Saturday, 31 March 2012

Victorian Cranberry Glass

A lovely Victorian cranberry glass wine jug with original hollow blown teardrop stopper. For more details  see Premier Antiques

Victorian cranberry glass decanter c1890

Friday, 30 March 2012

Maling - Blue Chintz

Maling marks used for Ringtons chintz

Maling had been successfully producing tea caddies for the Rington's tea company since the 1920s. They were sold filled with tea and once used, the customer had a lovely item to re-use. An early and clever way of 'branding' both firms. In the early 1930s Rington's commissioned a series of wares to include teapots, hot water and milk jugs. The result was a colourful blue printed chintz with hand enamelled red and yellow flower heads. Special Ringtons and Maling Ware backstamps were added. For more Rington's wares see Premier Antiques

Maling blue chintz teapot for Rington's Tea c1935

Maling blue chintz hot water jug for Rington's c1935

Richardson's Opal Iridescent Glass

A superb flower bowl, iridescent crystal over opal, made by Richardson's c1890. For more details see Premier Antiques

Richardson's opal iridescence glass c1890

Thursday, 29 March 2012

The Allure of Art Nouveau pt2

Episode 2 of 3 'British Cities' - Stephen Smith examines the influence art nouveau had on British art and design. He explores the work of illustrator Aubrey Beardsley and architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh, as well as delving into the careers of Mackintosh's wife Margaret MacDonald and artist and craftswoman Mary Watts. He also looks at how entrepreneur Arthur Liberty helped popularise the art nouveau style through his London department store. Tonight BBC4 9pm

Watch Eposide 1 on BBC iPlayer

Vaseline Glass


An unusual and fine quality striped vaseline bowl by Thomas Webb c1890. Opalescent lines radiate from the centre and a deep amethyst strand has been applied to the edge. For more details visit my website Premier Antiques

Wednesday, 28 March 2012

Royal Winton - Florence

A vibrant design of bright pink carnations and smaller flowers on a black background introduced briefly after the war. Quite a rare pattern and always popular with chintz collectors. Here is a very pretty posy basket and a rare butter dish which show just how good Royal Winton prints could be. For more details see Premier Antiques

Royal Winton 'Florence' posy basket c1951

Royal Winton 'Florence' butter dish c1953

Grimwades - Bruce Bairnsfather

A rare Bruce Bairnsfather beaker in great condition. It has two classic WW1 cartoons and an interesting border of trench debris. For more Bairnsfather Ware see Premier Antiques

Grimwades Bairnsfather Ware beaker c1920

Tuesday, 27 March 2012

Clarice Cliff - Spring Crocus

Difficult to find without scratches, here is a near mint plate in the pastel version of Crocus introduced around 1936. For more details see Premier Antiques

Clarice Cliff 'Spring Crocus' plate c1939

The Allure of Art Nouveau

Another brilliant series has begun on BBC4 - 'Sex and Sensibility: The Allure of Art Nouveau'. In Episode 1, Stephen Smith presents a history of the early 20th century art and design movement, beginning by exploring how it changed the face of Paris. He examines pieces of jewellery by Rene Lalique, analyses Alphonse Mucha's posters and visits locations that epitomise the art nouveau style. He also discusses why creative thinkers including architect Hector Guimard and glass-maker Emile Galle believed their work could inspire social change.


Episode 2 examines the influence art nouveau had on British art and design in the early years of the 20th century. For details of broadcasts, schedules, etc. see BBC Radio Times

Monday, 26 March 2012

Royal Doulton Dickens Ware

Charles Noke was a great admirer of Dickens and in 1908 began a series of wares which featured characters from the novels. The series was added to in 1912 as part of the Dickens centenary and continued with amendments and additions until the 1950s. For more Royal Doulton Dickens Ware see Premier Antiques

Royal Doulton 'Dick Swiveller' Dickens Ware rack plate c1928

Royal Doulton 'Mr Pickwick' Dickens Ware jug c1910

Saturday, 24 March 2012

Carlton Ware - Art Deco Crinoline Ladies

Popular throughout the 1930s, all the major art deco factories and designers from Clarice Cliff to Sadlers produced wares using this image. Carlton Ware had began producing 'crinoline lady' powder bowls and trinket boxes in the 1920s and expanded production with cruet sets, table bells and napkin holders. Finely modelled and brightly painted, they are some of the best of these 'fancies'. For more see Premier Antiques

Carlton Ware crinoline lady napkin holder c1935

Carlton Ware crinoline lady cruet c1939

Carlton Ware crinoline lady table bell c1935

Thursday, 22 March 2012

Antique George Jones Majolica

One of the earliest and most sought after designs produced after he left Minton is the 'chestnut leaf and napkin'. Usually glazed in various naturalistic colourings, it's always vibrant and not always marked, though George Jones quality shines through. For more details see Premier Antiques

George Jones majolica dish c1870

George Jones majolica 'Chestnut on Napkin' c1880

Monday, 19 March 2012

Royal Doulton Dickens Ware 'E' Series

Modelled in low relief, this series was only in production for a short period in the late 1930s. Some of the designs and shapes are often quite unusual and rare as they are particular to this relief decoration. For more Dickens Ware see Premier Antiques

Royal Doulton low relief moulded Dickens dish c1938

Royal Doulton low relief moulded Dickens footed bowl c1939

Sunday, 18 March 2012

Royal Winton - Nantwich

A rare coffee can and saucer in a smart Royal Winton chintz that isn't seen that often. For more details see Premier Antiques

Royal Winton 'Nantwich' coffee can c1945

Friday, 16 March 2012

Royal Winton - Primula

On the subject of spring flowers, another 'timely' design is Royal Winton's 'Primula'. Introduced in the early 1930s it again captures beautifully the freshness of spring. It can be found in several colourways and bearing either Royal Winton or Rubian Art Ware backstamps. Here is a lovely trefoil dish which shows the design at its best. For more details see Premier Antiques

Royal Winton 'Primula' dish c1935
 

Wednesday, 14 March 2012

Royal Doulton - Wild Rose or Roses G series

A vibrantly hand painted series introduced in the late 30s/ early 40s and produced for a while after the war. The enamels are thickly applied to emphasise the hand painted qualities. Pattern numbers D6177 and D6227. For more details see Premier Antiques

Royal Doulton 'Wild Rose' dish c1945

Royal Doulton 'Wild Rose' detail

Tuesday, 13 March 2012

Carlton Ware - Pink Buttercup

A lovely 5 bar toast rack in the rare pink buttercup - great colours and excellent condition. For more details see Premier Antiques

Carlton Ware pink buttercup toast rack c1935

Thursday, 8 March 2012

Royal Doulton - Floral Patterns

A series of geometric floral patterns consisting of 24 designs (named A to X) with various colour combinations. Using the block printing technique developed in the 1840s, several colours could be printed in succession to create extremely vibrant effects. Expensive to produce, Royal Doulton continued the technique up to the 1950s. For more details see Premier Antiques



Royal Doulton - Pansies D4049

Introduced around 1917 and in production up to the 1930s, Royal Doulton's 'Pansies' series has always been difficult to find and highly sought after. For more Royal Doulton see Premier Antiques

Royal Doulton 'Pansies' dish c1930

Royal Doulton 'Pansies' jug c1928

Royal Doulton 'Pansies' plate c1934

Tuesday, 6 March 2012

Royal Winton Chintz - Cotswold

Apple blossom and blue harebells surround a bouquet of pink, yellow and blue flowers which are interspersed with sprays of pink roses and smaller flowers in pale rust. Set on a white background, this pretty design was introduced in the early 1950s and continued in small amounts for a number of years. For more details see Premier Antiques

Royal Winton 'Cotswold' cake slice c1960

Royal Winton 'Cotswold' dish c1952