MOZART, THE MAGIC FLUTE, THE MASONS AND AMERICA

While waiting for Mozart's The Magic Flute to begin, I read the notes in the program titled Mozart's Die Zauberflote (Magic Flute) A Masonic Perspective by Tom Ellison, Past Master, Masonic Lodge 712 in California and chorus member of West Bay Opera (Palo Alto, California).  I knew that Mozart was a Mason, as were many 18th century luminaries such as Joseph Hayden and Benjamin Franklin, but I didn't know much about the Masons (also referred to as Freemasons).

I learned the Masons are one of the oldest continuing fraternities in the world.  Their philosophy (with lots of variations) centers around spirituality without being tied to one religion.  Freemasonry is not intended to replace one's own religion. There is a moral quest to improve oneself.  In the fraternity, all men are treated as equals despite differences in education, class and finances.

As one thing leads to another,  I decided to look for Masonic patterns in the Transferware Collectors Club Pattern and Source Print Database in the hopes of leaning more about the Masons.  I remembered that I entered a Masonic pattern in the Children's Subjects Category of the Database.  It features a maxim by Benjamin Franklin (remember that he was a Mason) and a  large compass (the Masons began as a Medieval Stonemason's guild and a compass was one of their symbols). 

John King Knight (1846-1853) 5.25 inch child's plate featuring a maxim by Benjamin Franklin

Along with the compass, other symbols are drawn from the manual tools of stonemasons such as the square, the compass, the level, the plumb rule, the trowel and others.  A moral lesson is ascribed to each tool.  For example, the compass lesson of Franklin's Maxim:  Keep within compass/And you shall be sure/To avoid nasty troubles which others endure is circumscribe desires and passions.

The square and the compass joined together is possibly the most identifiable symbol of Masonry.  I found the symbol in the border of a States Series platter by James and Ralph Clews (1814-1834).  The States Series is an iconic Historical American pattern that celebrates the new United States.  The outer border names the first fifteen states to enter the Union and the figures on either side of the inner border depict Justice on the left and Liberty on the right.  They stand on plinths that say America And Independence.
 

Ralph & James Clews 16.75 inch States Series pattern, ca. 1825

The square and compass appear on the carpenter's (or stonemason's) apron that is worn by Justice.  The square symbolizes squaring our actions with all of mankind (or the Golden Rule) and the compass, as said, teaches circumscription of personal passion.  The apron is given to every Masonic acolyte; it symbolizes innocence and aspirations for great achievements.   Justice holds a portrait of George Washington who was a Mason.   In addition to Washington and Franklin there are other founding fathers who were Masons such as  John Hancock, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Aaron Burr (see the list of American presidents who were Masons at the end of this blog).  The Masonic philosophy of free thinking and self determination appealed to the early founders of the United States.

View of a piece of the center border of the States Series

A late 18th or early 19th century creamware jug made for the American Market features the Seal of the United States,  Masonic symbols, and the verse of a traditional Masonic song.  It illustrates the importance of Masonic teachings to the founders of the United States.  Masonic symbols are on one side, the words: The World is in Pain / Our Secrets to gain / But still let them wonder and gaze on / For they ne’er can divine / The WORD nor the SIGN / Of a Free and Accepted Mason are on the other side, and the seal of the United States is under the spout.

Creamware 9.5 inch jug with Masonic symbols

Other side of the creamware jug features the verse of a traditional Masonic song (The World is in Pain / Our Secrets to gain/ But still let them wonder and gaze on / For they ne’er can divine / The WORD nor the SIGN / Of a Free and Accepted Mason)/The pattern under the spout is the Seal of the United States

The words on a  3.25 inch mug (perhaps intended for a child), are a variation of the better known A listening ear, a silent tongue, and a faithful heart.  These word are used in the ceremony for beginning Masons.

Mug printed with a variation of the Mason's motto

According to the TCC database, The Watchfull Eye probably refers to the all-seeing Eye of God which is one of the main Masonic symbols.  It is found on the back of the American one dollar bill atop a pyramid which is another Masonic symbol.  George Washington, of course, is on the other side of the dollar bill.

Back of the dollar bill/the pyramid and eye of God are Masonic symbols

Freemasonry was very popular in the United States, as it was in Britain and Europe.  But after the French Revolution, many monarchs were concerned that the  Masons' ideas of independence, self determination and equality were the opposites of monarchy and privilege.   Many lodges of the Masons were shuttered.  Sadly, within a year of Mozart's death in 1791, Masonry was made illegal in Austria.   However, the Masons flourished in the United States.

This is a circuitous essay, a bit like Pamino's wandering in the forest at the beginning of The Magic Flute.  However, as I have said before, one thing leads to another.  The use of the TCC Pattern and Source Print Database opened my eyes to the importance of the Masons to the early leaders of the United States. 

The influence of Masonic philosophy didn't stop in the 18th century. Here are the names of American Presidents who were Masons :  James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, James Polk, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, James Garfield, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Warren G, Harding, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Gerald Ford.  Look at this link to see more famous American Masons.

FARMER GEORGE

Which English king was known as Farmer George?  Who was the last king of the American Colonies?

Davenport (1794-1887) George III (1738-1820) Commemorative pattern known as Farmer George, ca 1815

The purchase of a battered platter with an interesting pattern necessitated some research.   I actually knew George III was at the center.  Yes,  he was the last king of the colonies, so he looked familiar.  He is surrounded by the floral symbols of Great Britain: the rose, the shamrock and the thistle.

Center of the pattern/Notice that King George is wearing a laurel wreath/Looks like the center pattern is wearing a laurel wreath also

The best information I found was in the book True Blue, edited by Gaye Blake Roberts.  It is the catalog of the Exhibition of British transfer printed earthenware, which celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Friends of Blue.  It was held at the Wedgwood Museum in Barleston, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire in 1998.  I had the pleasure of seeing this extraordinary exhibit.  I own the book, which has more than 1000 illustrations as well as descriptions of the illustrations.  Here is what is said about this pattern: The cornucopia and agricultural implements comprising the border of this design are probably an allusion to King George III's nickname of 'Farmer George', earned by his keen and often comical love of country pursuits. It is difficult to date the introduction of this pattern as George III ascended the throne in 1760 so that 1810 was his Golden Jubilee year, but it is equally possible that the piece commemorated the Peace of 1815 (end of the Napoleonic Wars), as the King is depicted wearing a wreath of laurels (for Victory) and the border of farming implements could be interpreted as denoting peace.   (I think the farming implements or tools may also refer to George's love of agriculture.) 

On another note, some of my blog posts show broken and disfigured pottery.   The Farmer George pattern is uncommon and was reasonably priced, so it is in my collection.   I display it on a wall.  Some people are surprised that I would hang such a broken platter.  Others don't even notice the cracks because they are so excited by the pattern.

BEES AND TRANSFERWARE

Baker, Bevans & Irwin (1814-1838) 5 inch child's plate/The verse is from Divine Songs for Children by Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

I recently read an article about the importance of and danger to the world's bees.  It was actually a petition to save the bees on the website Move On.  The petition begins with the sentence:  Honey bees, native bees and other pollinators are responsible for one out of every three bites of food we eat.  Important animals.
 

Photos from Greenpeace International

 I thought I would look at transferware patterns that focus on bees.  I have already written about The Beemaster pattern, but found others. The pattern below says it all!

J. & G. Meakin (1851-2004) Benjamin Franklin's Maxim:  A Dead Bee Maketh No Honey

Enoch Wood & Sons (1818-1846) Beehive and Cottage pattern/Notice the border of alternating strawberry plants and gooseberries (dependent on bees!)

Ralph Stevenson & Williams (1825-1827) Beehive and Vases platter/Flowers and bees go together

I planted salvia, lavender and cat mint in my garden to welcome honeybees, carpenter bees and bumblebees.   They enjoy the roses too.  No pesticides!  Bees aren't pests, but they suffer collateral damage from pesticides.

Bee in my garden/Notice the bumblebee on the purple plant on the right.  Such a dear face.  The pink flower on the left is a penstemon.  The purple flowered plant is a volunteer.

Carpenter Bee on a Salvia plant

Honeybee on lavender

TWO COLOR TRANSFERWARE

Two and three color transferware patterns made their debut in the 1830s.  Usually, the border is one color and the center is another.  But this is not always the case (see below.)  I purchased my first two color pattern in the early 1990s.  I loved the cheerful colors.  Some of the colors matched and some looked odd together.  I learned that most two color patterns were exported to the United States.

Enoch Wood & Sons No. 107 pattern 9 inch plate/Notice the feathers in the border/The children are playing on a see saw.

Enoch Wood made a lot of two color patterns: Fisherman, Rail Way, Festoon Border, No. 106,  and No. 107 (they probably made other patterns too.)  There are different centers on each size and shape, and Fisherman and Rail Way even have interchangeable borders!  See the article by Margie Williams in the Transferware Collectors Club Spring 2008 Bulletin titled E. Wood & Sons' Interchanging Border Phenomenon if you want more information about the borders.

Fisherman

Rail Way

Festoon Border

No. 106

Other factories also made two color transferware

William Ridgway (1830-1854) Asiatic Plants 10 inch plate

John Wedg Wood (1841-1860) Hibernia 8.12 inch plate

Thomas Mayer (1826-1838) Mogul Scenery 6 inch plate

John Ridgway (1830-1841) Shiraz 10.25 inch plate

Job & John Jackson (1831-1835) Valencia 10.5 inch plate

Thomas Mayer (1836-1838) Canova plate

As you can see on the photo below, two color patterns make a colorful display. 

A Bouquet of Two Color Transferware/ Top row from left:  Ridgway Shiraz, Herculaneum plate, Davenport (three color transfer),  Jackson Moss Rose (three color transfer)/ Middle Row: Maker Unknown Cornelian, Wedg Wood Hibernia, Wood Festoon Border, Hicks Meigh & Johnson Birds & Flowers/ Front: Teapot, Podmore Walker & Co. Harvest Home, Wood Fisherman plate,  and Ridgway jug

THAMES TUNNEL

The purchase of a child's plate necessitated a bit of sleuthing.  I had never heard of the Thames Tunnel. 

Thames Tunnel commemorative child's plate, 7.25 inches/Rose, Tulip and Aster molded border

The Thames Tunnel was the first underwater tunnel. It was built beneath the Thames in London.  The text on the plate says it was:  1200 feet long. 76 feet below high water mark, was 8 years building, & cost 446, 000 pounds. Opened the 25th day of March. 1843. 

Close-up of the Thames Tunnel pattern

An interesting history of the Thames Tunnel is found here.  What was undertaken as a more efficient way to move goods and people across the Thames never came to fruition.  Instead, the tunnel was billed as the Eighth Wonder of the World!  People flocked to experience the walk under the water!  Souvenirs, of which the plate above is one, sold well.  However, the tunnel was a financial disaster.  A railway company purchased the tunnel in 1865, and today the tunnel is part of the London Overground.

The plate is impressed Scott for Scott & Co. (1800-1897).  The distinctive Rose, Tulip and Aster molded border was used by the factory for many of the children's patterns and commemorative patterns that they made.  Two large cracks didn't deter me from buying such an interesting piece of history.

Source print used for the Thames Tunnel plate

For a bit more history, read about two famous engineers who designed and worked on the tunnel: Marc Isambard Brunel his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

ANNIVERSARY

Child's 7.5 inch plate, ca. 1840/Notice the charming animals in the border

Thirty years!  We met in September 1983 and married in May 1984.  Lucky me.

Judie and David/May 6, 1984

I haven't found a lot of transferware that celebrates marriage.  The Village Wedding above is a bit sweet.  The one below a bit formal.

Child's 6.25 inch plate, ca. 1840

Luckily, I have a plate that says David!

Child's 5.5 inch plate, John Roger's & Son (1815-1842)

David

Judie and David today/It was hard to find a photo of the two of us because I am usually taking the photos!

TEAL TRANSFERWARE

Teal transferware

Is it blue or green?  It was a popular color used on 1830s transferware.  Mainly seen on Romantic style patterns and children's ware.

The first recorded use of teal (bluish green) as a color name in English was in 1917.  As a color, its name is believed to have been taken from the small freshwater Common Teal, a member of the duck family, whose eyes are surrounded by this color.  Below is a photo of a Teal and some examples of teal variations. 

Male Teal

Teal color chart

Teal is not the easiest color to use in decorating, unless you lived in the 1980s when it was wildly popular mixed with purple.  Ah, you can always add purple transferware!

Teal printed transferware with a bit of purple