Handbook of Marks on Pottery
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
HANDBO O K O F MARKS O N P OTTERY AND P ORCELAIN M CM I LL N AN D CC . L I M I TE D A A , L ON D O N B OM B AY C A L C U TTA 0 MA D RAS M E L B O U R NE THE M A C M I LL A N COM PA NY N E W YO R K c B OS TO N 0 C H I CAG O D A L L AS S AN F RAN C I SCO TH E M C M LL N CO . O F C N D LTD A I A A A A , TO RO N 'I O jib 9 v4 e h H A N D B O O K MARKS O N PO TTERY PO RCELAIN W ! RU RTO N M A , . ‘ THOR O F A H STO R A N D DESC R P T ON O F E NG L SH P O RC EL N H STOR A N D AU I Y I I I AI , A I Y ’ 0 DESC R P T ON O F E N G L S H E RTH ENW RE A N D STON E W R E I I I A A A , ‘ ’ P O RC EL N I TS M N F CT R E ETC . AI , A U A U , AND B R A . H BS N . L . O O , THO R OP THE G UI DE To AN D C T LOG ES O R THE P OTTE R AN D PO RCE L N AU , A A U , Y AI I N THE B R T SH M SE M PO RC ELA N O R ENT L CONT NENT L I I U U , I I A , I A , ’ A ND B R T SH ETC I I , . MA M N A C O M T D ND . C I L L A , L I I E ST M R T N’ T R T O N D O N . A I S S E E , L I NTR O D U CTI O N THE arden t col l ector e n e of Pottery or Porcelain , ve wh n he “ ” e e the e has long pass d his novitiat , constantly feels n ed of a reliabl e pock e t volum e containing the auth e ntic and indisputabl e “ ’” marks of the potte ry and porc elain of the best collectors im e p e riods . It has b ee n our a to supply such a volum in a h condensed and practical form . T e only marks given in this The e book are those which are b eyond dispute . arrang ment is e ffe e e e be e e g ographical , the di r nt sp cies of war ing s parat ly b e b ut b b e e treated wherever practica l ; , y ela orate indic s , r ady fe b e e e e e re rence has e n provid d to ach mark , as w ll as to ach . e the factory In addition , a condens d account of important productions of every country prefaces each se ction of the The b ee e work . aim , throughout, has n to r nder the work as compl ete and self- contained as such a pocke t manual can be ; the e e though , in his study , coll ctor will naturally turn for full r f the e in ormation to important histori s or monographs , such h e b as t ose m ntion e d in the bi liography . It has b ee n assum e d that the coll e ctor is acquainted with the i e i S broad distinct ons of Simple Pott ry , Fa ence , toneware , The are e and Porcelain . te rms us d here i n a very d e finite way . S IMPLE POTTERY includes all the forms of e arthenware m e e u z whether ad from whit or colo red clays, gla ed e e z with a transpar nt l ad gla e . E NCE e the e e e FAI includ s all forms of earth nwar , coat d - e u M i D ei with tin enam l , s ch as ajol ca, elft , and th r relate d types . POTTERY MARKS T W e th e i e e e S ONE A RE includ s hard , vitr fi d and imperm abl e e R e kinds of arthenwar , whether h nish , English , or Ori e ntal . POR CEL AI NS are the translucent and (ge n erally) white forms of pottery . Th i the e porcela ns are classified in customary way, as - - The - i e hard past e or soft paste . hard paste group nclud s such - fi n e e G we ll de ed types as the Chines , Japanes , erman , and The - e modern Contin e ntal porcelains . soft paste grou p includ s al l the porce lains i n which th e fired body is distinctly softer h The - e e e than in t e former group . soft past porc lains compris e ffe e v e two distinct varieti s, which are of widely di r nt alu to e the coll ctor . A The - i . soft paste glassy porcela ns (invaluable on account Of i e their quality and rar ty) , such as those mad at e e R e e e e e Flor nc (sixteenth century) , ou n (s v nt nth th e e e i century), and arly French and English porc la ns ( e ighte e nth century) Th - B . e soft bone paste porcelains , such as the English porc elains mad e i n th e l at e r e ighteenth and through o e ut the nin teenth century . So much attention has been paid to marks that it may b e l e the e necessary to state c arly xact valu e of a mark . Other i e e e e th ngs being equal , a marked xampl of any p riod is mor e n B ut the e valuable than an unmark d o e . mark alon m ust not b e considered as the sol e criterion of e xc e ll e nce or e ve n ’ e market value . Unfortunately since factory or workm n s e b e t e e marks hav ecome general , q uite a larg propor ion of pi c s ee e e m e e have b n s nt out without any distinctiv ark , sp cially in b e o ne e e T ee th e the y g c nturi s . his has b n opportunity of “ ” e e is e forg r and fak r, and the reader arnestly warned to be e e e e The on his guard against th ir abominabl cl v rness . marks m f e in e which are ost di ficult to imitat , and are that r spect e e e e z most r liabl , are thos which occur und r the gla e ; as was e e th e b e ee D i the g n rally case fore the eight nth century . ur ng e ight ee nth c e ntury there was a gradual introduction of marks r c z i i painted , p inted, or sten illed over the gla e, and th s pract ce INTRODUCTION vii e d h x has be n increasingly followe , wit some e ceptions, to the e pres nt day . The under -glaze marks are of two kinds (a) those stamp e d i e e T e or ncised in the body of the war whil it is still soft . hes are all m e perhaps the most reliable of arks, for once mad it is f e e . T e very di ficult to r move or alt r them hey may, howev r, be e e f ed bee b the so imp rf ctly orm , or have n so obliterate d y ze b e e ffi é M gla as to d ciphered with di culty. ( ) arks painted he z T h e t e . is t e m und r gla his ost important class of marks, o n O e e e n e e being found ri ntal porc lain , P rsia arthenwar , i e e e European fa nc , and n arly eve ry kind of European pottery D e . e and porc lain own to the end of the eighteenth c ntury, practically al l under-gla ze marks were i n blue (the most avail b it is in the e e a le colour) , and only nin teenth c ntury, as a rule, - e z b e are . that und r gla e marks in lack , pink, or gre n found M ar d any of these later marks e printed and not painte . In the old e e e e i ma be all war s , wh re not oth rwis specified , t y take n for grante d that the mark is painte d in blue . W the e - aze e e ith introduction of ov r gl , or nam l , colours and gilding in the e ight ee nth c e ntury w e get an increasing u se of The are marks in the sam e styl e .