THE OLD CHINA BOOK Fig. 24. ALMSHOUSE, NEW YORK. A. Stevenson. Fig. 25. COLUMBIA COLLEGE. A. Slevensor.. THE OLD CHINA BOOK INCLUDING STAFFORDSHIRE, WEDGWOOD, LUSTRE, AND OTHER ENGLISH POTTERY AND PORCELAIN BY N. HUDSON MOORE NEW YORK " ' FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY ■"*'''. f; PUBLISHERS rv V ^'i*iiiiZ::oi3 t.?j t„PT. Copyright, 1903, By Frederick A. Stukes Company. Rriittc'fl in the United States of America PREFACE. This little book has been compiled to meet the wants (expressed in hundreds of letters) of those who own old china, particularly old English china, and would like to know more about it, and to stimulate others to whom the fascinations of china collecting are as yet unknown. There are many more to whom we hope to appeal : — those who are interested in their country's history during that strenuous time when the colony cast aside its mother's hand and took its first steps alone. It may well stir our patriotism to look on the plain buildings our ancestors were content to view as " Beauties " ; to note the primitive methods of trans- portation both on land and sea ; to revise our know- ledge of such famous victories as McDonough's, or Bunker Hill, and to study the rugged features of those who worked and died to make our country what she is. All this and more may be found within the limits of a collection of " Old Blue." Quite apart from the peculiar interest of the Staf- fordshire wares are those lovely English porcelains and pottery of the late eighteenth century. They well repay study, and many of us may rejoice to find that we are harbouring angels unawares. Some of the illustrations have been used in articles on this subject, and thanks are due to the DelineatoTy House Beautiful, and the Ledger Mo7ithly for permis- sion to reproduce them. '^><.7< M/l vi PREFACE. To the editors of " Old China " the writer is indebted for a number of cuts, particularly the fine English views, which are being eagerly sought. Numerous photographs were taken expressly for this book, and obligations are expressed to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Concord Antiquarian Society, to Mrs. Frederick Yates, Mrs. A. K. Davis Anthony Killgore, Esq., Mr. William M. Hoyt, and many others, who kindly put their private collections at the writer's disposal. ILLUSTRATIONS. CHAPTER I. 1. Salt glaze plate. 2. Tortoise-shell covered mug. 3. Queen's ware jug. 4. Willow pattern platter. CHAPTER II. 5. View of City of Albany. 6. " Chief Justice Marshall '' (steamboat). 7. "Cadmus." 8. Wood and Caldwell jug. 9. Catskill. N, Y. 10. Lake George, N. Y. 11. Castle Garden and Battery, N. Y. 12. West Point, Newburg, Catskill Mt. House. 13. Landing of the Pilgrims. 14. Landing of Pilgrims pitcher. 15. Erie Canal plates. 16. Table Rock, Niagara. 17. Falls of Montmorency. 18. Woman of Samaria. 19. Marine Hospital, Ky. 20. Limehouse Dock. 21. Warwick Castle, 22. Ely. 23. Mill at Charenton. 24. Columbia College. 25. Almshouse, N. Y. 26. New York from Brooklyn Heights. 27. New York from Brooklyn Heights (platter). 28. Landing of Lafayette. 29. States platter. ILLUSTRATIONS. 30. Pittsfield Elm. 31. Syntax tray. Advertisement for a Wife, 32. Syntax plate. Bluestocking Beauty, 33. The Valentine. Wilkie design. 34. Lumley Castle, Durham. 35. Boston State House. 36. Nahant. CHAPTER III. 37. Capitol at Washington. 38. Almshouse, N. Y. 39. Boston Hospital. 40. Capitol at Washington (Fish tray). 41. Octagon Church, Boston. 42. Mount Vernon and two cup-plates. 43. All Soul's College and St. Mary's Church, Oxford. 44. Battery. 45. Battle of Bunker Hill. 46. Lawrence Mansion, Boston. 47. So called — Lawrence Mansion. 48. Capitol, Washington. 49. City Hotel, N. Y. 50. Scudder's American Museum. 51. Harvard College. 52. Columbia College. 53. Harewood House. 54. Franklin's Tomb (cup and saucer). CHAPTER IV. 55. Arms of Rhode Island. 56. Arms of Pennsylvania. 57. Arms of New York. 58. Arms of Delaware. 59. Tomb (sugar bowl). 60. Mitchell & Freeman's China House. 61. Columbus plate. 62. St. George's Chapel. 63. Branxholm Castle. ILLUSTRATIONS. 64. Hancock House. 65. State House, Boston. 66. U. S. Hotel, Philadelphia. 67. Richard Jordan's residence. 68. Louisville, Ky. 69. Sandusky, Ohio. 70. Albany, N. Y. 71. Baltimore Almshouse. 72. Fulton steamboat. 73. Eulogy plate. 74. Utica inscription. 75. Lovejoy plate. 76. Burning of Merchant's Exchange, N. Y. CHAPTER V. 77. Medallion pitcher. 78. St. Paul's Chapel. 79- Windsor Castle. 80. Jefferson and Clinton, Boston Hospital 81. Lafayette. 82. Niagara. 83. Franklin. 84. Perry. CHAPTER VL 85. Butcher's Arms pitcher. 86. Butchers Arms pitcher. Reverse side. 87. Black-printed ware. 88. Apotheosis jug. 89. Washington map jug. 90- Washington jug. 91. Monument jug. 92. Washington jug. 93. Masonic jug. 94. Death of Wolfe. 95. Commodore Preble pitcher. 96- Sunderland jugs. 97. Printed tea-set. ILLUSTRATIONS. CHAPTER VII 98. Bow pickle leaf and creamer, 99. Chelsea. 100. Crown-Derby, Falstaff. loi. Bristol, Flora. 102. Bristol pottery. 103. Leed's ware. 104. Old Worcester cup and saucer, 105. Old Worcester plate. 106. Plymouth, Harlequin. 107. Corner cupboard of Lowestoft. 108. Rose-sprigged Lowestoft. 109. Blue-banded Lowestoft. no. Certified Lowestoft. 111. Spode. 112. Mason's stone. 113. Herculaneum porcelain. CHAPTER VIIL 114. Black basaltes tea-set. 115. Nelson teapot. 116. Silver lustre tea-set. 117. Silver lustre cake-basket and vase*. 118. Group of jugs. 119. Lustre mug and goblets. 120. Group of lustre jugs. 121. Cornwallis. 122. Lafayette. 123. Cups and saucers, lustre decoration. 124. Castleford teapot. CHAPTER IX. 125. Cream ware, teapot. 126. Basaltes medallion. 127. Basaltes tea-set. 128. Basaltes vase. 129. Jasper flower-holder. ILLUSTRATIONS. 130. Jasper vase, blue and white. 131. Jasper vase, lilac and white. 132. Flower-pot. 133. Lustre candlesticks. 134. Wedgwood's patterns. CHAPTER X. 135. Toby, etc. 136. Lavender porcelain jug. 137. Davenport jug. 138. Newburg jug. Clews. 139. Minster jug. 140. Ariadne jug. 141. Alcock jugs. 142. Eagle and Silenus jugs. 143. Toby jugs. 144. Group of teapots, printed wares. 145. Groups of teapots, lustre decorations. 146. Group of teapots, painted wares. 147. "Lion Slayer." 148. Pepper-pot. 149. Nottingham Bear. 150. Cow and Calf. CONTENTS. CHArrSK. FAGK. Preface v List of Illustrations vii I. Early Pottery i II. Staffordshire Wares 12 III. Staffordshire Wares, Continued . . 38 IV. Staffordshire Wares, Continued . . 61 V. Portrait Pieces 86 VI. Liverpool and Other Printed Wares . 100 VII. English Porcelain and Pottery . . 124 VIII. Basaltes, Lustres, White Ware, Etc., . 166 IX. Wedgwood and His Wares . . . .185 X. Jugs, Teapots and Animals . . .234 List of Views *54 Works on Pottery and Porcelain Con- sulted 284 Index 285 THE OLD CHINA BOOK. CHAPTER I.^ . .,..,.,.. EARLY POTTERY. To-DAY, when our watchword seems to be " rush," when people who would like to pause and bide awhile are swept along with the multitude, the thoughtful person is likely to ask " How can I best withstand the pressure? " The device which is of the greatest use is the culti- vation of a hobby, an intense interest in some particu- lar subject, let it be birds, butterflies or beetles, old laces, engravings, or china. To be able to throw your mind into the contempla- tion of a subject which is of such interest to you that workaday worries are crowded out is not only a rest but a pleasure, and though you may have started on your gatherings without either thought or desire for im- provement, insensibly you will find yourself drawn into new fields, into by-paths leading off from the main road, where you will find much to surprise and interest you. It is not necessary to mention the shining lights of past and present times who have found pleasure in the gathering of china. I am sometimes asked if it is not a very costly pleasure. It may be, yet within my 8 THE OLD CHINA BOOK. own experience have come the following ardent col- lectors of " old blue " : a busy doctor, a woman who is a cook in a restaurant, an editor, a butcher, an actor, a school teacher, and dozens of women of leisure, some with wealth and some with none, some owning dozens, even hundreds, of pieces, some less than a score, yet all fejoicing in the cultivation of an interest, " a new interest in life," as many of them say, which provides agreeable food for reflection, and which stimulates as well as rests. The making of pottery is one of the oldest arts, practised even by prehistoric races, with the exception of the cave dwellers of the Drift period. The sepul- chral barrows of Great Britain have yielded many specimens of this work, and to-day the attention of most collectors centers on the pottery of England, particularly that made in the eighteenth and the first quarter of the nineteenth centuries. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth there were imported from Germany numbers of stoneware jugs, generally called Bellarmines, which superseded for drinking purposes home-made vessels. Not only these German vessels but Delft ware and occasional pieces of Oriental ware and Italian faience also crept into England, were eagerly sought, and brought good prices. This stimulated the potters of England, who had at their command, right at hand, the necessary materials in great variety and abundance. From this period, about 1560, may be dated the use of the potter's art in England, and many utensils were made which were not lacking in artistic feeling and suitability for the purposes for which they were used. Fifty years later the mugs and jugs with many handles. EARLY POTTERY. 3 the posset-pots and flagons were turned in a superior style of material, design and workmanship. During the second half of the seventeenth century many pot- teries started up all over England, most of them being content to imitate German stoneware or the Dutch Delft. There were a few potters who were progressive enough to try and improve their old-fashioned earthen- ware, and of all these early wares dated specimens are still to be found in England. Such as are in this coun- try are museum specimens, so we need not go into fur- ther description. As early as i68o glazing by means of salt (a process which had been known in Germany for many years) became common, and superseded the coarse glaze hitherto known, which was called " lead glaze" and was opaque. Eventually this salt glazing was im- proved upon, and the ware to which it was applied was called " Crouch-Ware" (FiG.i). Even at its best all this pottery was but rude ware, and the nobility and gentry still clung to plate and pewter, and even to wooden trenchers. The chartering of the East India Trading Company in 1600, for carrying on business in the East Indies, is one of the chapters in English history that makes interesting reading. It was, perhaps, the first great trust or " combine " of which we have record, and its rapacities became so great that, finally, about the middle of the nineteenth century, the Crown was obliged to step in and take away its charter. It was, however, to this company that England was indebted for the introduction of porcelain from the Orient. To be sure a few pieces had been brought in prior to 1600, but even Queen Bess regarded highly her two 4 THE OLD CHINA BOOK. cups. One was a porringer of "white porselyn," gar- nished with gold, a gift from Lord Burleigh, and the other a cup of " grene pursselyn," given by Robert Cecil. We may be very sure that the canny queen would have gathered in more specimens if her loyal subjects had possessed much of this " pursselyn," for at New Year's time she had the habit of demanding gifts from rich and poor alike, even ginger from the crossing- sweeper was not too small an offering for her gracious acceptance, and she " sware right lustily " if the gifts were not forthcoming on time. By 163 1 the trading company had thrown out several tentacles, and with other spoils from the East began to bring in porcelain. The company suffered greatly because its officers en- gaged in smuggling " certain wares and merchandise." A long list of articles was drawn up which the officers were forbidden to bring in, but they were allowed to bring home as much china and " purslanes " as they desired. On September 25, 1660, Pepys (whose sprightly diary is a record of all that was doing about town in those days), says, " I did send for a cup of tee (a China drink), of which I never drank before." So it seems as if some cups and bowls came in before the beverage for which they were ultimately used. Tea was then so scarce in England that the infusion of it in water was taxed by the gallon in common with chocolate and sherbet. Two pounds and two ounces were, in the same year, 1659, formally presented to the king by the East India Company as a most valua- ble oblation. Now at this time the vessel known as a teapot had not been invented. Even in the land of the tea plant Fig. I. SALT GLAZE PLATE. Fig. 2. TORTOISE-SHELL MUG. Fig. 3. QUEEN'S WARE PITCHER. Fig. 4. WILLOW P.\TTERX PLATTER. EARLY POTTERY. S the almond-eyed celestial brewed his tea by pouring hot water over the leaves in a bowl. It was left to more recent times and more civilized nations to use such a utensil as we call teapot, and to boil out all the injurious qualities from this cheering plant. With these facts in mind a letter which lies before me seems a little startling. It says " This teapot has been in our family two hundred and fifty years. It is red and yellow, and is decorated with the coat of arms of England. Can you tell me who made it ? " This has happened scores of times to me. People of upright and sterling character, many of them possessed of New England consciences, write me such letters. They have no scruple in adding a hundred or more years to the age of a bit of china, while they might fairly hesi- tate in taking off ten or twenty years of their own age in the presence of the census-taker. It is well to fix in your mind the date, 1660, as the approximate time when porcelain from the Orient, in plates, cups and bowls, first began to appear in England. There were few teapots until nearly half a hundred years later. Although, during recent years, England may well be proud of her porcelain products, she has equal reason to uphold the fame of her pioneer potters, when among them may be found such names as Adams, Elers, Mason, Mayer, Meigh, Ridgway, Wedgwood and Wood. The term " pottery," in its widest sense, includes all objects made of clay, moulded into shape while in a moist state, and then hardened -by fire. In ordinary wares, pottery and semi-china, clay was used which had impurities, while the paste of porcelain is of a 6 THE OLD CHINA BOOK. purer silicate of alumina. The essential difference in appearance between pottery and porcelain is that the latter is whiter, harder and slightly translucent. The use of pounded flint was the cause of great improve- ments in earthenware. The material was mixed with sand and pipeclay, and coloured with oxide of copper and manganese, making the agate, or combed, or tortoise-shell ware which became very popular. (Fig. 2.) This particular tortoise-shell mug, with its graceful cover, is in the Concord Museum of Antiqui- ties. It is very light in weight, rich in colour, and ab- solutely perfect. Pasted in the cover is the following legend — "Jonas Potter, born Feby 6, 1740. Married Dec. 30, 1766, died, March 7, 182 1." It is the record of a whole life, and the monument to this unknown Jonas, one frail mug, has outlived him more than three-quarters of a century. It is undoubtedly made by Wheildon, who never identified his pieces by any mark or name ; but their workmanship is so superior that they cannot be mistaken, for no imitator ever approached their perfection. The choicest pieces of these wares were probably made between 1752 and 1759- The cream-coloured wares followed the tortoise-shell, and were named in honour of Queen Anne, who ad- mired them. They were usually decorated with orna- ments in low relief, copied from the forms of silverware of the period (FiG. 3). After the plain coloured wares came those printed and painted, and this pottery was by no means lacking in beauty of form or design. To the collector the " feel " of a piece of china is almost as great a guide as its looks. The old china had a lightness, you almost may say a softness (which EARLY POTTERY. y modern wares lack), particularly that old English ware known as semi-china. The word porcelain comes from the Italian word porcellana, meaning cowry-shell, and we commonly call porcelain ware china, because it was first made by the Chinese. Porcelain is made of a certain kind of clay, which is purified and then baked, producing a hard, translucent material, the transparency of which is regulated by its thickness. Paste is the body or substance of which the article is made, and may be either hard or soft. Hard paste is made of the natural clay, and appears, when broken, sparkling, fine grained and vitreous. Soft paste is more porous and dull, and is made of artificial clays. You may only distinguish the hardness or softness of the paste where there is a clean chip, but it is well to remember that all modern china is hard paste. Glaze is the shiny material which covers the paste. Hard glaze is colourless and thin, making the object cold to the hands. Soft glaze is somewhat gummy to the touch, without the hard cold feeling which dis- tinguishes hard glaze, and may be scratched with a knife. The rims or little rings on which pieces of hard paste porcelain rest are left unglazed. This is an easy method of distinguishing hard from soft paste porcelain. All Oriental china is hard paste. Hard-glaze porce- lain was made at Plymouth, Bristol and Liverpool. Soft glaze manufactories were at Bow, Chelsea, Derby, Worcester, and also at Liverpool and Rockingham. The Staffordshire porcelain was soft glaze, but had feldspar added. Biscuit is the technical term applied to both pottery « THE OLD CHINA BOOK. and porcelain before they are enamelled or glazed. It is a dead white, and does not receive well colours which need a glaze to bring out their beauty. Faience is a French word which is applied to every kind of glazed earthenware, but does not include porcelain. Majolica, as the term is commonly used, means about the same thing as faience, but formerly it meant exclusively Italian decorated pottery of the fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth cen- turies, made in the old Italian style. Stoneware is seldom glazed by a " dip," the glazing and firing usually being done at one time by the in- troduction of salt in the kiln. Semi-china is made with a large admixture of feld- spar, and is almost as translucent as porcelain. The main differences in the manufacture of earthenware, stoneware and porcelain are due to a few minor in- gredients, to the way they are prepared, and to the degree of heat to which they are subjected. There is one mark which appears on new, old and middle-aged china that causes much perturbation of spirit. As many correspondents say it " is not in the books." This mark is somewhat diamond-shaped, with a capital R in the middle, and figures in the angles. It simply means "registered," showing that the pat- tern is registered. On almost every piece of this old china ware, particu- larly " flat " or table ware, you will find on the face of the piece three rough marks in the glaze. On the back of each piece will also be found rough marks, three in a group, and three groups at equal distances. These are caused by the " stilts," or little tripods which were put between the pieces to keep them EARLYPOTTERY. 9 separate when they were fired in the kiln. They are a very good test that the china is old. When it is said that a piece is in "proof condition," it means that it is without crackor chip, fine in colour and print- ing, and not greased or scratched. A piece may be called perfect, and yet have some tiny surface crack, or may show signs of wear, like knife scratches, but other- wise be in perfect condition. A crack detracts from the value more than a chip or nick, even if the latter be on the face of the china. The term "greased " is applied, when, by much use, grease has penetrated the glaze, and spoiled the colour. The making of pottery took rapid strides after the opening of the eighteenth century, and in the period between 1722 and 1749 no less than nine patents were taken out. Among the earliest pieces made for domes- tic uses were the Bellarmines, already spoken of, copied from the German stoneware, ale jugs and various drinking vessels, mugs and posset-pots. The name "mug" was singularly derived from the fact that these drinking cups were generally decorated with a rude, or grotesque face, or " mug." Posset- pots were in popular use for supper on Chrismas eve. In the tasty drink, with its spices and sippets of toast, were dropped the wedding ring of the hostess and a bit of silver money. Each guest fished in turn after taking a drink. The one Avho succeeded in rescuing the ring was assured a speedy and happy marriage, while the one who got the coin was equally certain to have good luck for the year. These pots, seldom used during the year but on this single occasion, were handed down in families, and may still be found in Great Britain. 10 THEOLDCHINABOOK. The taste for collecting china began very early in England, but it was Oriental china that filled the cabinets, with sometimes a few pieces of Delft, decor- ated in Chinese fashion. Before 1694 Queen Mary had quite a number of vases in which she delighted, and " on which houses, trees, bridges and mandarins were depicted in outrageous defiance of all laws of perspective." It is a matter of speculation if the vases thus described had on them designs similar to what we now know as the " willow-pattern," and which every English potter turned his attention to at one time or another. They are to be found all over this country, in every shade of blue and every degree of workman- ship. Fig. 4 shows a very fine example of this pat- tern. The china mania in England reached its greatest height in the eighteenth century, and all who could filled their houses with jars and vases, cups and saucers, and "loves of monsters," without use or beauty. Of all collectors Horace Walpole was the prince, and of him it was written : " China's the passion of his soul ; A cup, a plate, a dish, a bowl, Can kindle wishes in his breast, Inflame with joy or break his rest." He was so fond of his brittle treasures that he even washed them himself, though his poor hands were swollen and knotted with gout. His collection was, perhaps, the largest ever made by an individual. It was all gathered between 1753 and 1776, and was kept at his Gothic villa at Strawberry Hill. This priceless collection was sold in 1842 by Lord Waldegrave who inherited the property, and it took EARLY POTTERY. " twenty-seven days to dispose of all the treasures at auction. It is a pity that it could not have been left to the nation, like the unrivalled Wallace collection of pictures, which was begun by the third Marquis of Hertford at about the end of the eighteenth century. CHAPTER II. STAFFORDSHIRE WARES. England is not a very large section of the globe, but the history of the villages and hamlets which com- prise that district in Staffordshire known as the "pot- teries" would fill a large volume. The potting dis- trict was over ten miles long and comprised Stoke-on- Trent, Hanley, Cobridge, Etruria, Burslem, Fenton, Tunstall, Longport, Shelton, Lane End, and some lesser known works. Ralph Shaw, in 1733, patented a salt-glazed ware, brown and white outside and white within. The patent did not hold, however, and his rivals copied and improved on his ware with great rapidity. Wedg- wood has always been a famous name among potters, and as early as the seventeenth century there was a Wedgwood potting at Burslem. The Staffordshire potters who are of chief interest to us, may be said to begin with Enoch Wood, generally referred to as "The Father of the Pottery," who went into business in 1784, and who made all kinds of table ware, pitch- ers, punch bowls, and even statuettes. By this time, just after the Revolution, we were recovering from our struggles, and anxious for more comforts than we had hitherto demanded. Enoch Wood was practical enough to seize upon the occasion, and turned out from his pottery quantities of ware, serviceable, attrac- tive and cheap. He did more than this, he made Fig. 5. CITY OF ALBANY. J!'oo