Ruby Rose Vintage

	The history of Royal Crown Derby is one of changing fortunes in the ebb and flow of time and taste. It began some time before 1750, when the Huguenot, Andrew Planche, established the first china works in Derby. His exquisite figures led to a fortuitous link with William Duesbury, who eventually became the guiding light in a very successful partnership manufacturing china of the highest quality.
	By 1770, Duesbury had acquired the famous Chelsea China Works and the Bow moulds which resulted in the gradual transfer of a number of extremely skilled craftsmen to Derby. It wasn't long before Duesbury could claim - with some justification - that his Derby factory was the 'second Dresden'. The opening of a London Showroom in 1773 marked the begnning of the widespread recognition of the excellence of Derby porcelain.
	King George III recognised the uniqueness of Derby porcelain in 1775 when he granted the factory the rare honour of being able to incorporate a crown into the backstamp. Much later, in 1890, Queen Victoria also gave Crown Derby her seal of approval not only by awarding the royal warrant, but also by granting the title "The Royal Crown Derby Porcelain Company".
	After his father's death in 1786, William Duesbury II set about making the Derby China Works the finest in Europe. Great developments were made in body, glaze, potting and decoration and the factory benefited from what was probably the most talented group of ceramic artists ever assembled. A tremendous variety of objects - all lavishly decorated - has made the 1786-95 decade one of the most desirable and interesting for collectors and students alike.   Artistic talent included Boreman, the water-colour landscape genuis; figure painters Askew and Banford; and the exceptional talents of flower painters Withers, Billingsley and Pegg.
	When William Duesbury died in 1797 at the early age of 34, many of his remarkable team left the factory which led to a temporary decline in the fortunes of Crown Derby.
	It was Robert Bloor who restored the Derby porcelain reputation when he took control of the factory in 1811 and began to build a team of very fine painters. Many rich and elegant services were produced at this time and shapes tended to be larger and more flamboyant. Typical of the period are the lavishly decorated Japan, or Imari, patterns whose deserved popularity continues in various forms to the present day.
	Confidence in the Crown Derby name was underwritten in 1877 by the opening of an impressive new factory at Osmaston Road, Derby. This was the beginning of a period of growth and diversification which has continued to the present day. Many new shapes and decorative techniques were added to the traditional Derby styles. Raised gilding and piercing, together with the rich colours of Persian and Indian art all played an important role in developing and widening the appeal of the range.
	Royal acclaim followed in 1890 when the company was appointed 'Manufacturers of porcelain to Her Majesty'. In the same year, the gifted artist Desire Leroy arrived at Osmaston Road to form a studio dedicated to creating new standards in gilding and hand painting. His ambitions were realised most notably in the form of elaborate gilding and jewelling on service plates, vases and ornamental pieces.
	Royal Crown Derby was acquired by S.Pearson and Son, the Pearson family company, to become part of their Allied English Potteries group. Brian Branscombe was appointed Art Director, and established the new Graphic and printing departments. Pearson subsequently Bought Royal Doulton. The company was then merged into the larger group.
	The first Royal Crown Derby paperweights, five birds and a rabbit, were launched at a reception at Chatsworth House. These models were to develop into one of the most important ranges of china figures in the world of collecting.
	Hugh Gibson, a former director of Royal Doulton and member of the Pearson family, leads a buy-out of Royal Crown Derby. Once more the firm becomes an independent and privately owned concern, during the year in which it also celebrates 250 years of manufacture of porcelain in Derby.
	The paperweight range celebrates its 21st birthday, with a special stopper for the year, and a new collection of five birds and a rabbit.
	Rich colours and intricate gilding remain the distinguishing features of Royal Crown Derby. The range has something for everyone who appreciates how the aesthetic, the functional and collectable have been brought together in classic designs that please both the eye and the heart in equal measure.   By Royal Crown Derby.co.uk

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The Royal Doulton Company is one of the most renowned English companies producing tableware and collectables, with a history dating back to 1815. Operating originally in London, its reputation grew in the area known as The Potteries, where it was a relative latecomer compared to other leading names such as Spode, Wedgwood and Minton. Today, its products include dinnerware,

giftware, cookware, porcelain, glassware, collectables,  jewellery,  linens,  curtains,  and lighting,  among other items.

 The company's three key brands are Royal Doulton, Royal Albert and Minton. Together, the three brands make up Doulton Home, which is now part of the Waterford Wedgwood group. Most of the pieces in these three brands are today manufactured outside the United Kingdom, in the Far East and Indonesia. 

The Royal Doulton Company began as a partnership between John Doulton, Martha Jones, and John Watts, with a factory at Vauxhall Walk, Lambeth, London. The business specialised in making stoneware articles, including decorative bottles and salt glaze sewer pipes. The company took the name Doulton in 1853.

By 1871, Henry Doulton, John's son, had launched a studio at the Lambeth pottery, and offered work to designers and artists from a local art school. Their names included the Barlow family (Florence, Hannah, and Arthur), Frank Butler, Mark Marshall, Eliza Simmance, and George Tinworth. Then in 1882, Doulton purchased the small factory of Pinder, Bourne & Co, at Nile Street in Burslem, Staffordshire, which placed Doulton in the region known as The Potteries.

By this time Doulton had become one of the most popular brands of stoneware and ceramics, under the artistic direction of John Slater, who worked across a wide variety of figurines, vases, character jugs, and decorative pieces, many designed by the prolific and popular Leslie Harradine. Doulton products also came to the attention of the Royal family. In 1901 King Edward VII granted the Burslem factory the Royal Warrant, which allowed the business to adopt new markings and a new name, Royal Doulton. The company continued to add products during the first half of the 20th century while retaining its reputation as a prime manufacturer of fashionable and high-quality bone china.

The Lambeth factory closed in 1956 due to new clean air regulations that prevented the production of salt glaze in the urban environment. Following closure, all work was transferred to The Potteries.

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By wikipedia.com

Originally founded as a studio in 1897 within a large ceramic company. James Macintyre & Co. Moorcroft pottery soon made its mark on the world. Designs came from 24 year old William Moorcroft who personalised each piece of pottery produced with his own signature or initials. This did little for James Mcintyre’s name and reputation, and in 1912 the inevitable split occurred. William marched his workforce across Cobridge Park to a new factory in Sandbach Road where Moorcroft pottery is still made today. Money came from Liberty, the famous London store and Liberty continued to control Moorcroft until 1962.

In 1904, Moorcroft won a gold medal at the St Louis International Exhibition and followed up the achievement with further medals and commendations, culminating in the appointment of the Moorcroft company as Potter to HM The Queen in 1928.

On the death of William Moorcroft in 1945, his elder son, Walter, took over management and design. In 1962, the Moorcroft family bought out Liberty, but Moorcroft seldom prospered. Finally, in 1984, the family sold the bulk of their shares on the open market. After several material shareholder changes in the mid-1980’s and early 1990’s, Moorcroft is now controlled by the Edwards family, and has been since 1993.

Over the past nine years the world profile of Moorcroft has grown internationally, both in quality and in perceived value. Auctioneers Christies hold a dedicated Moorcroft sale each year. In 2001, Sotheby’s NewYork hold a major sale comprising many pieces of Moorcroft pottery. The Victoria & Albert museum has joined many other national museums with significant pieces of Moorcroft pottery in their permanent collections.

In 1993, Rachel Bishop joined Moorcroft as only its fourth designer in almost a hundred years. Just 24 years old, she was soon to see sales of her work flourish. With that success came the Moorcroft centenary in 1997, and in the same year the Moorcroft Design Studio was formed, originally comprising no less than eight designers with Rachel at their head.

A brief and colourful interlude saw the arrival of Moorcroft Enamels in August 1998, a company which Moorcroft closed down in March 2006 as a result of clashes in design style.

Today, Moorcroft leads the world of art pottery with its own distinctive design style. With added value coming from the skills and craftsmanship of a dedicated workforce, Moorcroft is selling more of its magnificent ware all over the world today, than it did even in its previous heyday in the mid-1920’s. 

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By moorcroft.com

Clarice Cliff

Born in 1899 in Tunstall Staffordshire, the heart of the British pottery industry ,Clarice the daughter of an iron worker was one of eight children cared for by her mother Ann. Living in a typical working class family home, where struggling to make ends meet was the order of the day.

Clarice developed an interest in art pottery and ceramics from an early age and used to regularly visit her aunt who worked at the nearby Alfred Meakin factory.

Clarice followed her interest keenly and at the age of just thirteen gained employment in the industry. Working first as an apprentice at Leningard,Webster & Co an earthenware manufacturer,Clarice was able to learn and develop her skills as a freehand painter. After only three years of her seven year apprenticeship Clarice decided to join another local firm named Hollinshead & Kirkham as an apprentice lithographer.

Her parents recognising her artistic talent struggled to pay for her to attend evening classes at the Turnstall School of Art.

A shortage of workers developed in the industry due to the 1st World War, Clarice seized the opportunity to apply for a vacancy in the decorating department at the A.J. Wilkinson pottery where she was destined to make her mark and become one of the most important designers of the art deco period and beyond.

Colley Shorter and Guy Shorter the directors of the firm must have had no idea that this young girl was going to play such an important role in the future development of the firm. Colley in particular developed a close relationship with Clarice and helped encourage her to explore her creative talent and as the years went by Colley, whose own wife had passed away, found that his affections had grown and they eventually married in 1940.

By this time Clarice was well established as a leading designer and had produced many ranges including the now famous Bizarre ,Fantasque and Crocus ranges. She was one of the few designers of her time who were afforded the recognition of being allowed to include her signature along with the manufacturers backstamp.

Her individual determination and unique innovation as a designer undoubtedly helped change the face of British Art pottery and decorative tableware. In the 1930's Clarice added new life and vibrant colour to plain white pottery which had dominated the average British household during the depression years.

Clarice Cliff inspired a revolution in the decoration of ceramics ,introducing new shapes and designs. Her own personal life story stirs the imagination through her rags to riches fairy tale.

With record prices being broken in the auction houses works by Clarice are becoming increasingly hard to find, however there are still some good bargains to be had if you know what your looking for and make sure whoever you buy from has some knowledge and experience of handling her work. Collectors need to be cautious when investing in a piece of Clarice Cliff as there have been several reports of fakes on the market.

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By clariceware.com

Murano Glass

It is believed that glassmaking in Murano originated from 9th century Rome, with significant Asian and Muslim influences, as Venice was a major trading port. Murano’s reputation as a centre for glassmaking was born when the Venetian Republic, fearing fire and destruction to the city’s mostly wooden buildings, ordered glassmakers to move their foundries to Murano in 1291. Murano glass is still interwoven with Venetian glass.

Murano's glassmakers were soon the island’s most prominent citizens. By the 14th century, glassmakers were allowed to wear swords, enjoyed immunity from prosecution by the Venetian state and found their daughters married into Venice’s most affluent families. However glassmakers were not allowed to leave the Republic. Many craftsmen took this risk and set up glass furnaces in surrounding cities and as far afield as England and the Netherlands.

By the end of the 16th century, three thousand of Murano island's seven thousand inhabitants were involved in some way in the glassmaking industry.

Murano’s glassmakers held a monopoly on quality glassmaking for centuries, developing or refining many technologies including crystalline glass, enamelled glass (smalto), glass with threads of gold (aventurine), multicoloured glass (millefiori), milk glass (lattimo), and imitation gemstones made of glass. Today, the artisans of Murano are still employing these century-old techniques, crafting everything from contemporary art glass and glass figurines to Murano glass chandeliers and wine stoppers.

Today, Murano is home to a vast number of factories and a few individual artist studios making all manner of glass objects from mass marketed stemware to original sculpture. The Museo Vetrario or Glass Museum in the Palazzo Giustinian, which holds displays on the history of glassmaking as well as glass samples ranging from Egyptian times through the present day.

Murano Glass was produced in great quantities in the 1950s and 1960s for export and for tourists. 

The Art of Glassmaking 

The process of making Murano glass is rather complex. Most Murano glass art is made using the lampworking technique. The glass is made from silica which becomes liquid at high temperatures. As the glass passes from a liquid to a solid state, there is an interval when the glass is soft before it hardens completely. This is when the glass-master can shape the material.

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By Wikipedia.com

The story of the line begins in 1730 with the birth of Josiah Wedgwood to a family who manufactured pottery. At six years old, Josiah was an apprentice and by 14 he had suffered a bout of smallpox that weakened his right knee. By 1760, Josiah had his own factory and had been experimenting with different formulas of porcelain, clays and glazes and technological advances in the art of transferring designs to the finished product. In 1765 he manufactured a complete set for Queen Charlotte, advertised himself as the “potter to the Queen” and his business took off.

Josiah’s crowning achievement was his creation of Jasperware. Jasper is translucent clay that marries the basalt and Josiah’s original formulas to produce a dense, homogeneously colored stoneware. After more than 10,000 failed experiments with various clays and glazes, Jasperware was launched in 1775 to overwhelming success, especially to his customers in the new democracy of the United States of America. Josiah stated shortly thereafter, “there was no item too rich or too costly for Americans.”

Wedgwood died in 1795 and the business was left to his sons, who, having been brought up wealthy, had absolutely no interest in running it. The job fell to a nephew, Tom Byerly who struggled greatly with the burden of running a business he had little love for. The next 25 years proved difficult for the company and Josiah II took over to turn things around by restoring the formulas and business standards set by his father. Needless to say, constant economic turmoil, wars and growing competition made the 1800’s very difficult and it wasn’t until the 20th Century, under the leadership of Josiah V that things began to improve.

With new, streamlined production facilities, aggressive worldwide marketing especially in America, and exclusive designs, Wedgwood China products began gaining prominence in the industry. In 1966, Wedgwood’s shares were introduced into the London Stock exchange and since that time, the company has been involved in aggressive expansion. The assets of Susie Cooper, Royal Tuscan, William Adams, Franciscan, Mason’s Ironstone, Waterford, and Rosenthal have been merged with Wedgwood to form the Wedgwood group. Josiah Wedgwood I would be proud.

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By Max Bellamy

Holmegaard Glass Factory

Holmegaard Glass Factory, or "Holmegaards Glasværk" as it is called in Danish, is a world famous glass company located in the village of Holmegaard just outside of Næstved. During the last couple of years a lot of new initiatives have been launched at Holmegaard Glasværk, and it is now a place for exploration for kids and adults of all ages. You'll be able to create your own piece of glass, and there are great savings in the shop, as well as a museum with some of the factory's most notable pieces.

On September 9, 2008, Holmegaard Glass Factory announced that unless a buyer was found within three months it would be closed due to bankruptcy. This threatened to bring an end to 183 years of glassmaking tradition, widely renowned in Denmark and abroad.

The crisis, however, was initially handled in a way that saw the exhibition centre close, whilst the glass production remained. In 2009 all production ceased.

History

The home of famous Holmegaard Glassworks products is located in Fensmark (part of Holmegaard). The company got its start in 1823 when Count Christian Danneskjold-Samsøe petitioned the Danish king for permission to build a glassworks at Holmegaard Mose ("Holmegaard Bog"). He died before permission was granted. But after his death when permission was finally received his widow, Countess Henriette Danneskjold-Samsøe pursued the project and began production in 1825 of green bottles, moving on to table-glass within its first decade.

Much of its early work was derivative and inconsequential, but between the 1930s and 1980s its fortunes were transformed by the designs of Jacob E. Bang (1899-1965), Per Lütken (1916-98), and Bang's son, Michael (1944-2002).

Today the company is known for its high-quality products of Danish design.

The Lütken Era

Danish glassmaker Per Lütken worked at Holmegaard from 1942 until his death in 1998, creating some of the factory's finest pieces and all-time classics, such as the "Idelle" series, the "Ships glasses" and the "Provence" bowls.

The work of Per Lütken is still highly rated, especially throughout Scandinavia, and in Denmark and Sweden in particular.

The arrival of Lütken at Holmegaard marked a new beginning in the history of the factory, which once again bloomed after several years of suffering. His aesthetic creations, in timeless designs, did fit the fashion of the 1960s Denmark, and his creations became a great success throughout the decade and the 1970s.

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By wikipedia.com

Wade Whimsies 

First appeared in 1953 and were a product of the need for new retail lines as the Wade potteries lost contracts in their traditional industrial ceramics market. The result was a series of miniature porcelain animal models. Wade had produced a miniature figure series in the 1930s and the Whimsies were thought to be a good marketing idea. They became popular very quickly being affordable, extremely cute and collectable. 

The Whimsies initially came in boxes of four and five. Ten sets were produced up till 1959 and then Wade stopped general production, but continued manufacturing Whimsies as promotional premiums given away with various products. There popularity endured and in 1971 Wade began to market the Whimsies as a retail line again. 

Unlike the earlier series, the new sets came in individual boxes, although it was still possible to purchase a full set packaged together. 12 sets were produced up until 1980, and production continued until 1984 when the Whimsies were again taken off the market. 

A total of 109 Whimsies were produced in 22 main sets. The first sets ranged from a general selection to themed boxes such as pedigree dogs, farm animals, zoo animals, North American animals, and polar animals. The second series had similar themes along with birds, big cats and sea creatures. It has been noted that the quality of the second series is below that of the first, with slightly less detail and poorer moulding. 

Whimsies have become quite collectable with the majority of the second series fairly easy to come by and still not very expensive. The rarest of the second series is the Sea Horse. The Whimsies from the earlier first series are more difficult to locate and hence are more valuable. Some of the more collectable pieces from this series are the Swan and Shire Horse. 

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By John Hall

The Beginning:

The Wade name has been associated with fine pottery since the 1800s. It all started in 1810 with George Wade & Sons, Ltd. Later in the century John Wade started his company, Wade & Co., making teapots and "go-withs". 

More Family Potteries:

Three of John's nephews also owned and operated potteries under various names and producing assorted products.

And from that collection of potteries, all owned by family members, the Wade companies became one, Wade Potteries, Ltd. in the 1950s under the direction of Sir George Wade. 

Sir George Wade:

Sir George not only united the various Wade potteries, he was also responsible for Wade Whimsies, created as a way of keeping the pottery plants busy when the need for industrial ceramics slowed down as the company rebuilt after WWII.

Wade Whimsies:

1953 saw the first series of Wade Whimsies, a miniature set of porcelain figures. The company produced sets for most of the 1950s for retail sales, stopping in 1959, but continued producing them as premiums (see Red Rose below). In 1971 Wade again produced the figures for general sales, continuing until 1984.

Name and Ownership Changes:

In 1989 Wade Potteries was acquired by Beauford PLC and the name was changed to Wade Ceramics, Ltd.

1999 saw a further change and Wade Ceramics is now a subsidiary of Wade Allied Holdings, Ltd.

Products:

Todays products range from promotional items for companies such as Tetley, Ringtons, York Minster, Marmite and Red Rose. The company also produces collectible pieces for the Wade International Collectors Club, as well as porcelain flagons (decanters) for companies such as Chivas and Ballantines.

Non collectible items include electrical insulators, formers, kitchenware and even caps for Rolls-Royce.

Red Rose Premiums:

Wade Whimsies used as premiums in Red Rose Teas are the most familiar item to collectors in North America. Canada's Red Rose Tea company started distributing the pieces in boxes of tea in 1967.

The U.S. Red Rose Company didn't follow suit until the 1980s, but have continued since that time with different series over the years.

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By John Hall