CROWDEDHOUSE ANTIQUES newsletter vol 2 April 2010 Moorcroft pottery 1897-1945 Welcome to the second edition of the crowdedhouse antiques newsletter which is devoted to Moorcroft Pottery and specifically to the pottery produced in the years prior to 1945. I have included a number of photos of the early more popular and valuable patterns but there are dozens of other beautiful patterns including post 1945 to the present day but due to the limited scope of this newsletter these will not be discussed in this edition.. I invite your questions and comments and will attempt to answer all enquiries in a timely manner. I hope you find the following article informative and enjoyable reading. You may address your comments and questions to crowdedhouse_antiques@hotmail.com A Brief History of Moorcroft Pottery Moorcroft Pottery has enjoyed a long history of international acclaim that few potteries can match for quality and enduring beauty. Most of Moorcroft s pottery was tube lined and fired twice resulting in designs that have brilliant colours and clarity that cannot be achieved by any other process. The process is complex and requires exceptional skill with the result being luxurious pottery of unrivalled beauty. The production methods have basically unchanged through the years maintaining the highest standards of production up until today. It is because of this high standard and the premium prices that the pieces we find are usually well cared for and are in excellent condition and Moorcroft pottery is extremely well documented and easy to date. In 1872 William Moorcroft was born in Burslem, Staffordshire the son of Thomas Moorcroft, a china painter and designer at E. J. D. Bodley s Hill Pottery. Following the death of his father in 1886, William studied at the Burslem School of Art and in 1895 at the National Art Training School which later became the Royal College of Art. He also studied chemistry and practical pottery and studied at the British Museum, the South Kensington Museum and in Paris. In 1897 he gained his Art master s Certificate.
In 1897 twenty four year old William Moorcroft joined the James Macintyre & Co. Ltd in Staffordshire England as a designer and within the first year he was put in charge of the company s art pottery studio. William s innovative Florian Ware first introduced in 1903 was a great success and won him a gold medal at the 1904 St. Louis International Exhibition. Famous stores such as Tiffany of New York and Liberty of London became major customers of the Florian Ware pottery. William had the practice of signing his name or initials on almost all of the pottery he designed and the unusual practice of personally supervising the production of every piece. He went on to win a gold medal at Brussels in 1910 and soon the Moorcroft name became more significant than that of his employer which resulted in Macintyre s decision to close the studio in 1912. Large Macintyre Florian Ware poppy on white vase Circa 1905 Macintyre Poppies & Forget Me Nots vase Circa 1905
In addition to regular wares Commemorative items were also produced such as the tankard and matchstick holder shown here. Macintyre Edward VII Coronation Tankard for Liberty & Co. Circa 1902
Moorcroft King George VI Commemorative Coronation Matchstick Holder Circa 1937 Rare Macintyre Hazeldene Table lamp Circa 1905
Macintyre Floral Spray Vase 1905
In 1913 William Moorcroft with the financial support of the Liberty Department Store purchased some land and set up a brand new factory on Sandbach Road Cobridge, a suburb of Stoke-on- Trent where the company still operates to this day. In that same year he married Florence Lovibond who was a Home Office Inspector of Factories allowing him to gain some valuable advice in the construction of his factory which was completed in a record ten weeks. In 1913 he was awarded the Diploma of Honour in Ghent and his work. Despite the upheavals of World War I Moorcroft s export trade was strong and once the war was over he created new designs and once again won a gold medal at the Paris exhibition of 1925.Moorcroft s reputation was further enhanced with superb landscape designs like Moonlit Blue, Eventide and Dawn and when Queen Mary who was an avid collector of Moorcroft granted him a Royal warrant in 1928 and another was awarded in 1946.By this time Moorcroft was being collected all over the world with avid collectors in Canada, Australia, new Zealand and South Africa. Moorcroft Liberty & Co. Ochre Pomegranate Bowl Circa 1912
Rare Moorcroft Spanish vase Circa 1914
Rare Moorcroft Ochre Claremont Teaset Circa 1914
Moorcroft Chrysanthemum Vase Circa 1914 Moorcroft large Pansy on White bowl Circa 1916
Moorcroft large Pomegranate vase Circa 1918
Moorcroft rare Wisteria Box Circa 1918-1920
Moorcroft large Moonlit Blue vase Circa 1922.
Moorcroft Poppy vase Circa 1925 Moorcroft Moonlit Blue Vase Circa 1925
Moorcroft Eventide vase circa 1926
Moorcroft Dawn Landscape vase Circa 1926 0
Moorcroft Flambe Leaf & Berry vase Circa 1929
Moorcroft Poppy Bowl Circa 1929
African Lily vase Circa 1930
Moorcroft Eventide lamp base Circa 1930
Moorcroft Freesia Vase Circa 1935
Moorcroft orchid Preserve Jar Circa 1940 s
Moorcroft Leaf & Berry Vase Circa 1945
Upon the death of William Moorcroft in 1945 his eldest son Walter Moorcroft took over management of the company and in 1962 the Moorcroft family bought back the Liberty shares. The creation of Moorcroft pottery is a very labour intensive and expensive process and when the British ceramic industry went into recession in the 1980s the company experienced financial hardship. In an attempt to mass produce Moorcroft pottery, part of the company was sold to Roper Brothers in 1984. This proved unsuccessful and in 1986 the Roper brothers share was resold to business partner Hugh Edwards and Richard Dennis. In 1987 Walter Moorcroft retired as the director of design. In 1992 Richard Dennis and his designer wife Sally Tuffin left the firm leaving the Edwards family as the sole owners. In 1993 twenty four year old Rachel Bishop joined the firm as the senior designer. Since that time Moorcroft s reputation has continued to grow internationally. Chisties and Sothebys both hold annual Moorcroft sales and major museums around the world have permanent collections. In 1997 which was the Moorcroft centenary Moorcroft Studios was formed employing eight designers and continues to sell its works of art all over the world. Moorcroft Pottery BackStamp Identification marks 1898-1945
Backstamps will be found on the bottom of each piece of Moorcroft pottery with the exception of lamps which were fixed to a base. Very few Moorcroft items from any period are actually dated albeit sometimes the date was impressed or added to the signature, mainly between 1912 and 1914 or occasionally for special items or year plates where the date forms part of the design. Signature, backstamp, ink colour, wording and paper label variations do provide a reliable guide to dating pieces especially when we know the year the pattern was introduced. Circa 1898 1905 Early pieces of Florian ware have brown markings and often bear a registration number. William Moorcroft would sign each piece in green and write des for designer beneath his signature. Circa 1904 1913 Typical Macintyre & Co. Burslem backstamp in brown but was also done in black.
Circa 1928 1949 William Moorcroft signature in green.in 1916 he added the words MOORCROFT and BURSLEM ENGLAND followed by MADE IN ENGLAND in 1918. Circa 1928 1949 During this William Moorcroft used an ink stamped signature and impressed mark MADE IN ENGLAND and POTTER TO HM QUEEN. Circa 1928 1953 In the early 1930 s a paper label representing the Royal warrant was common. In 1936 following the death of King George V the label was changed to POTTER TO HM QUEEN MARY. Fake Moorcroft Pottery is Not a Problem There has never been a problem with fake Moorcroft pottery appearing because the method to produce it is too costly and would not be financially viable to do so. Besides anyone with some familiarity with Moorcroft would instantly recognize any such attempt at fakery. Collecting Moorcroft Pottery If you have an interest in collecting Moorcroft pottery the first step is to educate yourself as much as possible and to decide what type of collection you want to acquire. The early pieces
command prices in the many thousands of dollars but it is possible to find later pieces at a reasonable cost enabling collectors start a collection. Some collectors focus on miniature pieces like coasters, pin boxes, small vases etc. Rarity I do not recommend Rarity to be the overriding factor in creating a collection but rather your personal taste. Rarity is the result of: 1. Few examples produced such as flambé or shape 2. Pieces vulnerable to damage especially older pieces like Macintyre 3. Unusual feature ie backstamp pieces with names like Liberty, Tiffany, and Shreve & Co. 4. Limited quantities for special occasions such as Commemorative ware 5. Items retained for sentimental reasons such as jewellery that do not often come on the market Restoration Moorcroft Pottery is usually found in good condition regardless of age. It always was expensive so it was always well looked after. Crazing (a crackled appearance on the surface) is very common on older Moorcroft pieces but it does not detract from the value or appearance and is acceptable to almost all collectors. Slight damage such as minor hairline cracks that are unnoticeable are many times acceptable with a discount especially on rare design or shape pieces. If restoration is to be done it should be done by only the finest professional restorers. Today s technology can produce almost invisible repairs detectable only on close examination by professionals. Insurance When you first start out collecting most times your household insurance will suffice but as your collection grows separate insurance may be required depending on the overall value of the collection. It is important to review your insurance regularly since most times replacement costs rise over time. If your collection includes tableware sets that include such things as teapots, cups and saucers and plates etc it is important to properly insure them as a set since the loss of a lid or broken saucer can seriously affect the commercial value of the whole set. The insurance company may only compensate you for the value of the broken piece but your set may be dramatically devalued. Security Common sense needs to be applied at all times. Do not tell everyone on Facebook that you have this valuable collection in your home and make sure adequate security precautions are taken such as a very good security system consistent with the value of the collection. Always be vague about the actual location of the collection. Record keeping It is recommended that you keep a record of purchases including dates, where you bought the piece and what you paid. A photographic record including backstamps and any minor blemishes or distinguishing marks is also important especially for insurance purposes. Good record keeping is also useful in case you decide to sell pieces.
Pattern Dates 1898-1945 William Moorcroft 1898 Aurelian Ware Florian Ware including Iris, Poppy & Violet 1899 Butterfly Ware Peacock Feather Early 1900 s Honesty Cornflower (0r Brown Chrysanthemum) 1902 Landscape (or Hazeldene) Toadstool (later Claremont) 1903 Green & Gold Florian Alhambra 1904 Tudor Rose 1905 Flamminian Ware 1906 Eighteenth Century 1907 Rose garland Ruby luster Yellow Lustre 1908 Bara Ware 1910 Pomegranate Spanish 1911
Pansy Wisteria 1912 Apple Blossom 1913 Powder Blue 1915 Late Florian Persian Ware 1918 Orchid Narcissi Iris Damson 1922 Moonlit Blue 1923 Eventide Big Poppy (or Anenome) 1926 Dawn Late 1920 s Grape & Leaf Blackberry & Leaf Fish Patterns Early 1930 s Waratarah Protea New Cornflower Freesia Spring Flowers Honeysuckle Weeping Willow Weeping beech Mid 1930 s Orange Blossom
Waving Corn Duck Pelican Yacht 1937 Orchid Anenome Walter Moorcroft 1938 Fighting Cock (designed by Walter developed by William) Moorcroft Pomegranate tea set Circa 1910
Moorcroft Twin handled vase Circa 1910
Moorcroft Biscuit Box Circa 1910
Moorcroft Pansy Cup & Saucer Circa 1916 Moorcroft Claremont Tobacco Jar Circa 1914
Moorcroft Claremont Biscuit Box Circa 1914
Moorcroft Claremont Twin handled vase Circa 1925
Moorcroft Moonlit Blue Match Holder w/silver plated Rim Circa 1920 s Moorcroft Moonlit Blue Teapot w/under plate Circa 1920 s
Moorcroft Moonlit Blue Ginger Jar Circa 1920 s
Moorcroft Moonlit Blue Plate Circa 1920 s Moorcroft Moonlit Blue Vase Circa 1925
Moorcroft Eventide Bulbous Vase Circa 1923
Moorcroft Eventide Inkwell and pen Tray Circa 1923
Moorcroft Eventide Candlestick Circa 1923
Moorcroft dawn Jardiniere Circa 1926
Moorcroft Dawn Vase Circa 1926
Moorcroft Collector Club The Moorcroft Collector Club is operated by the pottery and is a good source of information. It publishes newsletters and offers discounts to members from the pottery shop and a chance to purchase limited edition runs.