant and stylish, just like her passengers, she summed up the very best of the decade. On her maiden cruise she arrived in New York to find the harbour filled with a welcoming armada and cheering crowds lining the shore. Millionaires, dukes, heiresses and, of course, film stars, adored the ship – this was the height of luxury and style. The rising movie culture was enthusiastically embraced, and elaborate cinemas with velvet seats and plush fittings were built at a frenzied pace. Soon it seemed that every town had its own ‘Picture Palace’ where audiences could lose themselves in a fantasy world. This was the era of Busby Berkely, a choreographer who directed amazing dance routines featuring dozens of feather-clad performers, and many films featured song and dance numbers. Glamorous stars such as Marlene Dietrich, Errol Flynn, Fred Astaire, Greta Garbo and Mae West made the cinema the place to be, while ‘The Wizard of Oz’ starring a young Judy Garland, was released in 1939, just one of the many classic movies which appeared during the decade. Two years earlier, Disney had produced his first-ever full-length cartoon, ‘Snow White’, allowing companies such as Chad Valley to make stunning commemorative dolls. Additionally, a golden-haired tot called Shirley Temple became such a cinema cult that she was created in doll-form to thrill both British and American girls alike, while sassy cartoon star, Betty Boop, was such a hit that she is still adored today. By the mid-thirties, composition had largely overtaken bisque as the best medium for doll manufacture, and while many dolls made by this method were almost as beautiful as their elegant bisque forbears, others were much more crude with slapdash face painting and basic moulding. Some of the bisque manufacturers switched to composition, while new companies evolved, keen to take advantage of the fashion for a medium which didn`t require firing in hot kilns. America had a particularly extensive doll industry at this time and amongst the classic dolls developed were Dy-Dee, Patsy and Shirley Temple. The first Shirley Temple dolls appeared in the shops in 1934, sporting a red and white spotted dress resembling the outfit the little girl wore in ‘Stand Up and Cheer’. The dolls were made by Ideal, using a kind of wood-pulp composition, and their success ensured that Shirley Temple dolls would continue to be produced for several years, wearing costumes from her various films. Additionally, extra outfits and accessories could be purchased, including a beautiful dolls pram. Composition Shirley Temple dolls were finally discontinued in 1939 as interest had waned. Nevertheless, in the late 1950s, a combination of nostalgia plus new interest in Shirley, led Ideal to release an updated range, this time using modern vinyl. Today, Shirley Temple dolls are still produced for collectors by companies such as Danbury Mint. In Britain, Cascelloid experimented making baby dolls from a material they called ‘Plastex’, which was a glue-reinforced unbreakable composition, while companies such as D. G. Todd, British National Dolls and Pedigree produced various composition dolls to a fairly basic design. These were the dolls which would later prove such comfort to children huddled in air-raid shelters, or, alternatively, be the one reminder of home to a child taken to the safety of the countryside, parted from her mother. Britain – in fact the world – was rocked in 1936 when Edward VIII, renounced his throne in order to marry American heiress Wallis Simpson. She was divorced, and so was unable to become queen. In a broadcast at the time, Edward declared that he could not carry on ‘without the help and support of the woman I love`. Instead, Edward`s brother reigned as George VI, and his delightful wife Elizabeth became universally loved, later becoming affectionately known as ‘The Queen Mum’. Before the 1939 hostilities began, the decade was an elegant age, with evening wear influenced by the slinky, sparkly gowns worn by stars such as Ginger Rogers, who whirled around the dance floors in the arms of Fred Astaire. Women embraced a feminine, curvy look, simple by daytime and stunning by night. Schiaparelli, the classic Italian designer, promoted the zip fastener which at the time had been scarcely used in fashionable clothing. At last, it was unnecessary to employ a maid to do up all those hooks […]
Hannah Barlow and Doulton Lambeth

When considering the talented designers of the Doulton Lambeth factory, there is one woman whose impressive works cannot go unmentioned. Hannah Barlow was not only one of the most innovative and skilled designers of this famed factory but also a pioneer in her own right due to the fact that she was the ever first female artist to be employed by the South London based Doulton Lambeth Studio. Pictured right: A pair of Hannah Barlow stoneware deer and stag vases impressed marks — 38cm. high. Sold for £2,820 at Christies, London, August 2000. Born into a family of nine children in 1851, Hannah lived in Bishop’s Stortford with her Bank Manager father, Benjamin and his wife. At an early age Hannah already had a talent for drawing and would take walks in the surrounding countryside to sketch the plant and animal life that resided there. This interest in nature was something which would stay with Hannah throughout her life and became the subject matter that was so prolific in all of her future works. Realising her talent for art, in 1868 Hannah enrolled in the Lambeth School of Art to progress this skill. It was a few years later in 1871, that, along with other fellow students, Hannah began to work for the local Doulton Lambeth pottery which had recently diversified from producing industrial ceramics to more elaborate art pottery and decorative wares. Great artists such as George Tinworth, Frank Butler and Hannah Barlow would skilfully decorate the salt-glazed brown stoneware vessels that Doulton were now creating and were allowed to choose the type of decoration themselves and what shape of vessel to apply this design to. Although Hannah was to be the first female designer employed by Doulton she was not the only talented artist in her family to join the British factory. Both her brother Arthur and sister Florence also possessed an artistic flare and attended the Lambeth School of Art, before joining their sister, and furthering their careers by working alongside her for the Doulton pottery. The two sisters, Hannah and Florence, both shared a love of nature, so it was agreed early on in their working careers, that Hannah would concentrate on designs inspired by animals whilst her sister indulged her passion for flowers and produce floral designs. Pictured left: Hannah Barlow for Doulton Lambeth – A Pair of Salt-glazed Vases, circa 1895 each vase incised with three bulls and two horses grazing within a rugged country landscape 28.5cm high, with impressed Doulton Lambeth mark and incised artist’s monogram. Sold for £1,062 at Bonhams, London, April 2014. Both were extremely talented artists and their work was very realistic. Each would initially sketch a design then using the technique of Sgraffito (incising) they would apply the design into the wet clay of a vessel before it was fired. Every piece that was produced by the artists at the Doulton studio was hand-decorated, thus ensuring that each item was unique in design, technique and decoration. Hannah excelled at creating illustrations of animals with some of her favourite subjects being British farm animals such as sheep, horses and pigs. Many examples of her work have sold for respectable prices at salerooms all over the world; her works of art are highly sought after by collectors. Recently a shallow bowl dating to 1883 sold at Bonhams Saleroom for £2,300. Artistically incised with pigs and hens this piece is synonymous with Hannah Barlow and as such, commands a price that is expected for this female designer’s work. Another example, also sold at Bonhams. were an outstanding pair of early vases dating to 1873. These twin handled vessels were incised with six Trojan Style horses which showed them cantering and galloping across fields. An unusual example, this vase sold for a staggering hammer price of £4,800. Pictured right: Hannah Barlow for Doulton Lambeth – An Early Salt-Glaze Jug with Horse, 1874 incised with a horse portrait and stylised leaf decoration 25.5cm high, with impressed Doulton Lambeth mark and incised artist monogram Sold for £325 at Bonhams, London, April 2014. Aside from the more common domestic farm animals, Hannah was inspired by many different living creatures. Her work was often embellished with countryside inhabitants such as rabbits and foxes, but she also liked to draw and incise more exotic animal motifs such as lions and kangaroos. This Australian inhabitant first appeared in 1878 on a tea service and proved popular so Hannah continued to apply this motif to all sorts of other various shaped vessels. It is said that Hannah was possibly inspired to sketch and decorate pieces with kangaroos because of the preparations for the Sydney International Exhibition which took place in 1879. Wherever Hannah gained her inspiration, her skill became evident when she would expertly sketch a scene that almost came alive when applied to the various vases, dishes and jardinières that she worked on. Hannah’s talent for drawing, combined with her skilled eye for design ensured that each piece created was not only a stunning ceramic work of art but also a living window into the animal kingdom. Her work was worthy of a place on the wall in an art gallery. Pictured left: Hannah Barlow (Fl.1871-1913) & Florence Barlow (Fl.1873-1909) Pair Of Vases, Circa 1890 stoneware, hand decorated, incised with rabbits, and pâte-sur-pâte painted birds, impressed Doulton Lambeth, incised artist’s monograms, numbers 443 & 742, assistants marks 7¾ in. (19.7 cm.) high. Sold for £4,375 at Christies, London, September 2009. Hannah was prolific in her work during the forty years that she was employed by the British Doulton Studio, and was responsible for creating some of the most innovative and finest designs in stoneware. An accomplished artist, not only is she remembered as one of the most celebrated designers of the 19th Century but also as a pioneering female ceramicist whose work will hopefully continue to command the prices that are so deserving. Fact File Doulton & Co was founded in 1815. In 1871 Henry Doulton set up the Lambeth Studio in South London Hannah Barlow indulged her passion for animals by […]
Chessell Pottery

The Chessell Pottery was founded in 1978 by Sheila and John Francis in the pretty village of Chessell on the Isle of Wight.
Troika Pottery – History, Designers and Troika Price Guide

Troika Pottery has become one of the most collected forms of modern British pottery with it’s distinctive colours, incised and geometric designs it has attracted many collectors. Early works from two of the company’s founders Leslie Illsley, and Benny Sirota are especially collectable with prices for rarer items reaching well into four figures. The third member of Troika was sleeping partner Jan Thompson. Troika Pottery was founded in 1962 and produced pottery until 1983 and was named by the three founders from the Russian тройка, meaning “a set of three”, or triumvirate. They took over the Powell and Wells Pottery at Wheal Dream, St Ives, Cornwall, where Sirota had previously worked as a decorator and driver. The group wanted to pursue their vision of pottery as art, without regard to function which ran counter to the aims of much of the studio pottery movement at the time, as epitomised by the work of Bernard Leach (see Bernard Leach the Father of British studio pottery). Illsley and Sirota wanted to create distinctive, individualistic wares and they were not afraid to experiment with unconventional production ideas, methods and materials including emulsion paint and melted broken glass. Fantastic designs began to be produced including Cycladic masks with Aztec-style decoration and the heavily textured monolithic wares that were to become a trademark, the pottery pillar vase, plaques with raised geometric patterns and geometric lamp bases. The Troika venture rapidly became successful, gaining both critical praise and very high sales through a combination of the summer tourist trade and contracts in 1968 with Heals and Liberty in London. The pottery moved from Wheel Dream for larger premises in Fradgan Place, Newlyn in 1970. In the mid 1970s sales began to go down as trends changed, Benny Sirota left in 1980, and with declining sales, the business closed in 1983. Troika at Auction Troika Pottery on ebay Troika Designers and Marks Troika Pottery marks were handwritten. Some designers have the same initials such as Avril Bennett and Alison Brigden. Selected examples below. New
Armand Marseille Dolls & Other Bisque Dolls

Bisque china dolls are those tranquil faced beauties we see featured on the Antiques Roadshow, with glass eyes, hand-painted features and, often, ‘double-jointed’ limbs.
Collecting Post-war Soviet Porcelain

I first fell in love with USSR porcelain in the late 1960s – 1969, to be precise – when I purchased a small figurine of a badger. I loved it because it was so smooth, so tactile and was so different from the fussy, whimsical ornaments that were around at the time. Slowly, over the years, I added to my collection – birds, lion cubs, rabbits and squirrels. Most of these items bore stamps on their bases, the letters ‘USSR’, plus a mark rather like an ornate letter ‘L’ with three noughts and a backwards ‘3’. This was the mark of the Lomonosov company, which was founded in 1744, in St Petersburg, initially to make fine porcelain for the Russian Royal Family. It supplied other European Royal families too, and underwent several changes of name before settling on its present title. In the eighteenth century, during the reign of Catherine the Great, the institution was known as The Imperial Porcelain Factory. After the Revolution, it became the State Porcelain Works, and later was named Lomonosov after the founder of the Russian Academy of Science. The range of ceramics produced over the past 267 years is tremendous and includes vases, plates, dinner services, snuff boxes and numerous figurines. It wasn’t until the 1990s that I began to research the pieces that I owned, discovering in the process the enormous and exciting range of Russian ceramics. It was then that I found the ‘She-Bear and Cubs’. This vigorous sculpture depicts a seated, rather fierce bear, paws held protectively over a cradle containing twin cubs draped in an orange-red coverlet, and I think it must still be my favourite piece today. Unlike the other various animal pieces that I had, this animal figurine screamed ‘Russia’, from the bear subject through to the colouring. I found this piece at a local antiques centre for around £50, and I learnt that it dated from the 1950s. It now sells for three times as much. It’s a sturdy piece, not so smoothly modelled as the later items, but is full of character. I began to look for other 1950s’ pieces, and soon came across a delightful inkwell featuring two bear cubs eating a bowl of berries. One cub is greedily tipping the berries into his mouth, the other is impatiently waving a spoon as he waits for his turn. Between them is a tree-stump table, with another spoon on top. That spoon forms a handle, enabling the tabletop to be lifted off. Underneath is a small ceramic pot to hold the ink. Many of the 1950s’ USSR pieces are based on Russian folklore, such as the ‘Lion and the Hare’, the ‘Fox and the Beaver’, the ‘Goat with the Little Kids’ and the ‘Crane and the Fox’, and, of course, bears crop up quite a lot, too. Folklore depicts them as clumsy and not very clever; the tales often involving another creature outwitting the bear in the simplest of ways. The Lomonosov ‘Crane and the Fox’ piece is an inkwell; beneath the spoon and dish is hidden a small ceramic container for ink. The tale depicted is that of the fox asking the crane to dine, but providing a shallow plate so that her beak couldn’t take up the food. In return she asked him for a meal and put the food into a tall vessel that he couldn’t get his mouth into. Another story piece, the Lomonosov ‘Lion and the Hare’ is based on a fable in which the hare gets the lion to believe its reflection in a lake is another lion. A series of Lomonosov figurines that I particularly enjoy are the Eskimo or Yakutian children, such as the small boy gazing lovingly at a samoyed dog. The boy has shiny black hair and wears a warm embroidered coat, leggings and mittens. Other Yakut figures include a young girl with a book and a flower, and a girl holding a large sturgeon. Another favourite piece of mine is a Lomonosov figurine of a young Uzbek girl with a large basket. Her face is exquisitely painted, and the original sculpt was by G. S. Stolbova, who was famed in Russia for his sculpting. She wears a bright, striped robe in purple and orange, and is seated cross-legged, with the basket across her lap. Frequently, collectors concentrate on the Lomonosov animals as these are the easiest to obtain, and are still manufactured today. A vast menagerie can be acquired, such as dogs, birds, zebras, rabbits, cats, fish, racoons, squirrels, foxes, badgers, mammoths, chipmunks, giraffes and plenty more besides, all in that smooth, tactile, rounded flowing porcelain with soft, exquisitely-placed, naturalistic colouring. For instance, the tiger cub, five inches tall, is a warm, goldbrown, with the black stripes boldly painted, and excellent detailing of eyes, claws and muzzle spots, while the sleek, shapely wildcat, with flattened ears and narrowed eyes is a masterpiece of design. Painted warm grey, with white, black and ginger markings, he sits upright with his tail curved around his body, tip poised ready to twitch. The standing bear cub is a frequently found piece. Six inches high, he has his paws crossed in front, and his head tilted as though he is slightly apprehensive. This appealing bear is dark brown, with lighter brown highlights, and is finished in a glossy glaze. Sometimes, an older piece in a very similar pose is found. This bear cub has rounder ears, a smaller muzzle, white face and underparts, and though lacking the smooth glossy finish of the later model, has an endearing, innocent expression. Standing bears such as these can still be found for £20 or so. It’s no wonder that so many people collect Russian bears – there are so many different models, both naturalistic and humorous. Although Lomonosov is the largest and, perhaps, best known of the Russian porcelain companies, there are many others. Pieces by Kanakova, Dulevo, Verbilki, Seesert, Kuznetsov, Kiev, Gzhel and Polonye are frequently found, and all these companies […]
A Look at Antoni Gaudi

Nothing prepared me for the overwhelming feelings that burst through me when, on a recent trip to Barcelona, I first discovered the works of Antoni Gaudi. A sheer genius, never before have I felt so encapsulated by one designer as his use of the natural world combined with Gothic and medieval influences made me hungrily want to take in every tiny detail. Hard to place into words, you really cannot appreciate this talented architect, artist and designer’s individualism until it is confronting you, however I can tell you that in my own opinion Gaudi was not only a pioneer of his time but also one of the most unique architectural talents I have ever encountered. Born into a simple life in Reus, provincial Catalonia to a coppersmith and his wife on 25th June 1852, Gaudi was one of five children. However, as a child he developed a rheumatic problem, which was to stay with him throughout his life. This disease effected him during his childhood as it prevented Gaudi from mixing with other children his own age because the pain when walking was so intensifying that he was forced to travel by donkey whenever he left the house Although Gaudi did attend school he had periods where he had to miss lessons due to the rheumatic illness and so would use this time to observe plants and animals. It is these organic shapes of nature that became prolific in his later architectural works which are found entwined with the gothic and medieval influences which he became so passionate about. In 1868 Gaudi moved to Barcelona in order to study architecture at university. It was whilst attending this course that he also took classes on Aesthetics, history, philosophy and economics. He had a strong belief that the various architectural styles did not necessarily depend on the aesthetic ideas but instead were heavily influenced by political and social affairs. Much of Gaudi’s influences and inspiration was gained from medieval books, along with the strong Gothic styles that were beginning to appear. He was also heavily impressed with the new Art Nouveau style which replaced the rigidity of straight lines with a more organic flowing form of design. Unfortunately Gaudi’s studies were interrupted for a while as he had to fulfil military service. Working as a draughtsman he finally completed his term and returned to graduate from the New School of Architecture in 1877. He then went on to open his office in 1878, with one of his first commissions being for the lampposts in Plaza Real, Barcelona. He designed two models, one of which had three arms and the other with six. They are still standing today and many people walk past them not realising that they are actually one of the first Gaudi works that he created. Other work started to appear and Gaudi created furniture, alter pieces and even gloves for the Comella firm to show at the Paris Exhibition of 1878. However, it was the friendship that he formed with Eusebio Guell which really took his career into another dimension as Guell was to commission much work for Gaudi in the following years as well as introducing him to other like minded artists. Joan Martorell was a talented architect who became a strong influence on Gaudi’s life. Especially as it was Martorell whom suggested in 1883 that Gaudi should officially take over the project of the ‘Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia.’ This was to become his lifelong project and in turn his most momentous work. An extremely religious man, Gaudi saw it as God’s will and so dedicated 43 years to the construction of the temple. Aside from Sagrada Familia Gaudi was also commissioned to work on many other projects, especially as now he had become a well known and respected architect. Many of his works were for the Guell family, and this included the famous park. His friend, Eusebio Guell planned to build a ‘suburban city’ and although 60 plots were allocated for housing, only three were actually built. Two of which are today owned by the Trias family and one was created as a show house, although Gaudi actually bought it for himself in 1906. The park is surrounded by a rubblework wall which Gaudi crowned with ceramic ‘trencadis’ (mosaic made from broken ceramic pieces.). At each end there are two pavilions which are often referred to as gingerbread houses, and each possess the common trait of not having any straight lines or angles anywhere within the house or to the exterior. Another fascinating building which is a vision of modernism and one of Gaudi’s exceptional masterpieces is Casa Batllo. The owner Josep Batllo intended to tear down the building but changed his mind and decided to remodel it. Gaudi was instructed to carry out the work and as with all his projects created something so unique that this is probably one of the most amazing private homes I have ever seen. The façade of the building has an undulating surface covered in polychrome circles of glazed ceramics and broken fragments of glass. When built Gaudi personally told the workman how to position each piece by directing them from the pavement outside and this stunning façade has been compared to the ‘Water Lilies’ series of oil paintings by Monet. However, when you get onto the roof it resembles mystical animals and legends, as the sinuous shape of the roof together with multi-coloured ceramic scales on the main façade give you the effect of standing behind a dragon’s back. Pere Mila had seen the Batllo house after its completion and was so enthusiastic about it that he approached Gaudi and asked if he could build a large building which could be turned into flats. To say that Gaudi mixed his architectural styles is an understatement, this particular project the ‘La Pedrera (Casa Mila) otherwise known as the Quarry House, is so far away from the design of the Batllo house. Based on wrought metallic girders and […]

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