The Collector's Handbook to Keramics of the Renaissance and Modern Periods Part 17

WIRKSWORTH. A manufactory of china as well as pottery, established by a Mr. Gill, existed here about 1770, and continued for about twenty years.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 295.--CUP.]

PINXTON in Derbys.h.i.+re. Established about 1795, by Billingsley in partners.h.i.+p with John c.o.ke; the former was a practical potter, having been engaged at the Derby works as a flower painter, in which capacity he excelled; he brought with him a staff of workmen and their families, and the factory went on successfully for about five or six years, when Billingsley left; it was continued by c.o.ke, and afterwards by Cutts the foreman, but was altogether discontinued about 1812. The ware made here by Billingsley was of a peculiar transparent character; and a favourite pattern was the French sprig or "Chantilly," being an imitation of the Angouleme china.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 296.--JARDINIeRE.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 297.--SUGAR BOWL AND COVER.]

LOWESTOFT. According to Gillingham's _History of Lowestoft_, written in 1790, an attempt was made to manufacture porcelain there in 1756 by Mr.

Hewlin Luson of Gunton Hall, he having found some fine clay on his estate suitable for the purpose, and in the following year Messrs.

Gillingwater, Walker, Browne, Aldred, and Richman, established the Lowestoft porcelain works, which existed until 1802. The porcelain was of soft paste, and in 1902 fragments of it and moulds were found on the site of the factory. The theory that hard paste was made at Lowestoft or that Chinese porcelain was painted there has now been abandoned.

PLYMOUTH. About the year 1755 William Cookworthy commenced his experiments to ascertain the nature of true porcelain of hard paste, and searched with great perseverance throughout England for the materials which were the const.i.tuent parts of Chinese porcelain. At length a friend of his discovered on the estate of Lord Camelford, in the parish of St. Stephen's, Cornwall, "a certain white saponaceous clay, and close by it a species of granite or moorstone, white with greenish spots, which he immediately perceived to be the two long sought-for ingredients, the one giving whiteness and body to the paste, the other vitrification and transparency."

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 298.--COFFEE-POT.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 299.--BEAKER AND COVER.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 300.--CENTREPIECE.]

The patent was obtained in 1768, and the materials were described as growan stone and growan clay. The works were carried on for nearly six years, and consequently a considerable quant.i.ty of ware was made.

Cookworthy engaged the services of a French artist, M. Soqui, whose ornamental delineations on the articles produced here were very beautiful. Some elegant salt-cellars and table ornaments in the form of open conch sh.e.l.ls resting on a bed of coral, &c., all well modelled in hard paste, were favourites for the table.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 301.--A SHEPHERDESS.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 302.--A SHEPHERD.]

Cookworthy and Lord Camelford continued to work this manufactory until 1774, when the patent right was sold and transferred to Richard Champion.

BRISTOL. A manufactory of _soft paste_ porcelain was founded at Bristol about 1750. Later Richard Champion, having in 1774 purchased Cookworthy's patent, opened a manufactory for _hard paste_. The ware was brought to great perfection, but the large outlay prevented its being remunerative, and in three or four years he sold his interest in the patent to a company of Staffords.h.i.+re potters.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 303.--BOWL AND COVER.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 304.--DISH.]

CAUGHLEY, near Broseley, Salop. Established in 1751 by a Mr. Brown, and afterwards carried on by a Mr. Gallimore. It was not until 1772 that it rose to any importance, when Thomas Turner commenced operations. He came from the Worcester porcelain manufactory; he was an engraver, and probably learnt his art from Robert Hanc.o.c.k.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 305.--MUG. _Painted in blue._]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 306.--PLATE. _Blue willow pattern._]

The excellence of Turner's porcelain gained him great patronage. In 1780 he produced the celebrated "willow pattern," and completed the first blue printed table service made in England. Thomas Minton of Stoke a.s.sisted in the completion of it, being articled as an engraver at Caughley.

In 1799 Turner retired and John Rose became proprietor; the latter removed the works to Coalport about 1814 or 1815.

COALPORT, in Shrops.h.i.+re. The porcelain works here were established about 1780 by John Rose, who had removed his manufactory from Jackfield. He carried on this and the Caughley works simultaneously. In 1820, both the Swansea and the Nantgarw manufactories having been purchased, they were incorporated with Coalport, and Billingsley of Nantgarw was engaged as mixer of the clays; he remained at Coalport until his death in 1828.

The "worm sprig" and the "Tournay sprig" were much made at Coalport.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 307.--DISH. _Marked "Coalport improved Feltspar_ (sic) _Porcelain_."]

COLEBROOK DALE is another name for the Coalport works.

STOKE-ON-TRENT. The first Josiah Spode had a factory here in 1784 for the production of earthenware. He died in 1797 and was succeeded by his son Josiah, who commenced the manufacture of porcelain about 1800. He was a most successful man of business and was appointed potter to the Prince of Wales. Josiah Spode took William Copeland into partners.h.i.+p, and the works are still carried on by Messrs. Copeland & Sons.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 308.--CUP, COVER, AND SAUCER.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 309.--VASE.]

HERBERT MINTON when he succeeded to the business at Stoke-on-Trent (see page 236), greatly developed the manufacture of hard and soft porcelain, and copies were made of Sevres porcelain vases.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 310.--BOWL. _Blue and gold, painted with flowers._]

LONGTON HALL. A porcelain factory was established here about 1752 by William Littler. The ware appears to have been rather vitreous in character, and somewhat resembles Chelsea and Bow porcelain. The works closed about 1759, and the moulds, &c., are believed to have been purchased by Duesbury of Derby.

[Ill.u.s.tration: LONGTON HALL

FIG. 311.--VASE.]

BOW. The manufactory of porcelain at Stratford-le-Bow was established about the middle of the 18th century. Thomas Frye, an eminent painter, appears to have been instrumental in bringing the china to that perfection for which the manufactory was celebrated. He took out two patents for the improvement of porcelain; the first in 1744 was in conjunction with Edward Heylyn, the second in 1749. In 1750 the works were disposed of to Messrs. Weatherby & Crowther.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 312.--TEAPOT. _Printed with King of Prussia._]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 313.--BOWL.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 314.--PLATE. _Printed with aeneas and Anchises._]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 315.--STATUETTE, "FLORA."]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 316.--BUST OF GEORGE II.]

The interesting bowl (now in the British Museum), made at the Bow works in the year 1760, and painted by Thomas Craft, is accompanied by a short history of the works, which informs us that the names of the proprietors were known all over the world, that they employed 300 persons, about 90 painters, and 200 turners, throwers, &c., all under one roof. (See Fig. 313.) In 1775 or 1776 the works were sold to Duesbury, and all the moulds and implements were transferred to Derby.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 317.--GROUP: "A TEA PARTY."]

For a more detailed account of the Bow porcelain manufactory, the reader is referred to _Marks and Monograms on Pottery and Porcelain_, by W.

Chaffers.

CHELSEA. This celebrated porcelain manufactory was established about 1740, shortly after that of Bow, and the early productions of the two are frequently mistaken one for the other; but, fortunately, the Chelsea wares, especially the finest pieces, were subsequently marked with an anchor in gold or red. The period of its greatest excellence was from 1750 to 1765.

The early pieces were copied princ.i.p.ally from the Oriental, being decorated with Chinese patterns, and these were marked with an embossed anchor.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 318.--MARSHAL CONWAY.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 319.--SHEPHERD.]

The beautiful vases in the French style, in imitation of Sevres, with _gros bleu_, crimson, turquoise, and apple-green grounds were made from 1760 to 1765.