May
Antique Pearlware
Posted in Decorative Antiques | No Comments »Antique Pearlware
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1780 English Pearlware Blue Decorated SMALL Pitcher |  |
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US $850.00 | 27d 20h 15m |
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19TH CENTURY STAFFORDSHIRE PEARLWARE FIGURE PEACE | |
0 Bid | US $154.37 | 8h 49m |
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ANTIQUE RED PINK TRANSFERWARE TEACUPS DAWSON CA 1830S | |
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US $129.00 | 29d 4h 10m |
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1830 American Historical Staffordshire Cup Plate MaineE | |
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US $850.00 | 27d 20h 15m |
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Antique Pearlware Creamware Blue Banded Mixing Bowl | |
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US $29.99 | 24d 17h 47m |
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ANTIQUE 1830S GEORGIAN PEARLWARE BLUE WILLOW PLATE | |
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US $73.13 | 26d 1h 43m |
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Many British potters attempted creating creamware and pearlware in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. True Ironstone dates to the early 1800s; the name and the formula, which contained the mineral feldspar, were patented in 1813 by Charles Mason of Staffordshire, England.
The decorated ironstone with colorful patterns was an immediate success in England, but the white-glazed variety has little official history there because virtually all of it was made for export to Europe, Australia, and the United States. They put together services of snowy-white ironstone, predicting that its simplicity and affordability would appeal to the no-frills aesthetic associated with American country life. These pieces, given names such as graniteware, stoneware, pearl china, or feldspar china, are now all categorized as ironstone. The English only used the decorated variety and it was not desireable in England. The plain pieces served as blanks for many pottery factories in the pottery districts of England, in the Midlands, as it is referred to by locals. By the 1830s, enterprising British potters recognized a potential market among rural American families buying china for the first time.
White ironstone patterns fall into distinct periods. The earliest, called gothic or primary, date from the 1830s to the 1840s and comprise paneled hexagonal or octagonal shapes. Rounded forms emerged in the 1860s, including harvest patterns decorated with relief-molded berries or the popular wheat sheaves. After 1860, bulbous, extravagantly ornamental designs combined ribs with leaves and flowers dominated the designs; then from 1880 on, ironstone reverted to plainer and simpler shapes, often unadorned except for the finials or handles.
White ironstone has long been an American favorite. Although massive quantities of the handsome, functional, undecorated and inexpensive Staffordshire were imported to America in the late 1800s, Martha Stewart revived its popularity in the 1990s. It is no longer inexpensive. The once common and affordable ironstone is now highly sought after by collectors which has caused it to be more expensive. A teapot might sell for $350 and a soap dish for $200. Its quality is based on the evenness of the color, stains from use, any crackling from age and the quality and detail of the relief work. All edges, finials, and handles should be free of chips with no repairs. The cost of a piece depends on its maker, pattern, condition, rarity as well as where it's being sold. If a collector purchases from an antique show or from a fine antique store, the price will be higher. It's worth digging around for white ironstone, alhough it is not easily found, particularly the larger pieces.
In the United States, white ironstone remains a staple, like the little black dress of the antiques world; you can't go wrong with it when using it to accessorize any part of your home or utilizing a whole set as dinnerware.
Cordelia Mendoza has been buying and selling vintage and antique furniture for twenty years and owns a popular shop in a local beach community business district. Cordelia has helped decorate, furnish and accessorize local homes for that many years, specializing in the cottage look. Cordelia has written articles for antique trade magazines for many years and is an avid blogger.