Posts tagged ‘Earthenware’

Jun 29

Royal Doulton “Kay”, c1914

This lovely Art Deco design is from Royal Doulton c1914 from their “D” series of dinnerware.

Called “Kay” the design features a charming hand painted design in an Art Deco style, in blue overglaze on plain creamware//earthenware.

Pieces in this design don’t seem to have survived well if used, as the eathenware or “creamware” base is quite “soft”, and easily prone to chipping, crazing, cracking etc. However considering the year this was released, at the start of World War 1, industry would have been facing some very tough times.

You can work out the production dates from these “D” series wares from Doulton 1899 to 1964 on the link here

Royal Doulton Kay 1914

Mar 28

6 Comments

Moira Pottery Staffordshire

Moira pottery was originally founded in 1922, and is still well known for its domestic or utilitarian earthenware which started with jam jars, and progressed to its well known “Hillstonia” range which was made from 1934-1972 . It also produced salt glazed stoneware, beer steins, and stamped/branded domestic ware of many types.

The pottery was located near Burton-on-Trent in Staffordshire and mined its own clay on site. Moira is often (and seemingly incorrectly) documented as having closed in 1972 by a National Coal Board compulsory acquisition. (It sat on a valuable coal seam, which is often next to a clay seam)

From snippets of information I have come across it seems the original Moira location was closed, but Moira then either re-openend or operated at a nearby location until the mid 1980s when it closed and the site possibly became a textile factory.

Update from Susan in Sept. 2017 – see more in the comments below: “In 1989 AF Budge took over the factory and constructed a new factory close to the original buildings. It started to produce kitchenware, gardening and storage items but the business was dissolved in 2007. I took this information from a Burton Mail article reporting on the re-opening event in 1990”

The Victoria & Albert Museum also has 2 pieces of Moira salt glazed stoneware pottery in its collection, made in 1981. You can see one of them on the V&A site HERE.

The beautiful clay used by Moira pottery was very plastic in nature and beautiful for throwing as well as enhancing glaze colour and surface, and was also used by other potteries such as that at Albrighton.

The beautifully plastic characteristics of the Moira clay differentiates it from lesser quality creamware – in the jug I have pictured below you can still see the concentric rings from its throwing because it held shape so well.

Update Mar 17th 2020: There is also now a Facebook group for Moira Pottery HERE where there is some great information being gathered, including more about its history, lots of great photographs and contributions from people who worked there.

Dec 27

Allan Lowe, Australia – Simple Modernist Earthenware

Allan Lowe (1907-2001) – Simple Modernist Earthenware. I am always drawn to the work of this mid-century Australian studio potter.

Allan was a painter before setting up a pottery studio at Merlyston, Victoria, in 1929. His keen awareness of colour on his pottery is probably due to that previous experience.

I love the use of strong colours which contrast so well with the cream coloured earthenware on these simply thrown utilitarian pieces below, typical of the work from Lowe’s studio. They probably date to the early 1960s.

The following bio for Allan is from Judith Pearce’s Australian Pottery site where you can see quite a few examples of his work: Read more