Ceramics Collector: 'Downton Abbey' style

Books like The World of Downton Abbey by Jessica Fellowes and Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by the Countess of Carnarvon, are filled with fascinating information on period interiors and manners.

Collectors who would like to make the enjoyment last can entertain in Downton Abbey style, with appropriate china and silver from a century ago. British porcelain from the decades before and after 1900 comes up at auction every weekend.

Some categories are avidly sought-after by specialists, while others offer real bargains for savvy collectors. Auction houses such as Skinners in Boston include these wares in regular sales of fine ceramics.

As the popular television series reveals in each episode, the pre- and post-World War I decades were a period of unsettling changes in mores and fashions. Traditional British porcelain manufactories, many with roots in the 18th century, continued to make formal tableware and garnitures as they had throughout the 1837-1901 reign of Queen Victoria.

At the same time, small firms were producing fresh art pottery lines that appealed to buyers eager to own the latest thing. William de Morgan, for example, had been friends with Arts and Crafts Movement guiding spirit William Morris, and his London workshop produces various experimental lines.

No educated person who went to exhibitions or expositions would have been unfamiliar with the Art Nouveau style, which made its mark around 1890-1910. By the time the Great War ended in 1918, Art Deco and the jazz age of the 1920s were just around the corner.

Yet in the great city and country houses, porcelain decorated with classic patterns by old firms such as Worcester, Minton, Wedgwood, Copeland and Coalport still set the formal table. Directors lavishly set out china to recreate that look for period drama, and collectors can put together services to achieve the same effect at home.

Families who regularly inherited money, land and houses filled with furniture and decorative arts would display cherished objects from many different periods.

A dining room or grand salon might contain 18th century heirlooms, porcelain purchased during Victoria’s reign, and a variety of fashionable decorative pieces. The latter might range from Minton’s latest product to Chinese vases to a whimsical art pottery jug by the Martin Brothers.

Stuart Slavid, the expert on fine ceramics at Skinner’s, has heard the Downton Abbey buzz around the sale room: “There was a little conversation going on here yesterday among several people who were all big fans of the show.”

The influence is subtle: The collector may not set out to recreate that fictional table, but when an elegant form comes on the block, paddles go up. Porcelain in the Jan. 14 Boston sale included a circa 1885 Wedgwood Auro Basalt covered potpourri vase sold for $2,489; a pair of ornate Royal Worcester vase with masks on the handles, circa 1900, for $1,067; and a Royal Crown Derby dark blue ground vase dated 1920 for $1,541.

Slavid emphasizes that porcelain in that period was not confined to the table: “It was a more formal lifestyle so the decorative appeal was much more formal. They all had china cabinets; that’s probably why so many pieces survived.” Porcelain would have been displayed in such cabinets in the main living rooms, on bedroom mantels and dressing tables, and, of course, on impressive sideboards in the dining room.

Collectors pay a premium for the work of well-known artists, and many of the tour-de-force vases and centerpieces are signed. The expert explains, “So you could have a Royal Worcester hand-painted vase and if it was done by a particular artist, it’s the artist that will command the price.”

One decorating technique in vogue at the turn of the century was pate-sur-pate, in which relief designs are carefully built up by applying layers of slip. M.L. Solon, who signed his work, brought the French technique to Minton, and many other firms imitated the wares.

Slavid points out, “It’s tremendously time-consuming because each layer is applied separately. As you get different heights and depths of the relief, some of the most impressive pieces could take nine months to finish.”

Only the wealthiest collectors could have purchase pate-sure-pate when it was made, and signed examples command the most formidable prices. An 1889 Louis Solon decorated vase brought $52,140 at Skinner’s in 2008. An 1892 Grainger Worcester vase by an unknown artist in this year’s sale sold for a more reasonable $2,607.

Collectors who want period impact on the table can choose from a variety of decorated service plates. These beautiful dishes were not meant for the rough and tumble of eating and washing up. They would have been removed or surmounted by another plate when the food service began.

At Skinner’s January 2011 sale, 12 Coalport fish plates from 1893, signed by artist John Hugh Plant, sold for $2,252; 10 Royal Crown Derby service plates from 1911 for $1,659; and 10 Royal Worcester hand-painted service plates from 1929 for $4,444.

Bargain of the day was a Minton porcelain partial breakfast set, circa 1875, with a covered bowl and compote for only $237. Decorated in an intricate transfer design with gold accents, these pieces could be used to enhance simpler porcelain for an elegant effect on a budget.

Ceramics Collector: Snow babies - It's cold outside

If they look good enough to eat, that results from their edible sugar candy prototypes. Called zucker puppen in Germany, they were used as holiday decorations, children’s treats and cake toppers. A German confectioner saw the advantage in re-creating the popular sugar ornaments as bisque porcelain figurines, which could be played with long after the cake had been consumed.

Porzellanfabrik Hertwig & Co. in the Thuringia area of Germany was among the first to begin making snow baby figures in the 1890s. The snowy icing or fur effect on the surface was created by rolling the damp models in crushed bisque before firing. Collectors particularly prize the examples made before World War I, which share the high quality and attention to detail embodied in good German dolls of the period.

Some of the early German examples stand 5 or more inches and are jointed like dolls. Later snow babies, made between the World Wars, were smaller in scale—1 to 3 inches high. Japan manufactured its own versions of the small figures, which proved equally popular with the public.

Although collectors look for good detail and skillful painting, the most delightful aspect of snow babies is the variety of activities they pursue. Since they seem to live near the North Pole, remarkably tame polar bears became playmates. At other times, seals balance balls and huskies pull the babies’ sleighs.

Forget the Meissen monkeys—snow baby bands with horns, drums and accordions are easy to assemble. Above all, the babies love sledding, and there are hundreds of variations on the theme. Turn-of-the-century families bought thousands of the small figures to display on mantels and surround the dollhouse.

Snow babies occasionally were tied to current events of the period. In the early years of the 20th century, the race to reach the North Pole garnered the same headlines as the mid-century race to the moon. Explorers Robert Peary and Frederick Cook both claimed first prize in the polar competition, and it was difficult to verify their journeys. Not surprisingly, one German factory brought out a porcelain figure of the two big mustachioed snow “babies” scrambling toward the pole.

Collectors will find more information in Snow Babies & Friends by Lisa Mullins Bishop, a December 1999 article in Early American Homes, which was used as a source for this column. That story was illustrated with figures from the collection of Linda Vining, examples from which were sold in “A Toy Feast” auction of November 2005 at Bertoias in Vineland, N.J.

In that auction, the unusual Peary-Cook group brought $2,475 over a $1,000-$1,300 estimate, a high price which reflects its news-of-the-day importance. Another lot with two traditional snow babies planting the American flag on the North Pole sold for $330.

Normally, snow babies engaged in the most interesting activities sell in the $100-$200 range. The figurines are frequently offered in group lots, and a large collection can be formed quickly for a modest investment. Many of the post-World War I figures have details added in colored paint after firing, so check carefully for wear and chipping.

While snow babies commonly show up in winter auctions, the best buys may turn up at sales and shows out of season. The tumbling, laughing figures are still perfect for their original purpose. Use them to decorate cakes and table settings when the weather is icy cold outside.

For more images of these figures at play, see Snow Babies, Santas and Elves: Collecting Christmas Bisque Figures by Mary Morrison, published by Schiffer Books.

Ceramics Collector: Old Paris Porcelain - 'Gilty' Pleasures

The term “Old Paris” is a loose one; the time frame for production extends from the late 18th century up to the 1870s. Larger factories signed their wares with a printed or hand-written name or a maker’s mark, among them Darte Freres, Edouard Honore, Dagoty, and John Nast. Many pieces, however, are not marked, leaving collectors to puzzle over their origin. Some factories sold porcelain blanks to small decorating workshops, so the identical form may turn up painted in a variety of styles.

Shiploads of Paris porcelain were imported into the United States, where it was particularly popular in the South. Dinner services from France graced tables from Texas to Virginia, and French porcelain was used for formal White House entertaining throughout the 19th century. For example, Pierre-Louis Dagoty and Edouard Honore created a dessert service for 30 with eagle and shield motif for President James Monroe’s table in 1817.

During the 1800s, New Orleans was a principal port of entry for goods from France and the French West Indies, and the city remains one of the best places to buy Old Paris porcelain, because the auction houses there receive consignments from historic Southern estates. The sale at the New Orleans Auction Galleries this fall contained the exquisite examples that illustrate this article.

Collectors cannot think of French porcelain in New Orleans without remembering John Webster Keefe (1941-2011), who died unexpectedly at the beginning of the year. Keefe was the RosaMary Foundation Curator of Decorative Arts at the New Orleans Museum of Art and the author of a catalog of Paris Porcelains from the collection. He was known as an entertaining lecturer at antiques symposia and shows, where he shared his knowledge of decorative arts with collectors.

The curator was also the expert on call at the New Orleans Auction Galleries, where he wrote many of the catalog entries on his specialty. Tom Halverson, director of Furniture and Decorative Arts at the auction house, says, “It really was a delight to work with John, and I do miss him every time I begin to catalog. We would always find a few moments to analyze the individual pieces and talk about what was special in the sale. We’d point out the great things to one another.”

“His knowledge of Old Paris porcelain was quite encyclopedic. He was one of the first people to try to educate collectors about the difference between the products of the Parisian factories and what we now know are Franco-Bohemian or early Limoges. He was always quite adamant about representing things correctly and our responsibility to use the cataloging process to educate the public.”

In a memorial tribute, E. John Bullard, NOMA Director Emeritus, said, “I called him the grand acquisitor. … He could go into a flea market or an antique store and find the one item that had real value and quality.” Every collector hopes to development this sixth sense, which helps to build a fine collection.

Keefe’s expertise encouraged gifts of Old Paris to the New Orleans Museum of Art’s permanent collection. In 2009, Keefe wrote about three choice acquisitions: a covered sugar basin, Christophe Potter Manufactory, 1789-1793; a portrait cup and saucer, Dihl and Guerhard Manufactory, circa 1815-1820; and a dinner plate, Denuelle Manufactory, 1825-1835. No visit to New Orleans is complete without a visit to NOMA’S decorative arts galleries.

Superb gilding was a hallmark of French porcelain, but it was used to accent a fascinating array of decorative styles. Firms turned out elegant Classical forms with mythological motifs, exuberant Rococo Revival shapes covered with scrolls and flowers, and simple services bearing broad colored borders edged with gilt. The latter were everyday dishes on 19th-century tables and can still be used and hand-washed today.

Keefe explained why collectors have so much to choose from in his book on Paris porcelains: “The manufacture of porcelain has always been competitive, costly and notoriously risky. These factors forced the Paris manufacturers to broader their clientele continually through the introduction of new colors and forms and by devising new, attractive uses to which porcelain objects could be put. This quest for novel and appealing goods led to the production of a staggering array of dinner, dessert, tea and coffee services; toilette sets; clocks; desk accoutrements; garniture objects; lighting devices and even such architectural elements as mantelpieces.”

In an interview shortly after the volume’s publication, he pointed out that while the Sevres factory had government backing, the privately owned factories had to be serious commercial enterprises: “The range of production at the Paris factories was far richer than for other porcelains because they didn’t have a state subsidy; they couldn’t afford to be slow to respond to changes in taste. They had to get the most fashionable wares out there before the public or they would go under.”

Paris firms also had to deal with competition from factories located in the town of Limoges in central France. Porcelain was made there throughout the 19th century and can be difficult to distinguish from Old Paris wares. Limoges from factories such as Haviland was particular popular with Americans in the second half of the century. President Ulysses S. Grant ordered a service from Haviland in 1869.

Keefe used to say, “The basic rule is to buy what you like.” The quantity and variety of Paris porcelain produced ensures that collectors can always find something beautiful and affordable. Also note that is a field where knowledge pays off; serious collectors will want to assemble a reference library which includes the Keefe catalog and Porcelain of Paris, 1770-1850 by R. de Plinval de Guillebon. Good examples can turn up in unexpected places. Know what you are looking for and you may find a great buy.

Ceramics Collector: North Carolina's Pisgah Forest Pottery

While these crafts remained hobbies for some, more talented artisans met with enough success that they were able to market their creations to the public. The production of studio-made art pottery was an important part of this celebrated movement. To mold, glaze and fire pottery, however, required advanced technical skills and special equipment.

The story of Walter Benjamin Stephen (1876-1961) and his pottery is an excellent example of an avid amateur becoming a successful professional. The venture began on a small scale, yet continued to turn out a variety of wares well into the 20th century, after many better-known art potteries had closed. In spite of an absence of formal training, Stephen mastered difficult decorating techniques and perfected complex glazes through a process of trial and error.

Stephen’s diverse range is currently on display in Pisgah Forest & Nonconnah Pottery, an exhibition of over 70 examples at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art through Nov. 13. Collector and master ceramicist Rodney H. Leftwich, the principal lender to the exhibition, will lecture on the pottery Saturday, Sept. 24. Leftwich is the author of Pisgah Forest and Nonconnah: The Potteries of Walter B. Stephen.

Walter Stephen was born in Iowa, moved to Nebraska as a youngster, and then settled in Shelby County, near Memphis, Tenn., with his parents. Leftwich explains, “Walter Stephen and his mother were inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement. In 1904, neighbors who had seen pottery at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis told him about it. They found local clay on their farm. Nellie Stephen had been an amateur artist and decided they should do something with the clay. Without any prior experience or knowledge, they decided they would become art potters.”

They named their studio the Nonconnah Pottery after the creek where the clay had been found. Early pieces are covered in a matte green glaze similar to that found at other potteries. Not discouraged by their inexperience, the mother-son duo began to decorate their green vases in a challenging European technique called pate-sur-pate.

Stanton Thomas, curator of European & Decorative Art at the Brooks Museum, picks up the story, “Stephen’s mother Nellie was an amateur illustrator and quite talented. In the exhibition, we have her sketchbook from around 1910. You can see her drawings of flowers and cotton from around the area.”

“If you look at those early works, the poppies on this vase look like they were pulled off an embossed postcard of around 1900. The decorations embody late Victorian and Arts and Crafts Movement motifs and styles and fashions, but there are some new, exciting developments even early in the pottery’s history.”

“Pate-sur-pate was a very laborious slip technique.” continues the curator. “Part of the problem is that you have to put on one thin layer and wait for it to completely dry, or when it is fired, it will crack. The pieces are very beautifully done as far as the technique.”

In 1910, Nellie died and in 1913, Walter Stephen moved to Skyland, N.C., where he re-established his Nonconnah Pottery. He later settled in Arden, south of Asheville, and after 1926 he used the name Pisgah Forest Pottery. Stephen worked there until his death in 1961 and production on a reduced scale has been continued by family and friends at the site.

Since he had lost his principal decorator, Stephen was forced to develop his own designs and glazes to cover the pottery that he produced. Throughout his life, he ornamented some pieces with figural reliefs in white. Collectors call these “cameo” wares. Rather than using molds as was the practice at Wedgwood, the potter once again relied on the pate-sure-pate technique. The subject matter was most often scenes from early American life, such as wagon trains or Indians on horseback.

Rodney Leftwich points out, “The traveling that influenced him the most was going from Iowa where he was born in 1876 to Nebraska by covered wagon and living in a sod house on the prairie close to the Sioux Indians. He moved in 1886 when he was 10 years old, and lived in Nebraska for 10 or 11 years until, I believe, about 1897. They saw the last buffalo hunt, met Annie Oakley and Bill Cody.”

The pieces most sought-after by collectors today, however, are neatly turned shapes covered with the brilliant glazes he developed during his career. One standout was a glossy turquoise blue with notable craquelure, which he applied to monumental vases and sculptures.

One such vase—H. 18 inches—will be offered in the September 24-25 sale at Brunk Auctions in Asheville, N.C., which has handled some of the potter’s best work. Another such vase is on view in the Memphis exhibition along with a massive three-faced turquoise bust, which has been dubbed the “Blue Man Group.”

His finest creation was a shimmering crystalline- accented glaze, which closely approximates that produced by art potter Adelaide Alsop Robineau. Jerry Israel of Brunk Auctions confirms that pieces with this glaze are “the rarest and most desirable. On the scale of 1 to 10, that glaze is a 35. That achievement gives his work a whole other dimension.”

He continues, “When they make crystalline glazes now, they have a lot of control over it – gas jets, things like that. He fired everything with wood.” For every successful piece, Stephen would have another where the glaze did not perform properly when fired. The September sale contains several prize vases in this technique, one with blue crystals on a creamy background, another in a subtle green on beige dated 1936.

Israel notes that Stephen’s works are readily available: “Down here each year, Bruce Johnson does the Arts & Crafts Conference at the Grove Park Inn, always in February, and Pisgah Forest pottery is always there.”

He adds that the pottery may turn up far from Asheville: “You find the most spectacular pieces of Pisgah Forest pottery in Florida or New York State or Michigan—somewhere like that—because it was purchased by tourists. Local people couldn’t afford the big fancy pieces—the visitors bought those.”