Over the years, Lyn Diskon’s collection of teapots has become a community asset as a tourist attraction drawing visitors from the region and travellers along the nearby highway to view the display in her town’s op shop. “I personally enjoy looking at beautiful things, and I guess I just thought others would too,” says Lyn.
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The works of ceramicist Norman Wilson look as impossibly modern today as they did when he first designed them nearly a century ago.
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There are no hard and fast facts on why we use a piggy bank to store money, but there are a few theories…
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‘Violets by Miss M.E. Creeth was a most natural looking group of violets, just plucked, seemingly, and thrown carelessly on to the panel they adorned.’ We turn the spotlight on two sisters whose delicate wildflower painting has been largely forgotten.
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The taste for porcelain in European countries was led by royalty and the nobility emulating their betters, Russia was no exception. Peter the Great visited Saxony in 1718 and was much impressed by Meissen wares in use at the Dresden court. He proceeded to engage a series of ‘experts’ in the attempt to reproduce the formula so jealously guarded in Saxony, where it relied on local deposits of kaolin.
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It was once the ultimate mark of sophistication for collectors of western porcelain to have Chinese export porcelain with the same exceptional level of quality as Chinese Imperial porcelain, but in the western style.
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Arthur Leslie Harradine’s path to becoming one of Royal Doulton’s most successful modellers included a stint at farming, going to war and a fierce independent streak. Born in 1887 near the Doulton Lambeth studios, Harradine was 15 when he was apprenticed at the Royal Doulton Studio in 1902, where George Tinworth was his mentor.
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In the peacock world, pretty equals male. Even though his tail makes up 60% of his body lengthy and prevents him from flying far to escape predators, peacock evolution is focused on being the male with the most spectacular tail and that’s because he who has the biggest, flashiest, quivering tail gets the girls.
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Passion, piracy, politics, religious persecution and royal patronage all played their part in the story of Delft pottery.
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In a world characterised by rapid technological advancements and disposable consumerism, modern antiques collectors may not be aware that their appreciation of beautiful old pieces aligns with the ancient Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi.
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Renowned for its delicate craftsmanship and elegant artistry, Vienna porcelain has a rich history dating back to the early 18th century when it became one of the most revered and sought-after porcelains in Europe.
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When he chanced upon a pottery trinket box at the auction of a Queensland museum, specialist dealer Rodney Jensen had no idea he was about to embark on an obsession.
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In the peacock world, pretty equals male. Even though his tail makes up 60% of his body lengthy and prevents him from flying far to escape predators, peacock evolution is focused on being the male with the most spectacular tail and that’s because he who has the biggest, flashiest, quivering tail gets the girls.
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It’s arguably the most attractive and sought-after of the Scottish potteries: Wemyss Ware. It was the brainchild of Robert Methven Heron (1833-1906), the cultured owner of the Fife Pottery who returned from The Grand Tour with a group of six craftsmen from Bohemia.
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From 1947 to 1971, one of the world’s most famous artists designed 633 different editions of colourful and uniquely shaped pottery. At the time, the art world was sceptical; it was seen as a waste of Picasso’s talent, and worse – commercially motivated. But opinions have changed and museums are now exhibiting Picasso ceramics.
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Practical and at the same time splendid, ormolu displays the glamour of gold without the enormous expense, despite being a luxury art form.
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Despite being closed off for much of modern history, Japan’s artistic impact on the west in the late 19th century was explosive. We look at the intrigue behind some masterworks of Meiji.
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Pioneered by Korean potters living in Japan following two invasions of Korea in the late 1500s, the Japanese porcelain industry is famous for its Imari ware.
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Australian pottery was roughly divided into art pottery of the twentieth century, and commercial potteries during both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Porcelain making was always seen as technically too difficult to pursue, especially as the simpler manufacture of pottery had proved so difficult and problematic in Australia. But the industry really exploded when industrial porcelain was needed to make insulators as the age of electrification advanced.
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In 1954, Wade Potteries launched a range of inexpensive miniature animal figurines at the British Industries Fair. For the next sixty-eight years the Whimsies, as they were called, were in continual production.
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Born on May 12, 1670 in Dresden, Frederick Augustus II rose to power through a combination of political astuteness and military prowess. Elector of Saxony and king of Poland, he was a formidable ruler with a passion for the arts, power and pleasure.
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Judith Dunn traces the history of the vibrant and intricately designed tiles, now a byword for Portuguese art, merging Islamic influences with European aesthetics.
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Art critic for The Australian newspaper Christopher Allen wrote of the exhibition Wedgwood: Master Potter of the Universe that: ‘The most remarkable objects by far are several examples of the Sydney Cove medallion.’ Quite a statement, given the quality of Wedgwood wares and presentation pieces on display.
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When retired eye surgeon George Sturrock decided to publish a book on collecting eye baths in 2012, he knew he was appealing to a niche market…
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Serendipity played an important role in the success of Bernard Moss. Although he and wife Moreen were both undeniably talented, if it hadn’t been for a chance encounter in a department store the world may never have enjoyed the novelty ‘nodder’.
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It was a piece of marketing genius. The term Ironstone China conjured up visions of a supremely strong material – far stronger than porcelain – and yet with its Imari-style decoration, it had enormous popular appeal.
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He designed one of Royal Doulton’s most popular figures of all time and has been described as one of the most influential British potters of the twentieth century: Charles Vyse was a pioneer in the development of oriental glazes on stoneware.
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In the 1960s, Lady Anne Gordon began making vibrant vegetable ceramics as table centrepieces. She knew her pieces were under-appreciated and commented in an interview that ‘one day they will be worth a lot more than they are now’. That day has come.
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Our western society was based on the classical past and this is very obvious when we examine the objects and designs favoured by the later Georgians and Victorians.
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During his employment at Royal Worcester, Charles Baldwyn was the only painter at the factory with the permission to paint his specialty – swans in flight. These designs became synonymous with his name.
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Nothing excites the imagination quite as much as the idea of hidden treasure and shipwreck porcelain, a niche interest among collectors for many years, is now enjoying a revival. Decades after the Hoi An hoard discovery, these pieces are finally re-entering the spotlight.
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Prouds the jewellers and Taronga Zoo are names familiar to many Australians, yet it’s unlikely they often feature in the same sentence as collectable ceramics. But both the jewellery store and the zoo gift shop feature prominently in the story of Australian artist and ceramicist Grace Seccombe.
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Burmantofts Pottery gained a reputation out of all proportion to the factory’s relatively short heyday. We reflect on a short but beautiful life.
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Paying to use a public convenience was first introduced in the UK in London in the 1850s, when a coin-operated lock was put on the toilet outside the Royal Exchange. But ‘spending a penny’, as it rather coyly came to be known, required different equipment in the home…
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Internationally renowned and widely collected, hailed as a transformative genius… Hans Coper is generally considered to be one of the most important British studio potters of the 20th century. But would you pay more than $1m for a pot that was made just fifty years ago?
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Probably best known today for its ‘Royal Crown’ days, Derby porcelain has an interesting story stretching back more than 200 years, with a client list that included kings and queens – and the occasional unfortunate complication…
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We’re used to ‘rip-offs’, where popular brand shoes and sunglasses are copied and sold for a fraction of the price of the originals. But an interesting medieval drinking mug that came into Moorabool Antique Galleries is proof it’s been going on forever…
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Born into a prosperous pioneering family, Gladys Reynell’s early years at the family’s farming estate laid the groundwork for her ongoing interest in native flowers and mammals, but it was working with the Australian earth that really delighted her.
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Dresden is an area as opposed to a single business. There were as many as 200 porcelain decorating studios operating in Dresden between 1850 and 1914, many decorated with applied flowers adorning the dresses, hair and base of the figures. But the real star of the show was the incredibly delicate Dresden lace.
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Starting out as a small family concern in 1919, Lenci ascended rapidly to international status in just a decade. What is unusual is that in the process, the company completely changed its output, having originally started out manufacturing not high quality ceramics, but fabric dolls.
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In 1933 and ’34, Australian potter Una Deerbon enjoyed a momentous 18 months during which she presented three major exhibitions, established the Deerbon School of Pottery, offered free pottery tuition to unemployed girls and managed her family as a single mother.
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Porcelain production had its heyday in Europe in the second half of the 18th century and many manufactories copied Chinese designs and motifs in their own wares. Some of these decorative items were conceived in their entirety, intended to be mounted in ormolu or gilt bronze, but many were mounted at a later date, in tune with evolving fashion. A significant number were mounted to conceal damage and others were adapted for aesthetic reasons, meaning that the original porcelain was deliberately cut down.
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Widowed just before the Great Depression with three young sons to support, Daisy Merton’s talent rescued her from disaster and at the same time enabled one of Australia’s most delicate pottery painters to flourish.
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Ron Clark looks at an often overlooked item: porcelain repaired with staples.
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The story behind Australia’s pioneering potters makes fascinating reading, as can be seen in the book by Australian pottery specialist Gregory Hill. Victoria’s Earliest Potteries, is the result of seven years’ primary research and covers more than thirty pottery works operating in Victoria from 1843 to 1875, of which about twenty were previously
unknown.
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Many people aren’t sure what a half doll is, but it was designed without legs so it could be attached to something useful and add charm to a mundane object such as a pincushion.
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You might think the inkwell is a pretty simple object, and in most cases you would be right – but not in the case of the isobath.
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In 2008, Bonhams in London announced the end of their dedicated studio ceramics sale. Christie’s and Sotheby’s had already dropped their specialist auctions; the ‘Big Three’ decided instead to include studio ceramics in their new ‘design’ sales and the smaller British auction houses were able to step in and work a market that’s witnessed a steady rise at every level.
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From the man who claimed he could create gold, to a life-sized porcelain menagerie for a king obsessed – the magic of Meissen porcelain has enthralled for centuries.
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From a complex history, Shelley china emerged with a collector’s delight of multifarious fine china in diverse shapes, colours and always of the finest quality. Australasian Shelley Collectors Club president Helen Douglas shares her collection.
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