A Brief History of Polish Pottery

Our friend Agnus does a very brisk business selling Polish Pottery at the local area antique and collectibles markets. We can’t help but marvel at her salesmanship as she explains to the throngs of collectors and potential customers who hang around her booth, what Polish Pottery is, where it comes from and best of all the different vibrant patterns it comes in.

Polish Pottery is high-fired in over 1250 degrees C, and is extremely durable and lasts for many many years. The first known pieces of this pottery date back to the 1500’s and were hand made and hand decorated. In the early days, the pottery was decorated using potatoes to create the designs, today the designs are created with sponges. The main colors used even to this day are cobalt blue, peacock blue as well as earth tones. Each piece was an individual piece of artwork. Most of the pottery comes from the City of Boleslawiec, called by some the “Home of Polish Pottery.”

While molds are used for some pieces, most of the pieces are still made on a pottery wheel. The decoration is applied after the pieces are fired in coal and gas ovens, then a glaze is applied to the piece. Today the pottery comes in hundreds of patterns. Because of the high temperatures, the Polish Pottery pieces are extremely resilient and can withstand use of the microwave oven, the fridge and or regular ovens. Polish Pottery is also very collectible; especially those pieces marked “Unikat” which stands for unique. These unique pieces are created by accomplished artisans who create their own work from start to finish.

NOVA-Antiques Newsletter Archives – June 9, 2005 . . . .

Antique Redware Pottery – A Brief History

Redware pottery, which is just what the name implies, a reddish brown colored pottery, was first made by English settlers in the 1600’s. Redware pottery was made in many different states including, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and Tennessee. The reason it is that color is because of the iron content of the clay that was used to produce the pottery. The shades of red or brown can vary greatly depending on where the clay came from and how much iron is in the clay. Antique redware pottery from colonial times can be found to be in most cases rough and usually of poor quality. The reason for this is because of the restriction imposed on the English Settlers by the British crown in the 17th Century.

Until the revolutionary war, the settlers were required to send all raw materials to England where the clay would be turned into well designed and fancy pottery. The pottery would then be sent all over the world, including the colonies here in America. It was unlawful for potters to produce their own products lest the crown not make a huge and handsome profit on the shipment, production and re-shipment of product. Although it was unlawful, some colonists continued to make their own pottery and it was tolerated because the merchandise was of inferior quality to the pottery made in England. After the War of Independence, many potters came to the United States from England and later other countries such as Germany and produce better quality products that were able to compete with the English pottery.

Recently, an Associated Press article said that a piece of Redware Pottery made by John Alexander Lowe was auctioned for about $63,000 in Knoxville, Tennessee. According to the article this was the only known surviving piece of pottery associated with Lowe because all other findings in the past consisted mainly of shards. Case Antique Auction Gallery auctioned off redware jar which is believed to be from the mid-19th Century.

Little Red Riding Hood Cookie Jars Made by Hull Pottery

Looking on eBay recently I spotted a cookie jar up for auction that was billed as a McCoy Pottery Little Red Riding Hood cookie jar. Is this a real McCoy Pottery cookie jar or a fake? McCoy Pottery was started in 1910 by the father and son team of Nelson and J.W. McCoy in Roseville, Ohio. In the mid-1920’s, they started producing and selling art pottery. However, most experts agree that McCoy Pottery never produced a Little Red Riding Hood cookie jar. So the cookie jar on eBay was a fake and even included a fake McCoy mark on the bottom of the jar. In this case, there is no real McCoy. The original Little Red Riding Hood cookie jar which is also the most sought after and most valuable was produced by Hull Pottery and Regal China.

The Hull Little Red Riding Hood cookie jar was patented by Louise Bauer of Zanesville, Ohio in 1943. The cookie jar blanks were produced by Hull Pottery but then shipped to Regal China for painting, glazing and decorating. Later, Regal China began producing their own Little Red Riding Hood cookie jar. This causes quite a bit of confusion as to who made which cookie jar, especially since the red glaze used in both the Hull Pottery cookie jar and the Regal China cookie jar are the same. Sometimes the best way to tell if you have an authentic cookie jar is by looking at the measurements. The Hull Little Red Riding Hood cookie jar measured 13 inches tall and weighed 5.6 ounces. According to published reports, a Hull Little Red Riding Hood cookie jar is worth from $250 to $375 depending on condition.

Addis E. Hull founded the Hull Pottery, which specialized in stoneware, in Zanesville, Ohio in 1905. In 1907, they acquired Acme Pottery, which specialized in semi-porcelain dinnerware. With this acquisition, Hull was able to diversify into other products which included planters, art pottery and tiles in addition to using state of the art airbrush techniques and glazes to set themselves apart. After a flood that destroyed the plant in 1950, they rebuilt and again re-equipped with the latest technology. They were successful through the mid-1970’s with their dinnerware and floristware products but had to close their doors in 1985. Hull products however have become very collectible and enjoy a wide audience with Little Red Riding Hood leading the way.

The History of Moorcroft Pottery

William Moorcroft (1872 to 1945) was born in Burslem, Staffordshire and studied art in both London and Paris. He designed his first pieces of pottery while working at the James Macintyre Company in 1897 but was highly successful after opening his own studio in 1913 in Cobridge, England. Moorcroft created pottery with an Asian feel and developed high luster glazes to create dramatic, eye catching designs. Most of his products sold through Liberty of London and Tiffany in New York. After his passing in 1945, the company passed on to his son Walter.

Walter’s vision and designs helped the company continue its long standing tradition of using brilliant colors and translucent glazes to produce some of the best quality mid-century art pottery. However, later in the 60’s the company was purchased by the Roper Brothers and they unsuccessfully tried to mass produce merchandise and failed. In 1987, Walter resigned from Moorcroft and the design duties turned to Sally Dennis and now to Rachel Bishop. Under these new designers, Moorcroft saw a resurgence in both the quality of their product and interest by collectors.

Clarice Cliff Pottery Designer

Many of you who love Art Deco will know a piece of Clarice Cliff ceramic from a mile away. The Artist was born in 1899 in Staffordshire and started in meager beginnings as a painter of pottery, as many women of that time, in that area of the world. However, that is where the similarities with other women of the time ended.

Clarice had much ambition to become a designer and in 1928 launched the Bizarre line of pottery. The pottery resembled its name, with its bold and exuberant designs, but they were stamped with her name and quickly became popular. Now collectors clamor to discover one of her works. One of her decorative platters recently sold at auction $72,000. The Designer, Clarice Cliff, passed away in 1972.

NOVA-Antiques Newsletter Archives - September 1, 2005 . . . .