WOLVES ON TRANSFERWARE AND A FAIRY TALE

"Dusky Wolf" 2 inch high child's mug, ca. 1820/Notice the dead rabbit under the wolf's paw.

 
I want to tell you a fairy tale about how a wolf became good.  This is a particular wolf, not wolves in general.  I made up the story last year when my four year old granddaughter became separated from her parents at a large International Airport.  I wanted to impress on her the importance of staying close to parents even when you think you know where to go.  Even if you are afraid of nothing (except the dark).  

How the wolf became good – A fairy tale

Once upon a time there was a little wolf.  He liked to pretend how bad he was because his parents thought he was too good!  He decided that he would be the badest wolf ever! 

One day he saw a little girl at the airport.   The wolf noticed that she didn’t listen to her parents, and he thought he could use this to his advantage.  He waited until the little girl’s mother was busy lugging a heavy suitcase and her father was carrying her brother.  The wolf knew the girl would sneak away.  He knew this because he would have done the same.  He watched her go down the stairs and out the door of the airport!   Her parents didn’t even notice that she was gone!  The wolf went after the girl.  He was going to eat her!  He was sure this would please his parents.  However, when he thought how scared the girl would be, he remembered that when he did things that were dangerous he always thought his parents could save him.   The wolf knew the girl’s parents couldn’t save her because they didn’t know she was gone.  He knew he had to save her, and he realized he could never be bad.  He could be big someday, but not bad.

The wolf took the little girl back to her parents, but they thought he was trying to hurt her!  They yelled at him and made him cry.  The little girl told her parents the wolf saved her.  She explained that she had walked away from them, and the wolf had brought her back.  The wolf was a hero.

The parents, the little girl, and the wolf hugged.  The parents thanked him and said he was always welcome to visit.  The little girl learned it was dangerous to leave her parents at a busy airport (or anywhere).  She promised to listen to them.  She told the wolf he was good.  She  also said she would never believe a fairy tale that said he was bad (only some wolves were bad and some people too!).

Maya asked the wolf to be her pet and live with her, but he explained that he was a wild animal and thus not pet material.  However, he would be her friend.

 The End!

Since you stayed with me this far,  I thought I'd show you more transferware patterns that feature wolves, starting with a gravy boat from one of my favorite series: "Quadrupeds."

John Hall (& Sons) 1814-1832 "Quadrupeds" gravy boat printed with a New South Wales Wolf.  The wolf is copied from a Thomas Bewick print from his "A General History of Quadrupeds," 1790.

Lots of wolves appear in "Aesop's Fables."  The fables are as meaningful today as they were in ancient times.  Is the wolf more like humans than the other animals?

Copeland & Garrett (1833-1847) "Aesop's Fables" series "The Sow and the Wolf."  The series was begun during the end of the Spode period, and continued throughout the 19th century and into the 20th. 

William T. Copeland (& Sons) 1847-1970 "Aesop's Fables" soup tureen with the pattern "The Wolf, the Lamb and the Goat."  It was probably made in the late 19th century.

Spode (1770-1833) "Aesop's Fables" sauce tureen "The Dog and the Wolf."  It probably dates from around 1831.

Spode (1770-1833) "Aesop's Fables" vegetable tureen base "The Wolf and the Crane." It also dates from the end of the Spode period.

Thomas & Benjamin Godwin (1809-1834) "Aesop's Fables" 5 inch child's plate "The Shepherd's Boy."  This fable is also known as "The Boy Who Cried Wolf."

Mintons (1872-1950) Aesop's Fables 6 inch tile "The Wolf & The Lamb at the Spring."

One of my favorite fairy tales is "Little Red Riding Hood."  I have written about it in my blog post "In The Wood Or Little Red Riding Hood Again."  Little Red's wolf is not very nice.  He certainly tricks her.  However, there are good lessons to be learned from the story.  For example, "Listen to your mother!"

"Red Riding Hood Meets The Wolf" 7.12 inch 19th century child's plate.  The pattern illustrates the letter "R" for the word "Red."

Brownhills Pottery (1872-1896) "Red Riding Hood Meets The Wolf" 7.25 inch plate. 

Josiah Wedgwood (1759-2005) "Death of the Wolf" 6 inch tile, late 19th century.  I thought the woodman killed the wolf, but fairy tales have many variations.  I do wonder what killed him.  Perhaps indigestion from eating granny?

There are lots of things to learn from fairy tales and fables.  For example, not everything is as it seems.  The End.

THE TCC ENGLAND TOUR 2015: PART FOUR - SPODE

Spode Italian dinner plate, ca. 1976/The plate is from the wonderful dinner service my parents gave me as a wedding present in 1976.

One of the most famous manufacturers of English ceramics is Spode.  The factory was in business on the same site (see the history of the factory ownership here)  for almost 250 years, and made some of the most enduring and beautiful transferware patterns;  Italian, for example, was made from circa 1816 until the factory closed around 2009.

I have a long history with Spode's  Italian.*  I was given 133 pieces (new) as a wedding gift in 1976.  The dishes have appeared at all of my Thanksgiving dinners since November 1976!

Spode Blue Italian on my Thanksgiving table.

I have other Spode patterns too.  For example, I spotted a Spode platter at an antiques shop in 1977 that reminded me of my honeymoon in Rome.  The pattern is actually called Rome!  The platter has resided on my dresser for nearly 40 years.

  The Rome pattern Spode platter has been on my dresser since 1977.  The platter dates from the early 1820s.  The dust on the shelf is old too.

This is a preamble to explain why I was happy the  TCC  2015 tour included a visit to the old Spode factory site, which is now known as the Spode Works Visitor Center.  The visit included a demonstration of the transfer process by Paul Holdway,* and a look at a collection of transferware items and copper plates.

Paul Holdway inking a copper plate/Notice the Italian pattern tissue pulls on the right.

Paul pulling the tissue away from the copper plate/ To see a YouTube video of the whole transfer process follow this link.

Some of the items in the transferware display.  The bidet on the bottom right is printed in the Tower pattern, above is a tureen in the Greek pattern, and the jug on the top right is Woodman.  If you want to know the rest of the patterns, an excellent resource is Spode Exhibition Online.  You can go right to the printed designs here.

Spode display/The item on the top left is a leg bath. 

More Spode

Greek pattern copper plate

Floral pattern copper plate.

Why was Spode so important? Why should the site be preserved?  The factory made useful and beautiful things for more than 200 years, but the poster below illustrates that not only beauty, but science, historical material, and community were fostered at the site.   It is part of English history.

The text on this poster explains the importance of saving the Spode factory.

I have been to the factory site many times, and hope I can visit again.

I look forward to visiting again!

*If you want to know more about Spode's Italian pattern, follow this link to the Pam Woolliscroft's blog posts titled Spode & Italian on her blog Spode History.  You can also see a link to Richard's Halliday's 2013 book, The Italian Pattern.

*To see a You tube video of the transfer process by Paul Holdway which was produced by Richard Halliday, click here.

Take a look at the TCC England Tour 2015 Parts One, Two, and Three.

PARIS: FRIDAY 13, 2015

I have already written about another attack on the innocent; the Boston Marathon massacre of 2013.  I am sad that I am writing this kind of post again.  The murder of civilians in Paris on Friday 13, 2015 was a heinous crime. 

Jug, 5.12 inches.  The personifications of Peace and Plenty flank a large monument with the inscription "Peace of Europe Signed at Paris May 30, 1814", surmounted by the GR initials of George III.

 
There really isn't much 19th century transferware with a Paris pattern, but I did find "Peace of Europe Signed at Paris, May 30, 1814" in the Pattern and Source Print Database of the Transferware Collectors Club.  It illustrates both the sadness and the irony of a fragile peace treaty.  The pattern commemorates what appeared to be peace when Napoleon abdicated as Emperor in April 1814, and the Treaty of Paris was signed by the Allies; Britain, Prussia, Russia, Austria, Sweden, and Portugal.  Instead, in February, 1815, Napoleon escaped from exile on Elba, and was welcomed back by the French.  War broke out again, and didn't culminate until Waterloo in July, 1815.  There was a second Treaty of Paris that was signed in November, 1815.   Thus,  two peace treaties in little more than a year with, of course, war in between.   Notice that the second treaty was signed in November, 1815;  two hundred years before the recent killings in Paris.  I am meandering around what I wanted to say in my first sentence; plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose (the more things change, the more they stay the same).

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose)

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose)

THE TCC ENGLAND TOUR 2015: PART THREE - THE POTTERIES MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY

Red Deer

What is this deer doing in the Potteries Museum And Art Gallery?  The museum is filled with all kinds of things; decorative art, fine art, and even natural history.  I always go to the second floor to see the pottery, for which the area became known, but there is so much more.  Like any good museum, there is something for everyone.

I love the cow creamers.  There are 667 of them in the Keiller Collection at the Potteries Museum.   The caveat when the collection was donated was that two thirds always had to be exhibited.  That is a lot of cows!  If you want to read an excellent and detailed article about cow creamers,  see "Transfer Printed Cow Cream Jugs: A Breed All Their Own" by Loren Zeller in the Transferware Collectors Club Bulletin.

Cow Creamers

More Cow Creamers

 
There is so much pottery at the museum that I can only give you a taste.  If you want the whole meal, I suggest you go in person.

Whieldon

Drabware

Creamware

Wedgwood

Useful stuff

More useful stuff

 Minton  (Not as useful as the items above)

Transferware

I have shown you some of upstairs ceramics, but here are some of the downstairs items (i.e. the reserve collection).   Notice that the items are really just in storage.

The storage shelving is not fancy.  It appears to be unfinished particle board.

Lovely Turner posy vases/the plain storage shelves don't detract from the beauty of the pottery.

Plates of many colors.

Lots of interesting items; a flask, a jug, and smoker's sets.

Mainly Willow/Any guesses as to the pattern on the cheese cradle?

The storage shelves are rough, but the transferware basket and undertray are delicate and gorgeous!

David peeking through the other side of the glass storage shelves.

Potteries Museum & Art Gallery

If you haven't seen my posts on the TCC Tour 2015 - Part 1 and Part 2, click on the links.  We visited many museums, so there is more to come.  Stay tuned.

THE TCC ENGLAND TOUR 2015: PART TWO - KEELE HALL AND THE RAVEN MASON COLLECTION

Continuing with the TCC England Tour 2015, we visited Keele Hall in Staffordshire, the ancestral home of the Sneyd family, that houses the Raven Mason Collection of Porcelain and Ironstone China.  The building looks Jacobean, but it was actually built in the 19th century.

Keele Hall, Staffordshire

Here is a bit of an aside.  I sometimes get confused as to which Mason is which. For example, who is Miles Mason, William Mason, George Miles Mason, or Charles James Mason?  Also, Francis Morley and George Ashworth?  Confused?  Take a look at the Mason's Chronology link here.

The Raven Mason Collection has cases filled with beautiful ironstone and porcelain patterns.  I mainly focused on the ironstone.
 

Japan Patterns

More ironstone patterns

Mazarine and Gold

It is hard to see different patterns in the cases shown above, so I'll show some bigger photos.  Here is arguably the most well-known Mason's ironstone pattern; Water Lily.

G.M. & C.J. Mason's Water Lily Ironstone pattern.  It has an impressed line mark on the back, "Mason's Patent Ironstone China."  The mark was used between 1813-1826.

"Mason's Patent Ironstone China" impressed line mark.

 
Shown below is a less well-known pattern printed in blue.  It is know as Chinese Dragon, and also has an impressed line mark on the back.   This mark refers to the type of Welsh clay; "Mason's Cambrian Argil."   The Mason's factory appears to be the only one to incorporate the name "Cambrian" into the factory mark.

G.M. & C.J. Mason's Chinese Dragon has an impressed line mark on the back, 1813-1826.

"Mason's Cambrian Argil" impressed mark/Really hard to see!  The plate is earthenware rather than ironstone.

I thought I'd show you the vivid blue and gold decoration on this jug.  It is hard to see in the case above.

G.M & C.J. Mason (1813-1826) mazarine blue and gold hydra-shaped jug.  The photo above gives you a better idea of the rich colors that are not seen in my photograph of the items in the case full of mazarine blue and gold.

Just a few more patterns.  These were made by Charles James Mason after his brother, George Miles, retired from the partnership; if you look at the marks,  you'll see they appear to be from two different business operations. 

Charles James Mason & Co. (1826-1845) Basket Japan Pattern

Charles James Mason & Co. mark (1826-1845) /Are there any differences between this crown and the one below?

Charles James Mason (1845-1854) You'll see this pattern in the middle of one of the cases above/Look carefully!  The TCC database says the pattern was continued later under G.L. Ashworth.

Charles James Mason mark (1845-1854)

 
The visit to Keele Hall whetted my interest in Mason's Ironstone China in particular and Mason's china in general.   The Transferware Collectors Club Pattern And Source Print Database has lots of information about Mason's patterns.   I also looked at one of the books in my own library; Mason's -  The First Two Hundred Years by Gaye Blake Roberts.  There are many more.

I see that I have digressed as usual.  The TCC Tour was much more organized than my brain!  I shall continue showing you some more of the highlights of the tour in my next blog post.

If you haven't seen the TCC England Tour 2015:  Part One, look here.