Pekin Japan – a Pattern with a Long Run
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Pekin Japan – a Pattern with a Long Run By Connie Rogers n our work in the TCC Database, we cessful Ashworth firm continued Ifind that some patterns are short- from 1860-1968 when it was re- lived. Others were popular enough named ‘Mason’s Ironstone China that when the pottery that pro- Ltd.’ This paper will discuss and duced them went out of busi- illustrate some of the Pekin Ja- ness, another pottery bought pan pattern variations of the the copper plates and continued two firms that helped to keep the pattern for many years un- it popular for nearly a century. der different marks – and occa- Now, the name: Pekin Ja- sionally a new name. In the case pan. Where did that come of Pekin Japan, the pattern and from? Pekin surely relates to its name were found in a pattern the city of Peking in China. Ja- book, dated c. 1825-30 from the C. pan is a totally different country. J. Mason & Co. In Mason Porcelain Was this Mason’s way of choos- & Ironstone 1796-1853, the authors, ing a name for an Oriental land- Reginald Haggar & Elizabeth Adams, scape that was not directly copied illustrate a page from the pattern book Figure 1. from a Chinese Export pattern? By 1825- in Plate 101, and a 10 inch plate with 30 when this pattern came out, there were Pekin Japan, c. 1825-30 in Plate 102. The pat- thousands of pieces of Chinese Export tern was first produced by the Masons in an porcelain in Britain, and many of the pat- underglaze blue transfer print as seen here terns were known in general as “Chinese in Figure 1 with its mark (1a). Not soon af- landscapes” – a term used by Robert Co- ter, the underglaze transfer was dressed up peland. However, this Chinese landscape in many different color combinations with is different from the plain blue-printed enamel colors over the glaze. The pattern was transferware patterns usually associated continued by G. L. Ashworth after the firm with the early copies of Chinese Export. received the copper plates in the early 1860s, In the Pekin Japan pattern most of the ex- and that company continued to produce Pe- amples produced were enhanced with kin Japan into the 20th century. enamel painting over the glaze. Per- It is perhaps best to start by giving haps the Japan part of the name more information on how the pat- came from the decorating tech- terns of the Mason firm were passed nique of using overglaze iron- down. An auction was held in red and green enamels and April 1848, offering for sale the gilding over an underglaze 17 engraved rollers and immense pattern in blue. The result is stock of copper plate engravings a rich overall effect known of Mason patterns. The majority as Imari – the name of the of these former Mason molds, port in Japan from which designs and copper plates were the decorated porcelains purchased by Francis Morley, an were believed to have been experienced potter, first in part- shipped. nership with Ridgway, Morley, Wear Elaborately decorated Japa- & Co. Morley traded under his own nese porcelains were shipped name from 1845-58 and then became to Chinese trading ports and ex- partners with G. L. Ashworth, 1858-60. ported to Europe along with Chinese Francis Morley then retired, passing Figure 2. porcelain. Chinese potters made close on to Ashworth the archive including imitations of the Imari-style. By the mid- valuable copper plates and trade marks from 18th century, the designs were also cop- the Mason firm. George L. Ashworth used the ied by the English porcelain manufactur- Mason printed trade mark on Ironstone ware, ers. In England, the colorful red, blue, causing some confusion in attribution of pat- green and gold designs are also called terns; however, his wide range of earthenware Japan patterns. Godden tells us in his products were marked with his name. The suc- Oriental Export Market Porcelain and TCC Bulletin 13 its influence on European wares that the Derby por- with a different letter added celains have featured the Japan patterns to the code number. Our for nearly two hundred years. The Figure 2 above is OB108d. Masons decided to use There are many other color the same decorating tech- combinations used that are niques on their ironstone not found in the Compen- body, thereby making the ware dia. For instance, Figure 4 less expensive than porcelain. and its mark (4a) is one of The growing middle class clam- the most colorful made. It is ored for these Imari wares. documented in the database. I Was it the name then that promot- am beginning to think that the ed the popularity of the Pekin Japan pat- primary reason for the popularity tern? Considering that I collected a number of of the pattern through the years is the pieces over the course of 15-20 years – without seemingly limitless color enhancements knowing the name – I’m convinced that the name Figure 3. used by both Masons and its successors. has nothing to do with its popularity. My in- Before going on to discuss and illus- terest was in the fact that I, and many oth- trate later versions of Pekin Japan, I er members of the International Willow would like to talk about the amaz- Collectors (IWC), consider Pekin Japan ing discovery of the partial pattern to be a “willow” variant. Look at the book of C. J. Mason. My refer- pattern as produced in the 1840s ence is the book by Reginald by C. J. Mason in Figure 2, with Haggar & Elizabeth Adams mark (2a). You will see a typically mentioned above. The authors decorated version of Pekin Japan tell us that for many years it with underglaze transfer-printed had been thought that all the pattern in black, and over the glaze original Mason pattern books colors of rust and pale orange. You were lost. How- will see the Teahouse (or temple) ever, an exten- on the right side as you face the pat- sive and very tern. Connecting the mainland on the dusty search right and a smaller piece of land on the among papers left is a one-arch bridge with two figures on in the printing it. A willow tree hangs over the left side of the department of Figure 4. bridge, and there is a small boat just below the island ‘Mason’s Iron- in the upper left of the pattern. We are describ- stone China ing motifs related to the “Two Temples II” Ltd.’ (Ashworth variation “Broseley” version of the Willow renamed, March 1968) has shown Pattern as well as Pekin Japan. Miles that among what had been dis- Mason produced this “Broseley” pat- missed as ‘rubbish’ were frag- tern on tea wares on porcelain from ments of C. J. Mason pattern c. 1800-1805. On teapots the pattern books -- after all these years! has the temple (on right-hand side Most of them dated from of the pattern) closest to the handle about 1840, although some on both sides. That means the pat- apparently were of an earlier tern is produced in reverse on one date. Evidently, the pattern side of these teapots. See Figure 3 books had been part of the for a look at the Broseley pattern in records obtained from C. J. reverse. That is the version that Pekin Mason by Fran- Japan closely resembles. It looks famil- cis Morley in iar enough to have appeal to “Willow” pat- 1848 and passed tern collectors. down through Other combinations of color are used to the Ashworth enhance the Pekin Japan. The Mason’s Collectors family. In perus- Club has put out two Compendia of patterns produced by Figure 5. ing the pattern Masons. Pekin Japan is found in the Compendia of pat- book pages, it terns dating from 1830 to 1848. It is located amongst the became clear Landscape and Building patterns, and given their code that the range number OB108. Six different uses of color are shown, each of Mason’s Iron- 14 TCC Bulletin stone and other patterns was by no means that reason, we know that pattern number limited to literal copies of Japanese 4/234 (painted in red) was continued to be Imari designs, Chinese export porce- produced by G. L. Ashworth after 1860. lains and ‘chinoiseries’ of his own The underglaze transfer print of the invention. Analysis of the pat- pattern is black, and the overglaze tern books shows designs in a colors are dark blue and two shades variety of popular contempo- of orange. The two colors are used rary styles and patterns, not to enhance the flowers in the alter- only for Ironstone China, but nating floral sprays in the border. for granite ware, earthenware This plate was purchased in Aus- and china. What a fortunate tralia. It is not known if different find in the second third of the variations of Pe- 20th century, to enable Mason’s kin Japan were enthusiasts and researchers to exported to dif- study and document these love- ferent parts of the ly patterns! It seems that the Ash- world. worth firm was not aware of the pat- A nine inch tern books in the archive they inherited. plate by Ash- Otherwise, they could have put the names Figure 6. worth, Figure on many of the Mason patterns they produced. It 7, has the same was not the general practice to put pattern color palette as names on wares during the production the 1840s plate produced by C. J. Mason period of the various Mason firms, but seen in Figure 2 above.