C20Ceramics

Feb 5

Biltons Staffordshire

Quite often I come across some very smart decorative patterns on Staffordshire pottery marked “Biltons”, with designs from the 1950s to 1970s.

There doesn’t seem to be much written about this maker, except for the timeline below which comes from ThePotteries.Org . They produced mainly inexpensive dinnerware for the domestic mass-market…and their peak seemed to be in the 1960s when they introduced mass production decoration techniques such as rubber stamped pattern making, and multi colour machine printing.

As happened frequently with many of the Staffordshire potteries, Biltons changed ownership often before being unable to continue into the 21st Century due to both changing markets and financial pressures.

Aluminia//Royal Copenhagen “Gunhild” Plate Set, Nils Thorsson

I had part of a series of the Aluminia//Royal Copenhagen fajance plates pictured below some time ago, and eventually sold them on.

Years later as often happens, I have stumbled across their designer and name. I loved the orange brown autumn tones, and the beautifully hand painted motifs of fruits and flowers.

While looking through an auction catalogue at Lauritz.com recently I stumbled upon a whole set of these fruit plates as it was originally configured, and a quick bit of research led to finding out more of their story.

The series name was apparently “Gunhild” and was designed by Nils Thorsson for Aluminia//Royal Copenhagen 1933, and in production until 1968 from what I have read.

They seem to hard to get hold of, but not that expensive if you do find them.

Aluminia Gunhild Plate, Nils Thorsson, Aluminia

Aluminia Gunhild Plate set Nils Thorsson, Aluminia – Photo Lauritz.com DK

Backstamp

Jan 28

Louisiana Museum Denmark, Picasso Ceramics Exhibition

The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark is holding an exhibition of the ceramics of Pablo Picasso from 1.2.2018 to 27.5.2018 in its 60th Anniversary year.

It has over 150 pieces by Picasso, and it is the first major exhibition in Scandinavia focusing on the later and lesser known Ceramics by Picasso – arguably the most important artist of the 20th Century.

This Museum page from the Louisiana, also has a well put together biography of Picasso worth reading.