Peter Murdoch (British, b.1940) (Updated)

Peter Murdoch studied furniture design at Kingston School of Art before continuing his studies at the Royal College of Art. Already winning prizes as a student, for his diploma show he designed a prototype paper chair inspired by a cardboard shirt collar stiffener. He created a chair made from a single sheet of paperboard with flaps that slotted into each other. Unable to produce the chair in the UK due to material shortages, production moved to America. The chair, made in specially formulated paperboard and sealed with clear polyurethane was available in two sizes and retailed through department stores such as Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus. Murdoch designed another chair called Chair Thing for the UK market. This chair came in three parts, was hexagonal and the furniture range included a stool and table. Expanding on the popularity of his design in 1967 he created the Those Things range of children’s furniture of fiberboard chairs and tables and the furniture won a design award in 1968. Murdoch also worked with the U.K. firm Hille producing Hexagon, a range of upholstered modular, hexagonal seating and tables. In 1969, Peter Murdoch formed his own design studio, producing designs for companies such as McDonalds, Heathrow Airport and Pizza hut among others, until his retirement in 2000.

Spotty Chair (Child's Chair) ca. 1965. Wright Auctions.

Hexagon chair, ca. 1970. Part of a furniture range that included tables. The furniture range was popular for hotels and libraries because of the ease with which it could be rearranged in clusters. Private Dealer, UK.

Those Things. Fiberboard. Design Council Slide Collection (UK)

Those Things. Fiberboard. Design Council Slide Collection (UK)

Chair Thing, Chair (designed 1964) (manufactured 1969) National Gallery of Victoria Melbourne

Jimmy Lee Sudduth (1910-2007)

Jimmy Lee Sudduth lived all his life in rural Alabama. Born on a farm near Fayette, he said he started painting as a child, using whatever materials were to hand. As an adult he continued to paint, still using found materials and creating his own pigments with dirt, clay and sugar. This pigment mixture he called “sweet mud” and he used his fingers to create his imagery. He painted what was around him, including farm scenes, wildlife, log cabins and locals. His first exhibition was in 1968 at Stillman College, Tuscaloosa. A blues musician as well as a painter, in 1976 he was invited to play his music and display his art at the Smithsonian Bicentennial Festival of American Folk Life. With regular appearances at art and music festivals, Sudduth appeared on television and was celebrated as an African American folk artist. In the 1990s dealers he worked with encouraged him to make more colorful works with acrylic paints and Sudduth began to use sponges to apply colors to flat boards. His earlier work is particularly prized for its use of found materials and idiosyncratic finger technique. His art is found in national and state art collections and occasionally appears at folk art auctions.

Jimmy Lee Sudduth (1910-2007)

Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC

Self Portrait with Banjo, 1986

Mud, paint and sugar on board

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC

Snakes, 1986

House paint, earth and sugar on board

High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia

Untitled (log cabin), ca. 1975

House paint and earth pigments on plywood

Montgomery Museum of Fine Art, Montgomery, Alabama

Untitled (Chicken) ca. 1995

Clay and syrup on Plywood

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC

Tea Tables

As discussed in a prior blog post, drinking tea in Europe and America, lead to the creation of many new objects to support this new fashion. The impact of tea taking on furniture design can be seen in the creation of the tea table. This term was used loosely in the 18th century to describe any small table designed for a household. A tea table could be rectangular or round, plain or with intricate carving on the top and knees and legs of the table. Portability was an important consideration, with tilt-top tables prized for their ability to be set against a wall and pulled out for taking tea when needed. Mahogany was the preferred wood for tea tables, as the shine of the expensive wood showed off not only the taste and wealth of the owner, but also the tea paraphernalia, especially tea sets of silver. Lacquer tables too gained popularity among the richest in England, with over 6,000 imported by the East India Company in 1700 alone.

Tilt Top table, Mahogany,American, Philadelphia 1765

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York

Tea table in situ Metropolitan Museum of Art

Table, Mahogany, with replacement stretchers and legs. English 1740-1760

The table top is thought to have been saved from another tea table and new stretchers and legs made to create a new table.

Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England

Tea table, Federick Hintz, England, 1737-38, Mahogany with inlaid brass and mother of pearl

Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England

This table is in the V & A British Galleries and is striking when seen in person. The unusual leg design is thought to be inspired by Dutch examples.

Tea Caddies

There are many legends surrounding the origins of tea. The Chinese legend is that Emperor Shen Nung was boiling his drinking water when some leaves from a nearby tea shrub landed in the cauldron. He tasted the new drink and liked it and tea was born. The Indian legend is that Prince Bodhidharma who had converted to Buddhism went to China in the sixth century. He took to chewing leaves from the tea shrub to stay alert for prayer and meditation and started the craze for tea.

What is know as fact, is that tea was already known as a beverage during the time of Confucius (551-479BC), increasing in popularity during the Han Dynasty (206BC- 220AD). During the Tang Dynasty (618-906 AD) tea became the national drink of China.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in China by sea in 1516. The Chinese allowed them to settle only at Macao. The Portuguese made much of this trade access and carried silk and other products, including tea, back to Lisbon. Competition arrived with the ships of the Dutch East India Company who also reached the coast of Japan in 1609. By 1610, the Dutch were transporting tea from Japan and China via Java back to Europe. Tea became fashionable among the wealthy Dutch merchants but was too expense for the rest of the population.

However, the biggest impact that the introduction of tea had on a European country was in England. Until 1657 teas found in England came from Dutch sources. It was not until 1669 that the English East India Company imported its first shipment to England. Charles II re-charted the English East India Company giving it exclusive rights to trade with the Far East.

The passion for tea drinking led to the new products for storing and serving tea and one of these products was the tea caddy. Tea caddies came in all materials, shapes and sizes. Larger tea caddies are often called tea chests and locks were added to these to protect the tea from theft from servants or visitors. Tea caddies are an interesting area for collecting, though there are copies of earlier styles on the market. Many auctions and stores will have tea caddies for sale. Worth noting when purchasing is the quality of the item and if a tea chest retains its original interior.

Jar and Lid, Jingdezhen, China ca.1680 Porcelain painted in underglaze blue

Tea Caddy Lead Glazed Earthenware, English, 1798

Victoria and Albert Museum

Tea Chest, Abraham Roentgen (German 1711-1793) Made: 1750-55

Oak, cedar, veneered with rosewood; brass, iron, and steel

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Tea caddy, Jennens and Bettridge (makers) 1851 Painted papier- mâché

Victoria and Albert Museum

Snuff Boxes

A snuff box is a small decorated box used for carrying powdered, scented tobacco known as snuff). Snuff was sniffed or inhaled and the taking of snuff became fashionable in 17th-century England and the habit quickly spread to other countries around the globe. Snuff boxes varied in sizes, from those small enough to fit in a waistcoat, to larger table boxes. The snuff box became an object for decoration by goldsmiths, enamelers and painters of miniatures. Typically the lid received the most decorative attention and nature designs were common decorative touches. The very wealthy added jewels or coats of arms to their boxes. Snuff boxes were popular as gifts for special occasions and the materials used for snuffboxes included silver, gold, brass, wood, porcelain, horn, and tortoise shell. An example of a special designed snuff box for the table is the mull, or silver mounted rams head/horn. Long after snuff taking became unpopular, snuff boxes continued to be made for gifting. Very collectible, all sizes of these boxes appear frequently at auctions and in antique stores, providing a broad market for collectors, with boxes to suit all price points.

George IV Silver-Gilt Snuff Box and William IV Silver Snuff Box. (1829 and 1830)

Christies New York 20 May 2015 Russian Works of Art, Important Silver and Objects of Vertu, Sale 3730 Lot 302

Famile Rose Porcelain Suff Box, Qianlong Period (1735-96)

Showing an image of a Dutch couple on the lid underside

Christies New York 18 January 2017 Chinese Export Art Sale 12597 Lot 371

Snuff Box (England date unknown) Wood with brass piqué.

Shoes are associated with love and marriage and shoe or boot forms were given as symbols of good luck

Victoria and Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom

Snuff Mull (Scotland) Pewter and Horn (1840s)

Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England

Ico Parisi (1916-1996)

Ico Parisi was an Italian architect and designer whose work came to characterize Italian, Mid-century modern design. Born in Palermo in 1916, Parisi studied construction, graduating in 1934. In 1947 he married Luisa Alani, a former student of Gio Ponti. The couple moved to Switzerland and Parisi studied architecture from 1949-1952. Together, Luisa and Ico ran their own design studio, their philosophy of design being that of the Renaissance artist, an interest in everything and avoiding labels of architect, designer or painter. A successful contemporary furniture exhibit in 1945 in Como, as well as the studio’s all encompassing approach to design meant that by the early 1950s, Ico was seen as one of Italy’s most important furniture designers. Parisi furniture uses soft woods, curves and bright upholstery to display the pared back aesthetic that Italian mid-century modern design is famous for. Always collaborating with other designers and artists such as Gio Ponti, Mario Radice and Fausto Melotti among many others, Parisi worked with manufacturers such as Cassina and Cappelini to produce his work. The beauty of Parisi’s work lies in its ability to work in any interior and his work is eagerly sought by collectors of Italian design.

Table (1950s) Marble, Walnut Brass Dining Chairs (1950s) Pair of Chairs (1950s) Rosewood Corner Desk (1950s)

Made by Fratelli Rizzi, Intimiano, Italy. Maple and new velvet upholstery New velvet Upholstery Ico and Luisa Parisi

Sold at Phillips New York, Dealer: La Contessa Arreda (Italy) Dealer: Spirit Gallery, Morocco Made by: MIM Roma

June 6 2019 Lot 24 Dealer: Kameleon Designs (NL)

Mass MoCa Contemporary Art in the Berkshires

Summer is a great time for an art trip and this year I visited Mass MoCa in North Adams Massachusetts. The galleries are found in a complex of several 19th-century factory buildings and connecting courtyards. The site has over 250,000 square feet of space, so seeing everything is difficult in one day. That said, the entrance ticket is valid for two days and there are regular day and evening performances to enjoy too. The variety of art on display is wonderful, with a decided acknowledgment to both the older generation of contemporary artists and emerging, diverse younger artists. All mediums are covered, from visual arts to performance. When I visited, the galleries was buzzing with camp groups, families, retirees and locals. There are several places to eat, to have coffee or ice cream in the complex, in addition, parking is free. It was well worth the trip and as a decorative art historian, it’s always interesting to see how contemporary art continues to blur the lines between environment, materials and artist.

(1) Mass Moca Building (2) Anish Kapoor (3) Louise Bourgeois (4) Rafa Esparza installation (5) Genevieve Gaignard (6) Natasha Bowdoin

Cloisonné Enamel

Cloisonné involves applying enamel onto a metal object. Thin, delicate metal strips of gold, silver, copper or brass are soldered to a metal object, outlining the design. The spaces created by the wire are then filled with vitreous enamel paste. The object is then fired, ground smooth and polished. The French term cloisonné derives from the name cloisons for the small spaces created by the shaping of the metal wire. Cloisonné is an ancient technique, with examples dating as early as the 13th century BCE. This enamel technique is found in both Europe and Asia. Early Chinese cloisonné pieces are highly prized but rare. So when an early Chinese example appears on the market, there is strong competition for the object. Japanese cloisonné also appears regularly in the market, again with variable prices, with more common pieces fetching lower prices than rarer signed pieces. As always, provenance and research are essential for any collector.

Ewer. Chinese, 1550-1600, cloisonné enamel on copper. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Great Britain

Small table top ice chest. Beijing, China. 1736-1795. Cloisonné enamel on copper with gilding. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Great Britain.

Vase, Nagoya, Japan. 1880-1890. Artist: Kodenji, Hayashi. Copper body with silver rim and base, interior with silver gilt. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Great Britain.

Vase. Kyoto, Japan. 1900-1910. Artist: Namikawa Yasuyuki (1845-1927). Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Great Britain

Panagia, Russian. 18th century. Brass and copper, with cloisonné enamel and jewels. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Great Britain

Brimfield Antique Flea Market 2019

The Brimfield Massachusetts antique flea market takes place three times a year, May, July and September. This show differs from traditional shows in not being a juried show and being held outdoors. Booths are situated in 23 fields off State Highway 20 in Brimfield and stretch back to the far corners of each field. With over 6,000 dealers, it is nigh impossible to see everything, so show regulars tell you, if you see it, buy it, because you will not find it again! There are transport companies on site if you purchase something too big to take home that day. Objects offered for sale vary from traditional antiques to lots of vintage and kitsch, with reproductions included in the mix. Many dealers are professionals and other are amateurs, so quality and prices vary widely. Most dealers are prepared to haggle and all love talking with customers about their merchandise. Some complain that Brimfield has lost some of its appeal because many objects offered are not traditional antiques, but this is as much a reflection of the current market for antiques as it is changes to the show format. Either way, if you collect it or want it for your home, the odds are that Brimfield will have it. It’s just a question of finding it, but surely that is half the fun?

Everything is used to advertise.

One of the few buildings on site.

There were three Penny Farthing bikes with this dealer and one sold that morning.

Artists and artisans often show their work at Brimfield.

These dogs had asked for lunch.

The market takes place, rain or shine, or mud.

Micromosaics

No wealthy young man’s education in the eighteenth-century was complete without the Grand Tour. The Grand Tour was a months long tour of sites of classical antiquity for study and popular locations included Italy, Greece, Turkey and the Middle East. In 1738, the discovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum prompted a rush of eager visitors to marvel at the ancient ruins. In response to Grand Tour visitors, the Vatican Studio revived micromosaics (mosaic in piccolo) as a commercial venture to produce souvenirs. The change from using stone to using colored glass for mosaic designs raised micro-mosaics to new levels of artistry .The variety of glass colors produced meant that these mosaic compositions took on a painterly aspect. Micromosaics were applied to numerous objects, from small objects like boxes and jewelry, to large objects like furniture. Sometimes the micro mosaic was simply framed as a picture. Signed pieces and those with Vatican Studio provenance are the most sought after.

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Lapis lazuli box with micro mosaic mounted in gold. Mercury charming Argus. Rome. Ca. 1820

Maker: Mascelli, Luigi. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Great Britain

Lapis Lazuli box with micro mosaic of the Coliseum, Rome mounted in gold. Unknown Maker. Italy 1800-1820. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Great Britain

Table top: Glass tesserae with marble, lapis lazuli, and malachite. Nine views of Rome. Italy. 1830-1850. Dimensions: 23 1/2 Diameter. RSID, Rhode Island.

Detail of table top. St. Peter’s The Vatican. RSID Rhode Island.

Face Jugs

Pottery with a face dates from the earliest times, with examples found in Africa, South America and Europe. In America the term applies to a pottery tradition found in the Southern states. Southern face jugs come from the African tradition of anthropomorphized objects and African American slaves made face jugs while working as potters. White potters based in the Carolinas also made their own versions of these jugs. Sizes and designs varied from large to small, grotesque to the devilish, each face jug with its own whimsy. Many artists signed their pieces and sometimes added a date. Early Southern face jugs fetch strong prices on the secondary market but provenance is essential.

Terracotta jug with lid. Date: Ca. 575-550 B.C. Dimensions: Height with lid: 11 7/16 inches.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Face Jug. Date: 14th Century, British. Earthenware. Dimensions: 4 3/4 x 2 3/16 x 2 15/16 inches.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Face Harvest Jug. Unknown Artist. South Carolina. Date: Ca. 1845-1855. Alkaline Glazed Stoneware with Kaolin. Dimensions: 10 1/4 inches. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Face Jug. Unknown Maker. South Carolina. Date: 1870. Alkaline Glazed Stoneware with kaolin. High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia.

Patricia Urquiola (b.1961)

Born in Oviedo, Spain, Patricia Urquiola is a multitalented architect and designer. Urquiola studied both in Madrid and in Milan, graduating with Achille Castiglioni and later working with him as an assistant lecturer. Whether she is designing a luxury hotel on Lake Como Italy, or re-imagining Scandinavian Modern furniture, she brings a unique and welcome sense of style, comfort, color and yes fun, to her works. In terms of design, you want to sit in her chairs and turn on the lamp because this is not design that shouts ‘look at me’ as does much architect-designed furniture. Urquiola creates objects that are thoughtfully designed, using materials and colors that are familiar but presented in new interpretations. Based in Milan, since 2015, she has worked as head of design for Cassina and continues to produce both buildings and furniture with wide appeal.

Il Sereno Hotel Lake Como Italy.

https://www.serenohotels.com/property/il-sereno/the-hotel/

Il Sereno Hotel Lake Como Italy. Interior of room

https://www.serenohotels.com/property/il-sereno/the-hotel/

Bowy Sofa for Cassina

http://www.patriciaurquiola.com/design/bowy-sofa/

Lilo extenson series

http://www.patriciaurquiola.com/design/lilo-extension/

Serena lamp for Flos Copper version

Lumens.com and https://usa.flos.com/modern-table-lamps/serena

Saturday Evening Girls (Paul Revere Pottery) 1908-1942

Saturday Evening Girls (SEG) was the name given to a weekly library reading group, formed in 1899 in Boston, under the auspices of Edith Guerrier, a librarian at the Boston Public Library.  The group’s members were largely the daughters of Italian and Jewish immigrants settled in Boston’s North End.  Soon, the focus of the library reading group expanded with a curriculum designed to supplement school and including dancing and music. Additional reading groups were formed, organized by age and named after the day of the week that they met. In 1908, looking to create opportunities for the reading group members and backed by a local female philanthropist, a pottery was established to teach the young women skills and paid employment. The pottery was located near Old North Church, the same church were Revere had seen the lantern signals from its spire and so the name Paul Revere Pottery was used to signify the pottery’s Boston and American traditions. Inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement the Paul Revere pottery produced a range of wares for the home and the female decorators earned a living wage and worked in organized, safe, surroundings. The pottery met with success but the advent of World War I interrupted production. After the war, as styles changed the pottery adapted and managed to survive until 1942. A number of the female decorators have been identified and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, received a large donation of 130 ceramic pieces from the son of one of the most prolific decorator’s, Sara Galner. A 2007 exhibition led to a book on the Saturday Evening Girls raising the profile of this largely forgotten group of immigrant female pottery decorators.

Child' s Bowl and Plate, 1917, Marked: 'T.M. S.E.G. RB' Earthenware, MFA Boston

Plate, 1912, Earthenware, MFA Boston

Vase, decorator Sara Galner, Earthenware, Metropolitan Museum, New York

Phillip Lloyd Powell (1919-1988)

Born in 1919, Phillip Lloyd Powell was a self-taught furniture maker who produced clean line and deceptively simple furniture. Powell started making small pieces for family and friends while in high school and after high school, went on to study engineering at Drexel University. The combination of these wood working and engineering skills is apparent in his work. After serving during World War II, Powell settled in New Hope, Pennsylvania, attracted by the local thriving artists community. In the early 1950s he began producing furniture and shared a studio for over a decade, with Paul Evans the designer and metal smith. The two worked together on several pieces. Powell soon gained a reputation for making strikingly modern pieces and producing pieces as and when he decided to make them. Perhaps his most recognizable works are his cabinets. There are thought to be less than 1,000 pieces in existence. Consequently, his work often achieves high prices at galleries and auction houses.

Pair of New Hope Lounge Chairs, ca. 1960. American Black Walnut. Freemans Philadelphia, Design Auction, June 4th 2018. Lot 75. 

Cabinet: Walnut and patinated steel Sculpted Steel wall-hanging cabinet, ca.1960. Sold at Christies, New York, SALE 2500 15 December 2010. Lot 110.

Custom Chaise Lounge, ca. 1960s. Burnt umber, fuchsia lacquer and silver gilding, new upholstery. Signed. Available in 2018 by Todd Merrill Studio, New York.

Carlo Bugatti (Italian, 1855-1940)

Once you have seen a piece of furniture by Carlo Bugatti, it is hard to forget.  His furniture is know for the inclusion of unusual materials, such as parchment, mixed metals, silk and exotic woods and the combining of Moorish, African and Japanese aesthetics. In 1888, Bugatti showed his designs at the Milan Industrial Arts Exhibition and the response to his designs was immediate and led to many commissions. In 1898 he established his studio based in Milan called ‘C. Bugatti & C., Fabbrica Mobili Artistici Fantasia.’  The name of the studio hinting at his design style. He continued to show at world’s fairs including the 1900 L'Exposition de Paris, where his designs captured the essence of the Art Nouveau movement. After 1900, Bugatti started producing more works in silver, exhibiting at the 1907 at the Paris gallery of A. A. Hébrard. Bugatti called his fantastical silver pieces ‘Ses Bêtes’ (his creatures).

Desk, ca. 1902 Walnut, copper, pewter, vellum. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Chair, ca.1895, Partly ebonized wood, vellum seat and back, metal inlay and embossed metal decoration. The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK.

Settee ca. 1900. Walnut, brass, pewter, vellum and silk. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Silver Claret Jug. ca. 1907 dragonfly and grotesque motifs. Christies, New York.  Lot 908, Sale 1733 Important 20th Century Decorative Arts & Design, 2006.

Hooked Rugs

Hooked rugs are considered an original American form of needlework. It is thought that the production of jute burlap in the 1830s spurred the creation of this craft, with the open weave of burlap being easier to work with than a linen or hemp foundation. Hooked rugs appeared in the Northern states around 1850 and by the end of the century the craft was popular throughout the country. The traditional rug hooking technique involves drawing the design on the surface of the backing, and then a strip of cloth is held underneath the woven backing and the hook is used to pull the fabric through to the front. Further loops are created with a repetition of this process along the length of the fabric strip. So popular was rug hooking by the end of the century that commercial patterns were produced by companies such as Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward. The charm of hooked rugs is found in the creativity of the rug design, with themes ranging from florals, to animals, to geometric designs, the design limited only by the rug hooker’s skill. Rug hooking is still a popular craft, with rug-hooking clubs found around the country.

Close Finish Hooked Rug, artist: unidentified, early twentieth century, materials: Wool and burlap with cotton binding. American Folk Art Museum

Pot of Flowers Hooked Rug, artist: unidentified, date: 1885–1900, materials: Wool on burlap. American Folk Art Museum

Geometric Hooked Rug, artist: unidentified, date: early twentieth century, materials: wool and fabric on burlap. Private Collection

Silver Flatware

A regular visitor to auctions or antiques shows, will almost inevitably encounter a silver flatware set, often a partial set and sometimes complete. Occasionally, the flatware set will still have its original case. A simple comparison between early and later flatware sets indicates how the ritual of dining became more complex with the addition of a variety of different serving pieces, forks, knives and spoons (think marrow spoons and asparagus servers) and table decorations. Silver continues to hold its appeal and makes an interesting subject for collecting, areas for collecting include napkin rings, salt and pepper pots, flatware, serving pieces and the list goes on. The fun of collecting silver is discovering different designs, unusual objects or even adding pieces in a particular pattern to your collection. With our more informal lifestyle and living spaces, most silver pieces only make an appearance at special occasions or on holiday tables. However you use your silver, collecting silver means you can quickly accumulate a substantial number of pieces.

A silver and gilt St. Dunstan pattern flatware service. Designer: Tiffany & Co. New York. Ca.1909. Sold at Christies, New York, Sale 1247, lot 65, 18 June 2003.

Jens Quistgaard (Danish, Copenhagen 1919–2008 Vordingborg) Manufacturer: Dansk International Designs Ltd. Date: post WWII Medium: Sterling silver. The Metropolitan Museum, New York.

Napkin Ring.  Artist Maker: Barnard-Edward, John and William, London (made), Date: 1873-1874. Victoria & Albert Museum, London.

Pratt Ware, 1780-1840

Pratt Ware is a term used to describe English and Scottish relief decorated, underglaze colored earthenware pieces. The production of these pieces date from 1780-1840 and they were produced in a great variety of forms, from plaques to teapots, to figures and watch stands. The pieces are recognizable by their simple molding, cream or pearlware ground and the application of bright colors. Many pieces are stamped with the potters name or logo, but just as many are not marked. The term Pratt Ware is one that has been around for over one hundred years and is based on the surviving production in this style by the Pratt family of potters working in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent. Yet there is much evidence that there were other potters producing similar wares at around the same time. Irrespective of the accuracy of the term, what cannot be denied is the naïve charm of these pieces and their place in the history of English ceramic production.

Teapot, 1790-1800. Lead-glazed earthenware painted in high temperature underglaze colors and moulded. Impressed: BARKER. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England.

Seated figure of a woman (one of a pair), 1800-1830. Lead-glazed earthenware painted in high temperature underglaze colors. Unmarked. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England.

Jug and cover in the form of a cow, ca. 1820, possibly Newcastle, England. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England

Jug, Britannia and on reverse Sailor's Return. 1790-1800. Maker: William Pratt. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England

Gothic Revival Furniture

One constant of the Nineteenth century is the revival of historical styles, seen both in buildings and their interiors. This interest came into full flower around mid century and alongside Greek and Egyptian styles, revival styles included Renaissance, Elizabethan, Rococo and Gothic revival. Of all, perhaps the Gothic revival style is one of the easiest to identify and is most evident in the tall, elaborately decorated backs of chairs and the ecclesiastical references found in tables, chairs, tiles amongst other forms. Perhaps because this revival style was so strong a statement, (too fashionable?) there are fewer extant Gothic pieces compared to other revival styles. Nineteenth century eclecticism meant that the house interior could contain several different styles all at once, often directed by the many pattern and style books printed in vast numbers from mid century. Because of the scale and high style of the Gothic Revival pieces, Gothic Revival furniture pieces were often found in halls, libraries and dining rooms. By 1880, the Gothic style was reduced down to a few vaguely ecclesiastical motifs, occasionally found in decorative carvings for libraries and halls and in some public buildings.

Gothic Library, Design by: Frederick Clarke Withers (American (born England), 1859, walnut, oak and pine. The Metropolitan Museum, New York.

Cruet Frame, Design by:  George B. Foster (American, 1810–1881), Silver, MFA, Boston, Massachusetts.

Armchair, Maker: John and Joseph W. Meeks (active ca. 1836–59) Date: 1850, Mahogany. The Metropolitan Museum, New York.

Betty Woodman (American,1930-2018)

Betty Woodman (American, May 14, 1930 – January 2, 2018) was a talented ceramic artist who used her technical skills and eye for color to create unique objects and environments. Her work was described for her 2006 solo retrospective at The Metropolitan Museum, as “For Woodman, the vase can be a vessel, a metaphor, or an art-historical reference. Her work alludes to and infuses numerous sources, including Minoan and Egyptian art, Greek and Etruscan sculpture, Tang Dynasty works, majolica and Sèvres porcelain, Italian Baroque architecture, and the paintings of Picasso and Matisse.” (Metropolitan Museum Press release 2006).

As can be seen with the objects shown below, her objects often appear deceptively simple, but were in reality technically complex marriages of ceramic construction and glaze techniques.  One of her unique shapes is what she called a Pillow Pitcher, comprised of two cylinders, attached at the middle and pinched together at the ends.

Pillow Pitcher, 1983, glazed earthenware, Smithsonian American Art Museum.

The Ming Sisters, 2003, Glazed earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer and paint. Metropolitan Museum.

Water Tray, 1978, white earthenware, Metropolitan Museum.