NEWSLETTER : January 2006 - Edition Number 143
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
From the President
Meetings
What's on??
Notices
Visit to an Astounding Australian Collection
Book Review
Kakiemon on French 18th Century Porcelain
“Show & Tell” September 2005
From the President
Welcome back to the Circle as we celebrate our twenty-second year. I hope everyone has had a safe and relaxing holiday season.
The last of our special events for our twenty-first year was our afternoon spent at Cranlana, the home of the Myer Foundation. Sixty of our members attended the function that had a dual purpose, the first to officially hand over the cabinet books and the second to give members opportunity to see the re-arranged cabinets in five of the Cranlana rooms. The Foundation provided wine and light refreshments and our members very much enjoyed the ambience of the house and its beautiful gardens.
Our last event for 2005 was our ever-popular Christmas dinner that was again held at the International Brighton. The surroundings, the food and the company were all excellent and everybody had a most enjoyable evening.
Our first meeting of the year on February 14th will be a very special night. Ian Murray will be share with us his love of English eighteenth century drinking glasses. Ian is the author of one of the latest books published on the subject which is entitled ‘Eighteenth Century English Glasses’. The Circle has invited Ian down from Sydney to speak to us on this most interesting subject. I look forward to greeting a large crowd.
A date for your diary is a special meeting on Tuesday 25th April at 7.30 pm. Felicity Marno will visiting Melbourne from London from 23rd to the 28th and has agreed to present a lecture on James Giles decoration on Worcester porcelain. This lecture follows the very successful exhibition of James Giles decoration held at Stockspring, London last year.
The topic for our Warburton Study Weekend, the last weekend of May, will be The Development and Growth of Eighteenth Century European and English Figures. This is first time we have endeavored to cover such a complex subject. There will be opportunities to examine figures up close and personally and to look at the various forms of clothing and decoration. Booking forms will accompany the March newsletter.
The March meeting will, as usual, be our Annual General Meeting followed by a lively ‘Show and Tell’. A special mailing will get the papers to you in February.
Patricia Begg O.A.M.
President, January 2006
Circle Meetings
February 2006
This will be held on Tuesday, 14th February 2006 at 7.30pm and will feature Ian Murray, speaking on the topic of “Eighteenth Century English Glass”. It has been a long time since the Circle has had an authoritative lecture on English glass and Ian Murray has one of the largest collections of English glass in private hands in Australia. Ian began collecting in London in 1965 and in the years since he has acquired some very rare items, concentrating on English drinking glasses made between 1690 and 1790. During this period a large number of different and wonderful glasses were produced and it is the progress of the manufacturing capability of the glassmakers over these years, the study of the changes they made and how these changes were reflected in the appearance of the drinking glass that makes the collecting of them so interesting and exciting. Ian will impart not only his knowledge, but the fun and the enjoyment that he has had in putting his collection together.
Venue:
Melbourne / South Yarra Community Centre
Fawkner Park
65 Toorak Road West
South Yarra 3141
March 2006
This will be held on Tuesday, 14th March 2006 at 7.30pm and will comprise the Circle’s Annual General Meeting, followed by a “Show and Tell” session where members are invited to bring along and discuss items of ceramic or glass from their collections.
Venue:
Melbourne / South Yarra Community Centre
Fawkner Park
65 Toorak Road West
South Yarra 3141
What's on??
At the Shepparton Art Gallery
Civic Centre, Welsford Street, Shepparton
The Sidney Myer Fund International Ceramics Award in association with La Trobe University
This is the premier international ceramics award held in Australia and offers a $15,000 Premier Award with a further $10,000 in other prizes and acquisitions which are announced at the opening. It will showcase 40 ceramic items from eleven countries out of a total of 317 original entries.
A one day Seminar associated with the Award will be held on Saturday 25th February 2006 from 9.30am to 4.00pm at a cost of $45. For further details please call (03) 5832 9861.
National Gallery of Victoria Members should note that they can join Artbus for a weekend of ceramics at the Shepparton Art Gallery in celebration of The Sidney Myer Fund International Ceramics Award. For more information please call (03) 8662 1555.
At the National Gallery of Victoria, International
180 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne
Gwny Hanssen Pigott: A Survey of Works 1955 – 2005
Until 19th March 2006
At the Immigration Museum
400 Flinders Street, Melbourne
GREEK TREASURES from the Benaki Museum in Athens
This features over 160 objects including exquisite ceramics, embroidered textiles, figurines, oil paintings and Byzantine icons.
Until 28th May, 2006
At Herring Island
Access via a Ferry from the Como Landing
As part of the “Herring Island Summer Arts Festival” there is a display of Sculptural Ceramics.
Until 2nd April 2006, Noon until 5.00pm.
For further details please call (03) 9804 0702
At the Melbourne Museum
Nicholson Street, Carlton
Morris & Co
Golden dragons, autumn leaves and tulip wallpaper comprise only a few of the marvelous designs created by Morris & Co. This exhibition shows the most comprehensive collection of Morris & Co furnishings outside of Britain. This is an Art Gallery of South Australia exhibition, Curated by Christopher Menz.
Until 12th February 2006
Notices
A prestigious award
The Circle would like to congratulate Anneke Banbury on having received the award of a Fellowship of the Museums Association on November 12th, 2005. Many members of the Circle would remember Anneke’s marvelous presentation to us on the Zakariah Boreman water colours and the relationship to his painting on Derby porcelain at our Bendigo seminar in August 1993.
Anneke has been the Director of the Derby City Museum for several years.
A sad loss
I am very sorry to have to tell you of the death of Dr Aubrey Sweet on January 15th, 2006. Aubrey was a passionate collector and very generous to the Circle in his willingness to lend parts of his and Eva’s collection. He was a gracious gentleman and was always bright and cheerful despite very great health difficulties. Our thoughts are with Eva at this time of loss.
Patricia Begg
Visit to an Astounding Australian Collection
On the last weekend of November, 2005, Mike and Jan McNally of Blackheath in the Blue Mountains of NSW generously opened their collection for the Ceramic Society of NSW. I was fortunate to be able to attend as a guest. The extensive collection is composed almost entirely of Teawares and associated objects. It is mostly of English manufacture, with some Chinese, Japanese and continental wares.
Mike and Jan began collecting some 20 years ago and fortunately for harmony in the house, both are equally interested and dedicated. At first the collection was of a more general nature, but about ten years ago, they decided to be more focused in their collecting and to endeavour to put together a reference collection for Teawares. Until 2001, they lived in the northern suburbs of Sydney and did not have space to house the collection properly. After deciding that the time had come to seek a quieter lifestyle, they began the task of finding a house suitable for themselves and for the plans they had for the collection. This was not so easy, as it now numbers in excess of 7000 pieces and is still growing. It has doubled in size in the last ten years.
At last they found the old Rectory in Blackheath, a timber building dating from 1880 and set about restoring and converting it. Three rooms across the front of the house were set aside for the collection and comfortable living quarters were made at the rear and in the attic rooms. Purpose built glass fronted cabinets, made of cedar, were built and installed in the rooms, covering all wall space and rising to a height of approximately 8.5 feet.
Rooms 1 and 2 contain 20 cases in all, with items dating from c.1700 to c.1845, including teapots, coffee pots, creamers, sugar bowls, plates, waster bowls, teapot stands, punch bowls, comports, pickle dishes, tea bowls and cups, coffee cups and cans and mugs. Room 3 contains 13 cases housing items from 1800 to 1900, including items as above, with the addition of large milk jugs. In all, 36 different types of objects are shown, and the factories represented number 127.
This gives an idea of the range of their collecting, but not of its size, and it is here where theirs differs from most others. Once they had decided to make theirs a reference collection, they set about methodically acquiring particular shapes, as represented by different manufacturers and different patterns likewise. The inclusion of much unmarked ware is deliberate, as once identification has been established, the pieces are available for comparison with other unmarked specimens. The nineteenth century wares are particularly well represented and feature many factories and types of ware not covered by current publications. While most of the collection is in excellent condition, damage or repairs has not prevented the addition of those pieces where they have an instructive value.
At first, the sheer size and profusion is somewhat daunting and it is ‘hard to see the wood for the trees’, but after a few times round it is possible to start concentrating on individual objects. Besides more well known products, this collection contains many rarities. In his former employment, Mike visited America on a regular basis, so was able to add much teaware made especially for the American market. For a supposed coffee drinking nation, this is a surprising amount. It includes numerous ‘American Beauty’ teapots, of impressive size and of shapes not seen elsewhere. Some are delightful, some grotesque. Large tea bowls, which the Americans call ‘Sippers’, are also included. These were made for the American market long after they had been superseded by cups in England and elsewhere. Most of their collection has been sourced in Australia, but supplemented by special objects from abroad.
The great value of Mike’s and Jan’s reference collection is in its role of education. It is most instructive to be able to see, all in one place, many of the variations of a particular form of decoration for instance, or in seeing the numerous cup and handle shapes from just one manufacturer. Both Mike and Jan are most generous in sharing their knowledge, and this, combined with their pleasant and friendly personalities makes a visit a memorable occasion.
Visits may be arranged for interested parties by calling (02) 4787 5652 for an appointment. An entry fee is usually charged to assist with the maintenance, research & future growth of the collection. You may also visit the Teawares Museum at: www.users.bigpond.com/michael.mcnally
David Walster, Junee.
Holiday Reading - Book Review
A book discovered at the library called “Object of Virtue” by Nicholas Nicholson.
The basis of the novel is the Russian art world and the discovery of Faberge works, fakes, the Russian aristocracy and the Romanovs. The word ‘virtue’ in this instance means that which is pure or perfect and also refers to the word ‘virtuosity’, meaning how well a person creates something. This definition is what attracted me to this book. There are also references to various areas of collecting that we enjoy and makes this a light and enjoyable read. The Author, Nicholas Nicholson is an expert in Russian Decorative Arts and was a specialist with Christie’s Russian Works of Art Department."
Anne Stephenson
Kakiemon on French 18th Century Porcelain
The following is a transcript of the talk given by Peter Burton at the CGCA Warburton 2005 study weekend.
This talk will look at the influences of Kakiemon decoration on the early French factories of Saint- Cloud, Chantilly, Villeroy and Vincennes.
Like all European factories of the 18th century the early wares produced in France imitated the Chinese and Japanese originals that were so favoured by the rich or ruling class. However, in French porcelain the development of Oriental decoration was influenced more by the benefactor of the factory rather than popular taste due to the patronage by the king or other nobles. As the patron financed or subsidised the production, the wares were designed and decorated to his taste. This is in contrast to English factories that had to survive as a commercial enterprise and so economies and popular taste had to be met.
Saint-Cloud was the earliest of the French factories to produce a soft paste porcelain in about 1690 and they made many wares that were influenced by the Orient in their design and decoration. Most of the patterns were direct copies of Chinese and Japanese originals, but in comparison to blue and white, Saint Cloud made relatively few coloured wares. However, they did produce some Kakiemon designs including the popular banded hedge and two quail patterns.
Chantilly followed Saint Cloud, starting in about 1725 under the direction of Ciquaire Cirou with the patronage of Louis-Henri, duc de Bourbon, prince de Conde. The duke already had a large collection of Japanese porcelains with an inventory after his death listing nearly 2000 pieces of porcelain of which the majority were Japanese. With Kakiemon patterns predominate in his collection, it is no surprise that the early production of the factory was almost entirely in this style. In fact, the patent granted to Cirou was to produce porcelain “in imitation of the porcelain of Japan”. A tin glaze was used over a soft paste body to simulate the very white hard paste Japanese porcelain pieces (Nigoshide) in his collection.
While Villeroy, which started in 1734 (duc de Villeroy) and became Mennecy in 1749, did produce wares with oriental influences, few with Kakiemon decoration are recorded. One example, illustrated in “Porcelain for Palaces”, is a fork with the handle decorated in the “quail” pattern so it can be assumed that other pieces in this and similar patterns would have been produced. A marked piece (D.V.) in the same text is a figure of a boy which is a close copy of the Japanese original so it can be further assumed that they used inspiration directly from Japan for their designs. Aileen Dawson also suspects that the Banded Hedge pattern was produced at Villeroy.
Dish - Chantilly
Vincennes, which started in 1740, was under the personal patronage of the Kings Louis XIV and Louis XV. While there are items with Oriental influences in white and coloured enamels, only in the very earliest years of Vincennes can Japanese patterns be found, but again there are only a few recorded pieces with Kakiemon decoration Vincennes employed several workmen from Chantilly (Spero) so it is conceivable that Kakiemon was produced at this time. However, the scarcity of Japanese decorated examples may be because Madame de Pompadour, as the patron of the royal factory at Sevres established in 1756, desired the richly decorated wares which reflected the court’s taste in the rococo period and so the Kakiemon designs were short lived.
So we return to the factory which produced the most Kakiemon designs, Chantilly. The production was mostly of useful wares often faithfully inspired by the Japanese shape, design and decoration, and they bear a closer relationship to the wares of Meissen (who also produced a lot of pieces decorated in the Kakiemon style between 1725 and 1740) rather than other French factories. It has also been noted by Mallet that a Monsieur Lamaire imported a large amount of Oriental decorated Meissen to France in response to the large demand for this style of porcelain. However, Chantilly’s Kakiemon patterns developed independently of Meissen, as they were also based on the Duke’s collection rather than just copying Meissen. Their enamel colouring was a closer match to Kakiemon; the green and blue pigments can be shown to shrink back from the black veining on the leaves. (Example Terre et Feu, Plate 61).
Cup - Chantilly
The colour palette used at Chantilly in the first twenty years was drawn from the Grand Feu colours used in Faience decoration but with greater control when used on the porcelain body. (Chantilly pp.62, 63)
Both Saint-Cloud and Chantilly used some of the same designs, and a similar palette of colours for the Kakiemon wares. However the palette at Chantilly seems to fit better to the Kakiemon patterns than Saint-Cloud. This is probably because Chantilly was so inspired by the style and paid attention to the palette for the specific purpose of imitating Kakiemon whereas Saint- Cloud used a palette that was developed much earlier. The colours of iron red, pale yellow, clear blue and a turquoise green show a remarkable brilliance on the Chantilly soft white glaze, more so than Saint-Cloud and must have pleased the Duke as the production of these designs remained for about 20 years. The Kakiemon patterns that appear on Saint-Cloud seldom have the lightness or originality of those on Chantilly. The glaze plays an important role in creating the sense of Kakiemon style as Chantilly’s glaze had tin oxide added to whiten it and cover impurities in the body. Compared with the creamy translucent glaze of Saint-Cloud, the Chantilly wares looked more brilliant and closer resembled the Japanese originals. The heavier potting of Saint-Cloud also lent itself to Chinese designs rather than the light and airy Kakiemon.
The designs at Chantilly were not always a direct imitation of Japanese. Sources of inspiration came from French silver forms (quatrefoil lobed tureen), contemporary faience and original designs from Chantilly. The melon tureen (Bowles, plate 171) has a shape inspired by Faience, with a Kakiemon palette used on the insects but a typical Chantilly handle and knob. This shape was also elongated and a spout added to produce a very distinctive tea pot shape. A good example is in the NGV.
Many of the unique Chantilly designs were inspired by engravings taken from a book published by Jean-Antoine Fraisse. These designs were inspired by the Duke’s collection and Fraisse combined influences from both China and Japan creating an effect that might be termed “Japanese Chinoiserie” or “Japonoiserie” but this was also seasoned with a French sense of style.
Chantilly continued with developing their designs over a transitional period and introduced some European influences and elements over time. European birds, insects and other animals were used but the simple palette and design aspect remained true to the Kakiemon influence. The French flair can be seen particularly in handles and finials (convolvulus or 3 nasturtium flower heads) which are unique to Chantilly and are quite distinct from Japanese originals. The transition phase continued from the mid 1740s to the early 1760s as European motifs replaced the Oriental. During this phase the themes were often mixed and an example of this fusion of Kakiemon and European Rococo can be seen in the Potpourri (Plate 68, Terre et Feu). The bowl has a Kakiemon design; the bird retains the Kakiemon palette while the base is pure Rococo.
By 1750, Japanese decoration on French porcelain was waning while over the channel the English were eagerly picking it up. The French interpretation of this style was fully captured by Chantilly and developed over a long period. Saint-Cloud, by predating Chantilly, imitated both Chinese and Japanese designs and when the later factories of Villeroy and Vincennes were being established the demand was waning so their attempts to produce this style were short lived and few examples seem to remain.
References:
Ayers, John, Impey, Oliver, Mallet, J.V.G., Porcelain for Palaces, Oriental Ceramic Society, London, 1990
Boone, MaryLou, Terre et Feu, Four Centuries of French Ceramics from the Boone Collection, University of Washington Press, Washington, 1998
Coutts, Howard, The Art of Ceramics, European Ceramic Design 1500-1830, Yale University Press, New Haven, 2001
Dawson, Aileen, French Porcelain, A catalogue of the British Museum Collection, British Museum Press, London, 1994.
Dawson, Aileen, Eighteenth-century French porcelain in the Ashmolean Museum, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1996.
Lahaussois, Christine, Porcelaines de Saint-Cloud, Reunion des musees nationuax, 1997.
Le Duc, Genevieve, Porcelaine tendre de Chantilly au VXIII siecle, Hazan, Paris, 1996.
Girton, Dr Chris, The Two Quail Pattern, Louvic Publications, Buckinghamshire, 2004.
Spero, Simon, The Bowes Collection of 18th Century English and French Porcelain, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, 1995
“Show & Tell” September 2005
The first item shown was a Doccia cup and saucer made in Italy circa 1775. The body was a creamy almond colour and it was painted with flower sprays in a distinctive colour palette and was marked in green under the cup. Another piece of Doccia, circle 1765, was a miniature porcelain bowl with pierced walls outlined in iron red. The rim was also decorated with a running semi-circle or scalloped line. There was a painted spray of flowers inside on the base of the bowl painted in the same distinctive colour palette as the previous cup and saucer. Made by Doccia circa c.1760 was a small tin glazed leaf-shaped pickle dish or butter boat. The outside was green and the inside had a flower sprig at the base. There was a white version of this piece in the White Gold exhibition.
Next came a Gold Anchor Chelsea cup of rare twin handled form with fluted oval sides and ornate rococo handles, the base moulded with tobacco plans naturalistically coloured, the body well painted with a large fruit group and scattered branches and fruit.
A modern bowl from Jingdezhen, painted by Alexandra Copeland, allowed members to see a new body from this celebrated region of China.
A coffee pot, jug and straight sided coffee can were then shown, possibly of Paris manufacture c.1820. They were richly gilded and painted with animals from the four continents, including an Indian elephant which appeared to have been copied from an engraving. A goat with twisted toenails was probably painted from life but the animal would have been a menagerie captive whose nails were not able to be naturally worn down. The Llama and Small Wallaby were painted from life, the wallaby being an important early depiction on ceramics of Australian fauna.
An Anne Geroe small back glazed jar with just a hint of fine oil spots on the satin glaze was followed by another pot made recently in a Thai village factory which had two different black glazes. The first black glaze was thinly applied and covered the body with fairly fine oil finish. It was then partly covered with a very thick black glaze to the top half and it showed a thick bulging line where it covered part of the original glaze. The second glaze showed much coarser oil spotting, the difference was quite marked, however the body of this pot was very poor and it was cracking extensively.
One of the most celebrated glazes from the Song dynasty of China is the family of black glazes of the Jian ware, more commonly known in the West by the Japanese name Tenmoku ware. These are made from iron rich clay and depending on the cooling condition of individual item, the resulting glaze varies from brown to black, and often with special streaky effects that have been given fancy names like hare’s fur or partridge feathers. One of the most treasured variations is called the oil-spot glaze. When the temperature in the kiln drops while the glazes are still boiling, the iron-rich bubbles become fixed as silvery spots. The overall effect is a black or brown glaze with spots all over. The first example shown was a very recent acquisition and was an oil-spot tea bowl by Alistair Whyte from his recent Steps Gallery exhibition. It was noted that the Tenmoku background was brown rather than black.
Another example was a large oil-spot jar made by a well known Japanese Tenmoku specialist, Kimura Morikazu (b. 1922). Mr Kimura comes from a family of Kyoto potters. He was awarded the Japan Society Award in 1967, as well as winning an award at the Japan National Traditional Craft Exhibition. His work is held in the collection of both the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art and the Imperial Household Agency. This jar was made in the 1970s and the overall colour was blacker than the Whyte bowl and also it had an oilier look. Also of note was the fact that the Japanese jar came with its own signed and stamped wooden box. If a piece of Japanese ceramic has an original box with signature, never get rid of the box or you will lose half the value of the item!
A rare piece of porcelain from the Turkish Yildiz factory was manufactured in the Yildiz Palace in 1890 by workers brought from Sevres by Sultan Abdulhamid 11. The products all bore a star and crescent in green or gold with the date. After many difficulties with body, glazes, workers and a major earthquake, the factory finally closed about 1916. The small piece was discovered after extensive hunting in the Covered Bazaar in Istanbul, and was diamond shaped with an overall quiet river scene with trees and foliage in a Corot style. It was surrounded by quite a heavy gold decorative pattern and “vermicelli” gold edging up to the gold rim.
Next came a small creamware side plate, unmarked, but sold as being Leeds. It was moulded, pierced with an attractive pattern and had fluting to the inside. It had also been rouletted with an impressed zig-zag border around the rim and the well. It could have been made either at Leeds in Yorkshire or by Charles and James Whitehead of Hanley down in Staffordshire.
This was followed by a covered, barrel-shaped creamware tankard with a strap handle and decorative bands around the exterior. The cover had a similar moulding and had a flower finial. If you had seen the cover by itself you would probably have thought that it was Leeds, but this was a piece of Continental creamware and luckily it was marked. It was made by the Prague creamware factory in Bohemia, a region where several creamware factories were established in the 1790s. Prague was founded in 1791 by four businessmen who then independently travelled around Europe visiting some 22 other creamware manufacturers to gain technological and financial expertise. Production began in 1793 and by 1795 they had 54 employees and their site had 3 kilns, 4 workshops for mixing glazes etc, 13 potters wheels and one English machine tool. The factory was destroyed by fire in 1797 but was then rebuilt by a Prague banker as it had been so successful, and by 1799 it had over 200 employees. This piece had painted laurel wreath borders, scattered flower sprigs and the depiction of a couple standing in a garden landscape. The mark on the base was the one used at Prague from 1793 to 1800.
A piece of English hard paste porcelain was a tea bowl and saucer from the Bristol factory founded by William Cookworthy in about1770. It dated c.1775 and was moulded in an attractive shape. Hard paste often shows tearing and wreathing to the body and this piece was a good example of that as when it was held to the light you could see the dark streaks within the body. The Bristol wares ranged from very fine pieces decorated in the Sevres style to simpler floral designs such as this one. The shapes of their wares were rather distinctive and the factory closed in about 1781.
Next came two bone china vases 16 cm. tall with a flanged 12 cm. wide top, with gold beading. The underglaze mazarine blue body had extensive gilded decoration and two gold framed medallions which were filled with finely painted flowers. Under the base there was a red Derby mark, quite neatly drawn and dating to about 1810-1815. What was puzzling however were the letters C P painted between the crossed batons of the standard Derby mark.
A collection of tea bowls and saucers was then presented. The first tea bowl and saucer dated to between 1774 and 1780, was fluted in shape and decorated with colourful sprays of flowers with gilded rims. It had a blue seal mark. Next came a blue and white Worcester tea bowl 1780 – 1785 with a blue crescent mark, decorated with a stylised flower pattern, which was followed by a Meissen tea bowl and saucer c.1755 with crossed swords mark and an osier pattern - relief basketwork pattern of woven willow twin osiers used on borders at Meissen from the 1730s. The final tea bowl and saucer was totally different from other pieces being an early c.1800 Pearlware with simple high temperature decoration, but from an unknown factory.
Next came some Spode plates made in 1920 and 1969. They were made from the same mould but looked quite different. The transfer patterns were the same but the earlier plate had more colour and additional transfers. This could have been Spode’s way of coping with high costs by using old patterns and reducing hand work.
A Coalport cup and saucer c.1831-1840 was unmarked and was often attributed to the Rockingham factory until wasters found on a Coalport site proved its origins. The shape was “Adelaide” introduced about 1830 and named to coincide with the accession to the throne of William IV. The ground colour was known as “Adelaide brown” which does not seem to have been very popular. The shape was a popular one, beginning in 1831 and produced until well after 1840. The style was Rococo revival.
We were then shown a pair of Old Fisher Folk, 7 inches high, the man with terracotta head, hands and knee high boots. He had oil skin over-pants and jacket, with a barrel tied to his waist, also a net with corks and a pole over his shoulder. His facial details were fine with black painted hair and eyebrows. The woman had a terracotta head, hands and bare legs with detailed feet and toes. She wore a black fine woven wool double-breasted jacket with 3 buttons each side, a fine woven red full skirt over a petticoat and pants, with a find scarf over her head and tied around the back of the neck. She had in her right hand two detailed terracotta fish (painted), and in her left hand a rope attached to a one inch terracotta basked filled with small mussel shells in a net. Her face and hair were finely painted. The origin or age of this pair was not known.
A Royal Worcester milk jug, c.1889, was of cream colour, decorated all over with a pattern of bird’s nest fern leaves, the handle being shaped as a drooping leaf.
A miniature Meissen vase was of double gourd shape, painted with the gelben Löwen pattern of a yellow tiger curling around a bamboo, opposite an ancient prunus tree. The yellow tiger symbolised fame or progress, and it dated to c.1730.
This was followed by a small 19th century Dresden pierced-edge bowl. Floral sprays decorated the inner edge and centre of bowl, enhanced by gilding. Floral sprays and gilding decorated the under-side of piercing, and it was marked with a Lion within shield under a Crown, with the name Schumann written under shield.
The next speaker had a porcelain bowl made by Chinese Potter Yan-Ze Jiang decorated in blue, red and black in a pattern of bamboo shoots enclosed by black bands. The effect of large bands of black across the surface gave the impression of curtains across the decorated surface giving a glimpse of the bamboo shoots. Also shown was a footed porcelain bowl with a matt tin-white exterior and blue interior had been made by the Australian Potter, Vic Greenaway. The form was an open spiral with a faceted effect to the interior. This bowl had been part of an exhibition celebrating the release of a new book on Vic Greenaway’s career published by Beagle Press. A large flat serving platter had been made by Mitsuo Shoji, a Japanese potter now working in Australia. The rectangular platter was made of earthenware with glass infused into the surface to give an effect of waves washing over the sand.
Lastly, a piece of white 18th century porcelain from France was a finely modelled tea bowl and saucer in a leaf pattern made by Chantilly c.1735. The bowl was modelled as acanthus leaves wrapped around the body and the saucer had a similar moulding in a wreath style, with a stem at the bottom. The three modern pieces illustrated the exciting diversity of contemporary potters with the different effects of form, decoration and materials, while the Chantilly tea bowl and saucer illustrated the beauty and simplicity of 18th century soft paste porcelain which sets us off as collectors of all things in clay!