
Body Styles Handbook
Two very special women pioneers on the subject of ironstone built the foundation for authoritative documentation of Tea Leaf Ironstone: Annise Heaivilin and Jean Weatherbee.
The following dedicated Tea Leaf Club International members have contributed to enhanced authoritative documentation of Tea Leaf Ironstone.
Thank you to all of club members who continue to bring new information on Tea Leaf family ironstone to our attention and for your continuous efforts towards making our club smarter and stronger.
About the title:
The Tea Leaf family includes not only the traditional Tea Leaf “Lustre Band and Sprig” motif but also many variations on the basic theme. There are precedents for grouping all such motifs under the Tea Leaf umbrella dating back to trade papers of the 1930s. The most impressive however, is the reference book Grandma’s Tea Leaf Ironstone by Annise D. Heaivilin that is a comprehensive guide to the potters who utilized copper and gold lustre motifs to decorate their wares.
In her book, Annise listed many potters such as Anthony Shaw, Alfred Meakin and Enoch Wedgwood who used the Tea Leaf design, but she also gave equal billing to potters such as Joseph Clementson, Elsmore & Forster, and Edward Walley who used some very popular design variations.
Additionally, the Tea Leaf design itself has been found in many variations ranging from the original Anthony Shaw design, the traditional Alfred Meakin design, the bud-less design of the Davenport Pottery to the triangular-leaved gold lustre version used by Powell & Bishop.
With these justifications we reference “Tea Leaf” in this handbook’s title to encompass a variety of copper and gold luster decorated wares.
About the contents:
Ever mindful of the adage “If a person asks you the time, don’t tell him how to make a watch,” this reference lists all the pertinent information necessary for accurate identification of Tea Leaf potters, body styles and motifs without obscuring the facts with superfluous rhetoric. The reader will find the data presented in a concise tabular format augmented by illustrations and/or photographs of each entry.
About the Body Style names:
Names of the body styles fall into three categories:
3. Unknown Naming Source
a. Example: Cochran’s Arched Wheat
Body Style, Shape, Motif, Pattern? Which is it?
It is hoped that all collectors, sellers, publications and educational presentations will adopt the body style and motif nomenclature used by Tea Leaf Club International so that in time, these names will be universally accepted, thus strengthening the lines of communication for the “common language of Tea Leaf”.
1. The terms body style or shape are sometimes used interchangeably. Body style is the nomenclature adopted by Tea Leaf Club International to identify the various shapes of the molded forms or blanks as they came from the kiln. Attributes used to determine body style names include whether a piece is round or square, embossed or plain.
As explained in the previous section, the word shape in a body style name indicates a factory named body style.
2. The term motif and pattern are also sometimes used interchangeably. The Tea Leaf Club uses the term motif to describe decoration applied to the mold or blank. Examples of motifs include Tea Leaf, Teaberry, Pinwheel etc. Some ceramic historians include embossed designs when describing a motif or pattern; in this reference, motif refers only to the decoration and does not include embossed designs.
As noted above, some early body style names evolved from distinctive lustre decoration instead of the shape. We understand this can be confusing. An example is the Fishhook Body Style named for the distinctive copper lustre hook on the handles and finials. Possible motifs on the Fishhook Body Style include Tea Leaf or Moss Rose.
What’s in and what’s not?
Traditional Tea Leaf wares are white or cream colored ironstone blanks decorated with a band of either copper or gold lustre and a centered lustre motif originally called a sprig; thus the name “Lustre Band and Sprig.” The “sprig” had many style variations, but all came to be called Tea Leaf.
The “Tea Leaf Family” has been expanded to include ironstone and other lighter wares decorated with copper or gold lustre. Thus the scope of this handbook is not limited to ironstone body styles. The “Tea Leaf Family” has also been expanded to include other variant motifs. Following are some examples:
1. Non-ironstone wares:
a. Some gold-lustre motifs such as Pomegranate, Cloverleaf and Morning Glory can also be found on porcelain bodies and are included in this Handbook.
b. Many of the later 19th century blanks of semi-porcelain or other light-weight compositions such as Cumbow and Ruth Sayers are also included in this handbook because they have a Tea Leaf motif.
2.Variant motifs:
a. Ironstone body styles decorated with copper or gold lustre banding or other copper or gold lustre designs such as Spoke or Scallops that do not also have a center motif.
b. Ironstone body styles decorated with copper or gold lustre, with variant center motifs such as Teaberry, Pinwheel, Cinquefoil and Moss Rose (Moss Rose without lustre is not included).
c. Ironstone body styles decorated with overall copper or gold lustre motifs such as Palissy and Chelsea Grape (The non-metallic blue and lavender versions of Chelsea Grape versions are usually found on soft paste or porcelain bodies. These are not considered to be examples of Tea Leaf wares and are not included).
There are other distant cousins which are not accepted as Tea Leaf. Although beautiful in their own right and of the same period, they are too far removed to be considered close kin. These include Transfer Designs, Flow Blue, Mulberry, cobalt decorated items (including the red and blue pinstriped designs), and many gold lustre decorations that are not related to the basic sprig designs. Consequently, these treatments are not listed even though they may be found on many of the body styles found in this reference.
What is considered a Tea Leaf family motif?
The acceptable motifs are illustrated here. Each motif is identified and a list of the principal potters who used the motif is shown.
Tea Leaf Motifs | ||
Tea Leaf Note: There may be many variations and nuances even in the design of the traditional Tea Leaf. Some decorators used three leaves, others used five; some Tea Leaf motifs are tiny, others are huge; some may be serrated; others smooth. |
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William Adams Henry Alcock Henry Burgess W & E Corn E & C Challinor John Edwards Thomas Elsmore Thomas Furnival W. H. Grindley Thomas Hughes Johnson Bros. John Maddock Alfred Meakin Mellor Taylor Anthony Shaw Enoch Wedgwood A. J. Wilkinson |
Tea Leaf |
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Davenport |
Tea Leaf |
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Edge Malkin |
Tea Leaf |
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Anthony Shaw Red Cliff (1960 reproductions) |
Tea Leaf |
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Powell & Bishop Bishop & Stonier |
Variant Motifs |
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Blackberry
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Unknown (all known pieces are unmarked) |
Botanical |
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Jacob Furnival |
Chelsea Grape |
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Anthony Shaw |
Cinquefoil |
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Jacob Furnival |
Cloverleaf |
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Bridgwood & Sons
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Coral |
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Joseph Clementson |
Ivy |
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Unknown
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Lustre Band |
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Beardmore & Dawson |
Morning Glory |
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W. Baker & Co. |
Moss Rose |
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Alfred Meakin |
Nosegay Florals |
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Enoch Wood |
Pagoda |
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Unknown |
Palissy |
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Edward Walley |
Pepperleaf |
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Elsmore & Forster |
Pinwheel |
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J & G Meakin |
Pomegranate |
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Powell & Bishop |
Pre-Tea Leaf |
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Robert Cochran |
Primrose |
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Unknown |
Reverse Teaberry |
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Elsmore & Forster |
Rose |
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Powell & Bishop |
Scallops |
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Edward Walley |
Scroll |
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Edward Walley |
Seaweed |
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Jacob Furnival |
Spokes |
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Edward Walley |
Star & Garter |
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Edward Walley |
Tea Plum |
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Steubenville Pottery |
Teaberry |
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Clementson Bros. |
Thistle and Berry |
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Jacob Furnival |
Tobacco Leaf |
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Elsmore & Forster |
Copper lustre decorated ceramic ware has been known for over a thousand years. In the 7th century, Arabic potters decorated wares with pigments derived from metallic oxides. Twelve centuries later, many different forms of metallic decorated ceramics were in vogue, primarily all-over treatments of copper, silver, or pink lustre. By the 1840s, all-over lustre patterns had given way to a more restricted use where white ware was decorated with lustre bands and/or simple motifs. Thus was born, Tea Lea Ironstone.
The name “Tea Leaf” is actually a 20th century invention. Original names for this ware included “Lustre Band and Sprig,” “Edge Line and Sprig,” and “Lustre Spray.” W.P. Jervis, in his Dictionary of Pottery Terms published in 1917, lists the name “Lustre Band and Sprig” and describes it as a “pattern with a band of lustre at edge and a flower spray in center.” When, where, or why the nickname “Tea Leaf” came about is not known. However, there is evidence that it has been in use since the 1920s, so it is well documented as the popular 20th century name for this collectible 19th century ware.
White ironstone bodies with lustre band decoration first made their appearance on the ceramic scene in the 1840s and 1850s. These were products of the neo-classic revival and were featured on body styles such as Gothic and Grape Octagon. Potters then began experimenting with designs to complement or augment the basic copper banding. One of the most notable was Edward Walley whose early wares are found with copper lustre decorations featuring banding, spokes, scallops, and the winding vine motif we call “Pre-Tea Leaf.” Another early motif is the very delicate Teaberry design found on wares potted by Jacob Furnival and Joseph Clementson. Other popular designs included various styles of Pomegranates, a copper lustred Pinwheel, and several Botanical motifs.
Anthony Shaw gets the credit for designing the original Tea Leaf motif. His Niagara Fan and Chinese Shape design body styles registered in 1856 are considered to be the first in a long line of traditional Tea Leaf ware. There are examples bearing the Shaw Tunstall mark (1851-1856) that are decorated with stylized versions of what eventually evolved into the Shaw Tea Leaf; thus the controversy surrounding the actual date that the traditional Tea Leaf first appeared. Shaw’s simple motif must have been an instant success for in the 1850s, he followed with a plethora of body styles all decorated with his distinctive Tea Leaf.
Meanwhile, other potteries were busy producing wares in competition with Shaw’s output. Rather than adopt the Shaw motif, these potters preferred variations of the basic copper lustre design. Jacob Furnival and Joseph Clementson used motifs featuring Teaberry, Cinquefoil or Coral designs. Elsmore and Forster experimented with several variations, decorating their popular Portland Shape with a copper lustre Morning Glory motif and also with a berry motif called Reverse Teaberry which utilized green as well as copper lustre. Other variations from this factory are the foliated Pepperleaf and Tobacco Leaf motifs.
By the 1870s, the Staffordshire district of England was awash in potteries producing white ware decorated with copper or gold lustre. More than 25 English firms were turning out tons of dinner and toilet wares. Such venerable names as John Edwards, Thomas Furnival, Alfred Meakin and Enoch Wedgwood were in full production putting out a variety of body styles decorated with the traditional “Lustre Band and Sprig” motif. Their names and the names of their contemporaries are found in the list of Potters given with each body style entry.
Who were the buyers of these durable wares? Not the good folk of the English croft or village; they preferred gaudily decorated polychrome lines. The Tea Leaf produced in the heart of England was packed in barrels and loaded in the holds of the great sailing ships where it served as ballast for the journey across the “pond.” Its destinations were the coastal towns of Nova Scotia and Maine and the great ports of the Eastern Seaboard. From there it found its way to eager housewives in Eastern river towns and bustling farmwives in New England, Ohio, Ontario, and points west. Many a dewy-eyed Missouri bride set up housekeeping with this practical but beautiful dishware, the pride and joy of her kitchen.
In the latter part of the 19th century, body styles were changing. The Neo-Classic gave way to the Victorian. Simple unadorned round or square styles were mass produced for use as hotel ware. In contrast, the household trade was presented choices ranging from fanciful animal touches to elegantly embossed floral or embellished fluted designs, sure to bring out the romantic in even the most harried of housewives.
The traditional “Lustre Band and Sprig”, the Tea Leaf, was at the height of its popularity. American potteries challenged the monopoly of the British imports by offering a variety of body styles and motifs. Many of these were copies of popular English favorites but there were innovative styles introduced as well. The American companies used both gold and copper lustre decorations, often with very stylized motifs, some mimicking their English cousins, others strictly original.
By the turn of the century, the Victorian age was soon to be concluded. The public taste, influenced by the dawning of a new century, turned to newer styles in the decorative arts. The angular lines of the Arts and Crafts Movement replaced the soft roundness of the Victorian scene. The Age of Tea Leaf had come to its end. Perhaps it is fitting that the firm credited with producing the first ware decorated with the traditional copper “Lustre Band and Sprig” motif, Anthony Shaw and his successor, Shaw & Sons, closed its doors in 1899, signaling the end of an era.
Epilogue
Even though production of Tea Leaf ironstone had ceased by 1910, many sets graced the tables of city and country folks alike for years to come. By the 1920s and 30s, Grandma’s Tea Leaf dishes were cherished by new generations. Tea Leaf became an avidly sought-after collectible. By the mid 20th century, a Tea Leaf revival was in full swing. The Adams Pottery of England and the American Red Cliff Pottery were the principal players in the production of the modern version of this old favorite.
Popularity of the century old Tea Leaf continued unabated. The back-to-country movement in home decoration highlighted the simplicity of this beautiful white ware with a splash of lustre. With renewed interest in Tea Leaf, two outcomes were inevitable. First, that a book would be published; second that a collectors club would be formed. The book Grandma’s Tea Leaf Ironstone by Annise Heaivilin was published by Wallace-Homestead in 1981. And in 1980 an enthusiastic group of collectors formed what we know today as Tea Leaf Club International (TLCI).
Johnson Brothers' elaborate Acanthus features embossed elongated leaves. Even flatware pieces such as ordinary plates and bowls are decorated with triangular shaped leaves on the rim border. Holloware pieces such as the ewer and the sugar bowl have deeply ruffled melon ribs. This body style is sometimes confused with Chelsea.
Description:
A beautiful ewer and wash bowl in the Ancanthus body style.The body style is identified by the fancy crown-like finial. The medallion in the middle of the finial also appears in the middle of the handles. Holloware pieces have large bracket handles.
Description:
A master waste jar is a prized part of any bath set. Notice the high domed lid on this piece.This body style is very akin to the Delphi pattern produced by Thomas Elsmore. It bears a plain, smooth body with elaborate steeple handles and finials.
Description:
A vegetable tureen named recently by the club as American Delphi.American Favorite has a domed lid, stepped finial and oval shaped base with uplift handles. The stepped finial and lug uplifted handles have an impressed flower shape embossed on them.
Pieces feature delicately embossed designs reflecting the influence of mid-eastern cultures. It was potted during the period of the British rule in Northern Africa, perhaps to celebrate the expansion of the British Empire.
Description:
The beautiful embossed designs on this body style reflect the influence of mid-eastern cultures.Embossed clusters of flowers and leaves hang from loops near the rims of hollowware pieces. This is a popular Elsmore & Forster body style and is found with many types of decoration including transfer designs and mulberry patterns.
Description:
Covered container usually 5 or 6 inches in height. Used to store sugar. Part of a Coffee or Tea Set. Note Forget-Me-Not embossing.This is a beautiful pattern with thumbprint impressions surrounding the base of pieces and arched panels along the sides with embossed spriggs of wheat flaring upwards and out. Copper lustre or polychrome with copper lustre highlights the wheat shafts and other embossed elements on these pieces.
Description:
Pouring vessel for hot liquids such as coffee or tea.
A bulbous base with a belt and buckle wrapped around it. The finial looks a lot like cable or a piece of rope.
Description:
A hard-to-find piece by Edge Malkin. Note the copper striping that accentuates the rope finial, and the belt design embossed around the waist of the piece.Crescent arches embossed near the top rims of holloware and flatware pieces identify this body style. It is usually found with only banding but examples with teaberry motif are known. The impressed oval mark verifies that the potter's name for this body style is Augusta Shape. Many pieces are found simply marked "J. Clementson, Sheldon."
Description:
Covered container approximately 5 to 6 inches in height for storing sugar. Part of a coffee or tea set.The Aurora body style by Wick China Company is often marked with a circular mark that says Aurora China and has a "T" a "W" and a "C" overlayed in the middle. This body style has an oval footprint and flares out slightly from the neck of serving pieces to a mid-level waist, then tapers down to the scalloped base. It has verticle lines that divide the front and back into three sections. Heavy embossed scrolls accent these indented lines as well as the rims.
Description:
The lid is lost but the Coffeepot/Teapot lives on! If it had a lid, it would sport a non-symetrical open loop finial.
The foliage embossed center front and center back of hollowware pieces covers a large portion of the surface. The clever decorators used this feature to advantage by painting not one but two Teaberry motifs on each side of the embossed design.
Registered in 1867.
Description:
A wash bowl or basin in the Balanced Vine body style. This body style was registered in 1867.
This sturdy body style is smooth and round resembling an inflated balloon.
Description:
A covered casserole dish.
A square style with handles and finials resembling bamboo stalks, this was one of the most widely produced body styles. Holloware pieces were available in straight-sided style as well as a slightly bulbous version. Bath set pieces such as ewers and master waste jars are often round and bulbous.
Registered in 1873.
Description:
Sauce tureen shown with matching undertray.
Description:
A 7 inch vessel for holding liquidsThe Davis' utilized Clementson's popular Teaberry as the motif on their wares. The name of this very plain round shape, typical of the 1870's, is derived from the bands of the C-shaped handle of the teapot and repeated on the upturned handles of the sugar bowl.
A vanity box with the same banding was marked Livesley and Davis , evidently a transition piece made at the time the pottery was changing ownership.
Description:
Vessel used for hot liquids such as coffee or tea.
Description:
Covered container for storing soap. Part of a bath set.This late square style has intricate basketweaving embossed in the lower third of holloware bodies. Basketweave has become one of the most collectible of the late Shaw products.
Registered in 1887.
The simple lines of this bulbous round style are relieved by the bands of beads found at the handle arch and on the finial. Dressed up with a bold teaberry motif, it has a plain but pleasing look.
Description:
Notice the bands of embossed beads placed on the handle arch and top of finial that give this body style its name.The Thomas Hughes and Son, England, mark tells us that this late body style was potted between 1895 and 1910.
The square lines of the sugar bowl reflect the Eastlake style of architecture popular at the end of the 19th century.
The most distinctive feature of Beaded Bow is the bow finial and the beading on both the finial and on the bracket style handles.
Description:
This vegetable tureen is identified as Beaded Bow by the bow finial and beading at the finial and handles.Styled after the Johnson Brothers Tracery body style, these pieces feature beading near the base of the cups and a botanical vine design embosed on the saucers and plates.
Holloware pieces feature both the Tracery-style beading and the botanical design.
Usually found in white ironstone, these Tea Leaf decorated examples are rare indeed.
After 1897.
Description:
Cup and saucerThis predecessor of Tea Leaf ware is tastefully decorated with several pomegranite motifs interspersed with leaves and sprigs, all in lustrous copper. The classical form is typical of this period.
Description:
This piece is very rare.
An embossed floral design characterizes this unusual square body style. Stamped Royal arms mark reads: "Ironstone china, W & E Corn, Burslem" indicating a pre-1891 mark.
The name for this oval body style is derived from the berry-like clusters on the finials of covered holloware pieces. Embossing on the body resembles tall stalks with leaves and berries at the upper end.
Description:
A sugar bowl decorated with the teaberry motif. This piece is usually attributed to Jacob Furnival. Notice the embossing on the base which resembles tall stalks with leaves and berries - just lovely.
Embossed bands on holloware pieces resemble blanket hemstitching or piecrust rims, features sure to have appealed to the Victorian housewife.
Description:
This Blanket Stitch (or Piecrust) pitcher stands 8.5 inches tall.This is the same blank as Hanging Leaves but with added embossing of fuchsia leaves which cover the entire body of the holloware pieces. This blank is so heavily embossed, the decorators had difficulty finding an appropriate place to paint the Tea Leaf. Even plate rims and cup sides are adorned with embossed leaf and flower sprigs.
Description:
Notice how low on the body the Tea Leaf motif is placed. This body style is so highly embossed it was hard to find a perfect place for the motif.
A bulbous body style with embossed bowtie-like designs at the handle terminals. This style has only been found in chamber/bath sets. The ewer is unique in that it does not have a true pouring spout.
Description:
This piece is part of a bath set.The lids of holloware pieces feature fleur-de-lis streamers and wreaths culminating in the tied bow finial. This style is listed as Bow Knot in Dieringer's White Ironstone China Plate Identification Guide. Since the name "Bow Knot" has been used as the title for WIlkinson's bath set body style, we have modified it to "Bow Tie."
Elegantly embossed near the base and surrounding the finial, this body style was the perfect complement to the table linen of the period.
Description:
A creamer decorated with copper lustre with brocade-like embossing.This is a square body style utilizing the same blank as the Daisy body style but with a bullet-shaped finial and a fan-shaped design at handle terminals.
Description:
A chamber pot with lid in the Bullet body style which is easily identifiable by it's bullet-shaped finial.This handsome body style includes embosing of vines and buttercup looking flowers. Pieces have a slightly flared spout that rises above the neck of pouring vessels.
Description:
This particular pitcher stands 4-3/4 inches tall. It is delightfully adorned with veritical copper striping and horizontal copper banding (Spokes) and blue lnes.
One of the most popular and available bulbous body styles, it is said to have been potted to commemorate the laying of the Trans-Atlantic cable.
Description:
A serving vessel for gravy and sauces. This one is decorated in a pretty Moss Rose motif.Description:
This is a Burgess Cable Coffeepot/Teapot. Notice the elaborate decorations emanating from the inside of the handle.
Description:
This shape was created by many different potters. This soap dish would have also had a inside drainer.Description:
The distinctive rope ring at the top of the handle identifies this as Cable Shape.Description:
A posset bowl decorated with the Moss Rose motif.
Description:
The distinctive finial assists in identifying this body style.Description:
A moss rose decorated Coffeepot/Teapot in the Cable body style.
Description:
A Coffeepot/Teapot by Thomas Furnival in the popular Cable Shape.
Description:
A master waste jar in the cable shape decorated with the Moss Rose motif.The only body style produced by Bahl China, to date only small bowls have been found. 1940-41.
Description:
A closer look at the unique embossed banding that decorates this small bowl. The pottery was only in business for one year and to-date small bowls are the only known pieces decorated with the tea leaf motif.
John Edwards' stylish Camille is indentified by the distinctive "Porcelaine de Terre" mark. Every 4 inches along the base of an ewer there are two pairs of soft fluting that rise four inches. The soft fluting is repeated at the top extending down 1.5 inches. A scrolled 'c' design decorates the handle with a leaf impression at the top handle terminal. There is scalloped embossing almost like lace edging at the throat.
Truly a lovely example of the potter's art.
Description:
A lovely ewer with soft fluting that rises up from the base and cascades down from the rim.To date, only bath pieces have been found in Cattail. It features an oblong body style adorned with cattail like lines eminating from the handle terminals.
Elsmore & Forster's very popular wheat style was widely copied by other potters, both British and Amrican. It is an extremely well potted line which is found in many elegant decorations. In addition to the copper lustre enhanced version, there are examples with cobalt, a lighter blue, green and gold lustre, a mustard yellow and even in a Rockingham glaze.
Registered in 1859.
Description:
There is lots of copper lustre on this Ceres shaped creamer.Chain Link is named for the unusual handle of the ewer that has been found. It is completed by the trefoil embossing at the upper handle terminal. The rim is gracefully sculptured lending a refined quality to the overall body style.
This body style is identified by lacy embossing and lustre decoration.
Description:
The ewer has delicate embossing and decoration that is reminiscent of Chantilly lace.Fluted corners on an otherwise plain surface characterize this beautiful body style. Fancy finials and handles provide added embellishment to an otherwise simple form. When comparing the different manufacturers you will notice the following:
Alfred Meakin - Has a skewered finial and oval, round or oblong footprints. Butter pats do not have any noticeable ridging but are scalloped and can be confused with Simple Pear although the latter is always marked Alfred Meakin LTD.
Description:
Wash bowl and EwerDescription:
This sugar bowl has a large Moss Rose motif and gold lustre accents.Description:
CreamerDescription:
The fluted corners of this piece identify it as the Chelsea shape and the rectangular finial is indicative of Wedgwood as the potter.An elegantly paneled style with leaf embossing at the handle terminals and surrounding the rosebud finial. Chinese Shape is found decorated with Tea Leaf or Teaberry motifs; even with gold lustre motifs on lighter weight bodies. Some examples by Anthony Shaw actually are in lustre band only and may be either panelled or smooth. Red Cliff copied the lines and the distinctive Shaw tea leaf in their mid-20th century reproduction line.
Description:
A rare find.
Description:
This is a Chinese Shape sugar bowl with a rosebud finial.Description:
A Chinese Shape Coffeepot/Teapot produced in the 20th century.
Chrysanthemum features lavish floral embossing on the upper body. This late Victorian bulbous style may be found in copper or gold lustre motifs.
Registered in 1886.
This body style features twisted rope handles, a hexagonal spheroid shape with a recessed base, and the lids are plateau with horizontal flattened arch finials.
One of the earliest body styles to be decorated with copper lustre motifs, Classic Gothic is characterized by its octagonal shape. Pitchers and teapots have bracket handles, while sugar and vegetable dishes have spiraled ear handles.
Classic Gothic can be distinguidhed from its cousin, Full Panelled Gothic, by the eight panels which extend downward to a deep indentation just above the base.
Description:
This set is dated to the 1850's.
Description:
Classic Gothic is characterized by its octagonal shape and bracket handles on pitchers and teapots. This pitcher is a later rendition of an early body style.
Description:
The body style of this Coffeepot/Teapot is identified by its octagonal shape and bracket handle.
Description:
A highly decorated Coffeepot/Teapot in the Classic Gothic shape.
The T & R Boote pottery is primarily known for its early Sydenham Shape lines. The Classic Shape is a rare example of this famous pottery's later work.
About 1868.
The fancy cockscomb handle and high pedestal base make this an outstanding example of the body style sometimes called "Lantern." Usually found in mulberry or flow blue, they also made lines with Teaberry or copper lustre bands. It is attributed to Jacob Furnival.
Description:
This early body style is often attributed to Jacob Furnival althugh pieces are typically unmarked. The teaberry motif and intricate handle make this a favorite among collectors.This Sydenham-related body style was potted by several makers, each adding their own individual touch by varying the finials. Livesley and Powell used a cone-shaped knob; Elsmore & Foster used an acorn on top of the child's pieces, and a nut finial on their adult pieces. Children's sets by Elsmore & Foster sport Morning Glory or Tpbacco Leaf motifs. Registered in 1855.
Description:
Child's pieces are a favorite among collectors.
Corinthian columns with intricate capitals graced the architecture of ancient Greece. The stately columns dividing this elegant pitcher into quarters are the inspiration for the adaptation of the Corinthian name. A crimped and scalloped rim tops the colonaded body.
Description:
This beautiful pitcher with large tea leaf comes in at least two sizes.Coornet is a plain round style characterized by a crown-like finial on covered holloware pieces. Note that some pieces like gravy boats and covered vegetables feature an unusual scalloped footprint.
Description:
This lovely vegetable tureen is topped off with a crown-like finial.Embossed designs on the lower section of holloware pieces resemble fine crewel embroidery. The oval bodies are divided into four somewhat bulbous sections. Handles are attached at the widest portion of the body and appear to be out of proportion with the overall size, a trademark of the late Victorian period.
Description:
The beautifully embossed designs on the bottom of this creamer resemble fine crewel embroidery.Crystal is a very plain bulbous style potted by two famous producers of Tea Leaf ironstone. The only difference in the teapots is the rim style. Clementson used a flanged simple rim while Elsmore & Forster scalloped their flanged rim. Elsmore & Forster uses a heavily lustred knob finial.
Description:
This Cystal Shape Coffeepot/Teapot is elegant in its simplicity.
Description:
A plain but pleasant body style with uplift handles.Description:
A Coffeepot/Teapot in the Crystal shape by Elsmore & Forster.
A square style from the same blank as Bullet, Daisy features a square faceted knob finial and daisy rosettes at handle corners. It has a very pronounced flared shape which indents sharply to the bracket foot base.
Registered in 1884.
Description:
This covered vegetable tureen has daisy rosettes impressed on the handles.Almost a Wdgwood trademark, the Daisy & Tulip rosette is prominent on the steeple finial and the arch of the handles. In this round body style, Wedgwood flanked the rosette with stylized tulips.
Registered in 1877
Description:
Daisy rosettes are flanked with stylized tulips on the steeple finial.
Daisy 'n' Chain is a slighly bulbous square style featuring rosettes at the handle corners and in the arch finial. The chain decorations are found at the handle terminals and under the finial arch.
An early Sydenham-type body style, there are examples which feature copper lustred leaves (not embossed) in pairs hanging from the lustre band. Registered in 1855.
Description:
This creamer is 5 inches tall. It was registered in 1855. The embossing on this particular piece is stunning.Dangling Tulips is the nickname of a body style registered by Edward Pearson. A firm named Pearson, Farrall & Meakin operated a pottery in Shelton in 1854. The firm did not last very long for there is no record of a notice of dissolution for the partnership. Mr. Pearson and Mr Farrall evidently went their separate ways, both potting the same shape under their individual names. (The Meakin in this partnership was James Meakin, not one of the Tea Leaf Meakins.)
Description:
A beautifully embossed and decorated vegetable tureen.
The Greek city of Delphi is our inspiration for this Thomas Elsmore & Son body style. The geometric figures in the finial, squares and circles and a rosette medallion, recall the grandeur of the ancient civilization where Geometry was born. The handles reflect this same design.
This body style is basically plain but the embossing on the finial and handles of the sauce tureen adds a sense of strength to this spartan style.
Description:
A complete four-part sauce tureen set. Notice all the copper banding on the handle of the ladle.A complete line of white ironstone in the DeSoto shape was potted by Thomas Hughes.
Registered in 1855.
Description:
A pitcher with lovely embossing at the throat. A rare find.