Copper Lustre

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.

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.

Elsmore & Forster's bulbous style with embossed laurel wreaths is lavishly decorated with brilliant copper lustre. The neck is marked with vertical ribs and thumbprints while only ribbing marks the lower body and shaped base. Copper lustre adorns the twisted rope finials and upturned handles of holloware pieces. The copper lustre dotted bands on the necks and lids of holloware pieces can also be found on the rims of plates, platters, relish/pickle dishes, cups and other flatware.

The flourish of brilliant copper lustre which completely covers the finials, coupled with the prominent flare of the tea service pieces, evoke thoughts of blaring trumpets. Pieces are sometimes found with an impressed "No. 2", a mark found on other Elsmore & Forster body styles. Examples of Fanfare pitchers have been found sporting botanical motifs and having air holes near the upper handle joints and in the base - a puzzle to learn more about!

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.

Unlike his predecessors, Elsmore & Forster, Thomas Elsmore used the standard Tea Leaf motif on his wares. While it is usually found in creamy yellow shades of ironstone, there are known pieces in the traditional white color. The shape is essentially a very bulbous round with high domed lids on the lidded tea set pieces. The oriental flavor of the shape is reminiscent of the ginger-jars of ancient China.

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.

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.

Hebe Shape children's pieces are tiny replicas of adult-sized dinnerware of the mid-nineteenth century. So named because of it's similarity to the adult-sized Hebe Shape of John Alcock, the detail of the lobed body shape and lavish use of copper lustre compliment the distinctive Davenport early Tea Leaf motif.

These pieces are extremely delicate and fragile which probably explains why so few examples are found in 21st century collections.

Davenport named this shape Union Shape but ironstone collectors fondly called it Fig. Sometimes found with extensive copper lustre covering the handles, rims, foot and fig motif, it can be a very showy piece! About 1856.