OCTOBER 2003
Dear 250 Readers:
The pictures for this Newsletter can be found at the following link:
We hope that you have all had a good month. We were reminded by some of our readers that this was the first October for many years that there has not been a Carlton Ware conference in Stoke. A number of you have remarked how you really miss the annual get together as well as the existence of an active club; so, later on in this Newsletter we will be raising the question of a new club and we will be asking for your input.
eBay watchers may have seen this pair come up for sale later in the month. They were listed as one lot with a “Buy It Now” price of US$3,100 (Can$4,100 - £1,845) for the pair. The buyer would have been very disappointed with the condition as the cracked neck was described as a “firing flaw”! However, they did not sell and only received two bids.
It was not long before the guide had caught up with us and began her review of this lovely piece. According to her, this and other pottery of the day was massed produced to be affordable to everyone! She did not even mention the fact that this was a piece of Carlton Ware. We were most put out by this and immediately left the tour to enjoy the rest of the exhibit at our own speed. Everything was well displayed and was accompanied by all the necessary information. We really enjoyed the hour that it took us to view the exhibition but we were disappointed that some of the items that we had wanted to see from the V&A exhibit were not on display, especially the reconstruction of the interior of the Strand Palace Hotel in London.
It was a real pleasure to be able to spend another evening with Phil & Brigitte; we had first seen their collection on our previous visit to Toronto earlier this year in May. They have a lovely collection of PARADISE BIRD & TREE WITH CLOUD on the red ground and Phil had told us that he had recently acquired a new piece in a very different shape. However, we were not expecting to see the pattern on this most unusual 18” vase, (picture #6).
The pattern really works well on this tall shape, featuring the bird and cloud element at the top and the beautifully enameled tree flowing down the length of the vase. The enameling on the element at the base of the vase includes a lovely turquoise background colour, instead of the more commonly seen blue.
That about wraps up our month so let’s get right on with what we have heard from you.
READERS’ LETTERS:
In the Readers’ Letters section in Newsletter #11, we included pictures and details about an interesting WATER LILY Floral Embossed cruet set sent in by Sandra & Alastair. We had commented that the Registration Number used on the set was too early to have been used with the Carlton Ware script backstamp. When Sandra read this, it sent a chill through her and she asked us whether we thought the piece was a fake. However, we are still of the opinion that there is a numeral missing from the end of the Registration Number. Does anyone else have this particular cruet set and, if so, can you let us have details of the backstamp. To see more pictures of this cruet set and the backstamp, please go to the photo album for Newsletter #11.
Also in Newsletter #11, Czes & Yvonne wrote about the NEW MIKADO pattern #2727, the gloss red / Rouge Royale version of this pattern. This month, we are very pleased to have another article from them, this time on pattern #2814, the lustre blue variation of the pattern.
New Mikado 2814
We have always been fascinated by the variations that you can find with any particular pattern of Carlton Ware. Obviously, being hand-painted and decorated by a variety of artists at the factory, you would expect to find some variations. These were meant to be identical patterns but you can often find the decorations appearing in different sizes. Often you will notice that flowers, birds, trees and foliage etc. could differ, even on two items of the same shape and size.
More especially, one pattern of interest is the NEW MIKADO pattern which, in general terms, is described as “Chinese figures, pagoda, bridge and trees. Sometimes has two cranes and punt like boat.” Generally, you can distinguish the MIKADO pattern from the NEW MIKADO pattern by the cranes on NEW MIKADO and kissing birds on MIKADO.
The MIKADO and NEW MIKADO patterns do have many adaptations of their description but we thought we would highlight some of the variety within just one of the pattern numbers, number 2814 NEW MIKADO on a blue lustre ground, made in the early 1920’s. The two pictures below give a couple of examples of Carlton Ware with pattern number 2814.
Two examples of 2814 New Mikado
We have seen a very interesting variation of this pattern. It does not contain any pagoda, bridge or punt. Instead, there are just the crane like birds. Two of the birds are wading under a tree on one side of the vase and two are in flight on the other side. Pictures of this variation may be seen below.
Front and back of a vase 2814 New Mikado
A third interesting variation is even more intriguing. We initially thought it might not be authentic! We just had to purchase the item to be able to confirm whether it was really Carlton Ware made in the 1920’s. Thankfully it was.
View of 2814 New Mikado, top and bottom
This piece contained all the expected painted decorations of bridges, trees and cranes. But, in addition, there was a Moderne Lady. In fact, it is the top half of a lady ascending from the centre of the lid to create a very unusual and ornate handle.
As expected, pattern numbers give a general indication of what you may find. The painters and artists obviously had a lot of fun as well as leeway! There are many more examples involving different pattern numbers but we believe this to have some very unusual variations. © Dr Czes & Yvonne Kosniowski
Many thanks, Czes & Yvonne, for yet another very interesting review of the variations in the NEW MIKADO pattern.
CARLTON WARE COLLECTORS’ CLUB
Now, don’t get excited, we are not announcing the start of a new club! However, after almost two years with no word from the C.W.C.I., the question has come up whether it can now be considered dead? Well, it is not up to us to make that call but we thought that discussion of a new club was, by now, appropriate. Therefore, we would like to hear from you as to your thoughts on what you would like to see in a new club. Some of the thoughts that we have had on the subject are:
Should the club be run by just one or two people or should it have a “Board of Directors” elected by the members? As this would be a world wide club there could be logistical problems with this, although not insurmountable today with modern communications. The “Board of Directors” could then chair various committees to look after such things as memberships, conventions, club magazine, etc.
Should a convention always be held in the same place? Although the C.W.C.I. held various overseas meetings, the annual UK convention was always held in Stoke. This did have the advantage of allowing the ex-employees of the factory to attend the meetings and to discuss their experiences with the members and Stoke is a reasonably central point for people to travel to, from all parts of the country. However, would a meeting in another part of the UK allow different members to attend who were not able to get to Stoke for one reason or another?
What kind of club magazine would you like to see and how often should it be published? The format, content and frequency of this would obviously have some bearing on the cost of annual dues.
So let us hear from you as to what you would like to see in a club. We will include a summary of your answers in the next Newsletter and then, hopefully, those people out there with the savvy to start up a new Carlton Ware Collectors’ Club, will have some idea of what the collectors want in a club. If you are concerned about having your name mentioned, please let us know; but please do let us have your ideas.
THE SHAPE OF THINGS IN CARLTON WARE
Once again, we are returning to the early days of the Carlton Ware factory and featuring pictures of some beautiful plates and vases, sent to us by Reg & Denise.
We met Reg & Denise when we attended our first C.W.C.I. meeting in Stoke back in October 1997 and admired the lovely Blush Ware that they had for sale at the Sunday fair. We do not see much Blush Ware in Canada and had no idea that it came in such an array of beautiful shapes and patterns.
Like most of us, Reg & Denise started collecting Blush Ware by buying one or two pieces, then a third and before long it became a collection. This was especially true with the pierced edge plates, to the extent that they are now building and holding the equivalent of the British official flower collection, only they have the British official Carlton Ware pierced edge plate collection and, if ever there was a Carlton Ware Museum, eventually it could be bequeathed to them for all of us to enjoy.
For now, however, we will enjoy the following pictures:
CARNATION 9½” Gilt Blush Pierced Edge Plate IRIS 9½” Gilt Blush Pierced Edge Plate RAGGED ROBIN 9½” Blush Pierced Edge Plate, Pattern #476 1/2 KANG HSI 9½” Pierced Edge Plate, Pattern #599
As you can see from the pictures, this is a most beautiful area of Carlton Ware to collect. The plates were produced from the 1890’s and into the early 1900’s and featured a border divided into 3 sections which were separated by the pierced panels. Reg & Denise thought that these plates originally came from a dessert service set, as they had seen a service with 6 plates and a matching comport; however, very few of these sets seem to have survived.
The first picture shows the CARNATION pattern on a pink background centre and a cobalt blue and gilt edge. The second picture shows the IRIS pattern on a green background centre and again with a cobalt blue and gilt edge. The quality of workmanship on these plates is extremely high.
The third picture features the RAGGED ROBIN pattern on a more traditional blush ware finish and the fourth picture shows the KANG HSI pattern on a white background.
For additional pictures of pierced edge plates, please see the Epson Photo Album for BLUSH – Pierced Plates, where you will find some lovely examples including an outstanding plate in black CLOISONNÉ. There are also pictures of some oblong and rectangular examples of pierced edge plates.
Another area of beauty can be found in the lovely vases produced during this same period. We are featuring pictures of 4 different patterned vases all produced on the same shape:
IRIS 9” vase on green background, Pattern #1422 IRIS 9” vase on white background MARGUERITE Flow Blue 9” vase, Pattern #1655 Blush Ware 9” vase
This 9” vase shape is very much in the style of a Grecian urn but it is only one of the many delightful shapes produced by Carlton Ware for their Blush Ware and Flow Blue patterns.
The first picture shows the IRIS pattern on a green background, similar to the plate in the same pattern. The second picture also shows the IRIS pattern but on a white background. The neck and base work on both vases are done in rich cobalt blue and gilt and is finished with beaded enameling.
The third picture shows the MARGUERITE pattern in Flow Blue with orange floral and leaf enameling, much in the style and colour of pottery from the Imari, Derby and Swansea factories. Again the neck and base are finished with cobalt blue, gilt and beaded enameling.
The final vase features a pattern in the traditional Blush Ware finish and shows two views of Romanesque style ladies, a most unusual subject to be used but one that works extremely well on this vase shape.
Once again, for additional pictures of Blush Ware and Flow Blue vases, please check out the BLUSH – Vases photo album.
We would like to extend our thanks to Reg & Denise for sending us these and many other pictures. We hope you have enjoyed viewing them as much as we have. If, by chance, you happen to have any pierced edge plates that are not shown here, we know that Reg & Denise would be delighted to add them to their British official Carlton Ware pierced edge plate collection. Please eMail us with the details and we will gladly pass them on.
CHRISTIE’S, SOUTH KENSINGTON BRITISH DECORATIVE ARTS SALE, OCTOBER 22, 2003
There were 29 lots in the Carlton Ware section of the Christie’s British Decorative Arts sale earlier this month with the highlights being 2 pieces of RED DEVIL both on the pale blue colourway and a lovely SCIMITAR vase. Of the 29 lots, 14 sold and 15 did not sell. Here is a list of the lots, their estimates and their selling prices including the 17.5% buyer’s premium.
Lot # 73 7 Guinness figures Est. £600-900 sold £822 74 RED DEVIL 6” vase, pale blue Est. £600-900 sold £646 75 EGYPTIAN FAN 13” bowl, gloss red Est. £400-600 sold £376 76 SECRETARY BIRD 12½” bowl, gloss red Est. £600-900 sold £646 77 CRESTED BIRD & WATER LILY pair of 6¾” vases, gloss red Est. £400-600 sold £705 78 CHINALAND 7” ginger jar, luster blue Est. £400-600 sold £411 79 GUM FLOWER 4 ½” vase, matt blue and 5 other items Est. £350-450 sold £352 80 BELL 7” bowl, gloss red and 3 other items Est. £350-450 unsold 81 CRESTED BIRD & WATER LILY lidded pot, gloss red and 3 other items Est. £400-600 sold £493 82 CHINALAND 4¾” ginger jar (no lid), gloss orange and a NEW MIKADO vase Est. £350-450 unsold 83 RED DEVIL 7¾” ginger jar, pale blue Est. £1500-2000 sold £3760 84 SCIMITAR 6¾” vase, gloss blue Est. £1500-2000 sold £1645 85 DAISY 12” bowl, gloss green, a TUTANKHAMEN bowl and a HUMMINGBIRD vase Est. £400-600 unsold 86 JAZZ POPPIES 6” vase, gloss yellow and 3 other items Est. £350-500 unsold 87 TREE & SWALLOW 8” vase, matt cream and 3 other items Est. £400-600 unsold 88 Pr. NEW MIKADO 6½” vase, gloss blue, a NIGHTINGALE ginger jar & 2 others Est. £400-600 sold £446 89 DEVIL’S COPSE 5” bowl, gloss sea green Est. £300-500 unsold 90 DEVIL’S COPSE 12” bowl, gloss blue Est. £300-500 sold £293 91 KINGFISHER 9” vase, gloss white and 2 other items Est. £300-500 unsold 92 SKETCHING BIRD 10” bowl, gloss red and 2 other items Est. £350-450 sold £352 93 TEMPLE 10¾” floating bowl, gloss blue & black and 2 other items Est. £400-600 unsold 94 FANTASIA 10” vase, gloss blue Est. £300-500 unsold 95 FANTASIA 5¼” vase, gloss blue Est. £300-400 unsold 96 DEVIL’S COPSE 6¼” vase, gloss blue Est. £300-400 unsold 97 DEVIL’S COPSE 9½” vase, gloss blue Est. £400-500 unsold 98 EGYPTIAN FAN 4¼” vase, gloss blue Est. £300-400 unsold 99 FLOWER & FALLING LEAF 6½” ginger jar (no lid), gloss red and a BELL candle stick, gloss red Est. £300-400 sold £446 100 NEW DELPHINIUM 8¾” bowl and 2 other Handcraft items Est. £400-600 unsold 101 FLORAL SCOLLOPS gondola bowl Est. £250-300 unsold
CARLTON WARE RESOURCE WEB SITES;
Carlton Ware information http://www.carltonware.info/ MAGNIFICENT SITE!
Carlton Ware pattern lists http://www.carltonware.com
Carlton Ware photo albums http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4099843&a=30932565&pw=
CARLTON WARE DEALER WEB SITES:
20th Century Ceramics http://www.20th-century-ceramics.com
Banana Dance http://www.bananadance.com
Carlton Art Deco http://www.carltonartdeco.com/
Denise Burningham http://www.zeichen.freeserve.co.uk
Gales Antiques http://www.gales.co.nz?ihnl
Helen Martin http://www.carltonware.biz
Minnamoora http://www.minnamoora.com
Toni Cardwell http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/gemelli/
Index of Pictures for CARLTON WARE NEWSLETTER #12
Picture #1: 16” EDEN vase Picture #2: 11” EDEN vase Picture #3: BLUEBELLS box Picture #4: 11” JAZZ ginger jar Picture #5: FOREST TREE pen holder Picture #6: 18” PARADISE BIRD & TREE WITH CLOUD vase Picture #7: NEW MIKADO Pattern #2814 bowl Picture #8: NEW MIKADO Pattern #2814 lamp Picture #9: NEW MIKADO Pattern #2814 vase Picture #10: NEW MIKADO Pattern #2814 vase Picture #11: NEW MIKADO Pattern #2814 powder bowl Picture #12: NEW MIKADO Pattern #2814 powder bowl backstamp Picture #13: CARNATION 9½” Gilt Blush Pierced Edge Plate
Picture #14: IRIS 9½” Gilt Blush Pierced Edge Plate Picture #15: RAGGED ROBIN 9½” Blush Pierced Edge Plate, Pattern #476 1/2 Picture #16: KANG HSI 9½” Pierced Edge Plate, Pattern #599 Picture #17: IRIS 9” vase on green background, Pattern #1422 Picture #18: IRIS 9” vase on white background Picture #19: MARGUERITE 9” Flow Blue vase, Pattern #1655 Picture #20: Blush Ware 9” vase
We hope that you have enjoyed this newsletter. As usual, we are only too happy to have you pass this along to other Carlton Ware collectors and we look forward to hearing from you if you have any items of interest that you would like to share with, or questions to pose to, all our readers.
Ian & Jerome
We can be contacted at:
Ian Harwood & Jerome Wilson P. O. Box 22138, Bankers Hall Calgary, Alberta T2P 4J5 Canada
Phone: (403) 243-8172 Fax: (403) 266-1529 eMail: jeromian@shaw.ca
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In
mid October, we heard about two pieces of Carlton Ware coming up at an estate
sale in Edmonton. They were two vases in the EDEN pattern on red ground.
Edmonton is about 300 km (180 miles) north of Calgary and the sale was on a
Sunday, so we decided to drive up to personally view these pieces, rather than
accepting the condition report of the auctioneer, who had said they were in
excellent shape. The two vases measured 16” and 11” and were most impressive
from the pictures (#1 and #2 in the Epson Photo Album for Newsletter #12). It
was a good job that we did attend the sale as both pieces were in less than
perfect shape. The 16” vase had a crack in the neck that could be seen on the
inside and felt on the outside and the 11” vase was well used and quite crazed
in the base; naturally, we revised down the amount that we were prepared to pay.
However, we were not even in the ball park when the sale took place; the 11”
vase came up first and sold for Can$1,412 (US$1,075 - £635) and the 16” vase
sold for Can$2,119 (US$1,610 - £953), both including buyers premium and taxes.
It
is not very often that pieces of this quality come up for sale in our local
market; if you can call 180 miles north part of our local market – but here in
Canada that is definitely local! Although we did not end up buying this pair,
the trip was not a total waste and we did come home with a lovely box in the
BLUEBELLS pattern on red ground (picture #3). 
Later
in the month we flew to Toronto for a 4 day long weekend. The main event of our
trip was to take in the Art Deco Exhibition that is now on display at the Royal
Ontario Museum after its very successful summer run at the Victoria & Albert
Museum. We met up with our Calgary friend and Carlton Ware collector, Betty,
who had also made the trip and joined the 2 p.m. tour of the exhibition. The
tour began with a 1934 McLaughlin Buick and, while our guide was reviewing this
beautiful car, we got sidetracked by the site of the Carlton Ware JAZZ
ginger jar in one of the first display cabinets.
The
next morning, Saturday, we were supposed to be up early to get to the opening of
an antique market in Aberfoyle, about an hour west of Toronto. Well, we were in
Toronto to enjoy ourselves and, as anyone who knows us from the Stoke
conferences, we were usually the last ones to be found in the Clayhanger, the
popular bar in the Stoke hotel. So we did not make it to the market much before
noon! Naturally, by then, all the buys had been bought and we came away empty
handed. Later that evening, we saw one of those buys at Phil & Brigitte’s
– a FOREST TREE Parker Pen Holder in a lovely lustre blue colourway,
(picture #5).
