Maling - Antiques Info

Transcription

Ceramics
Maling: Newcastle’s Finest Potter
by Roland Head
With Price Guide
Maling Peony Pattern bowl with green lustre
ground, pattern 5855. Dated 1932-34, 3in
diameter. Sold June 2006, £65.
Maling oval green lustre vase. Pattern
number indistinct. Dates, late 1930s-50s.
Maling Cetem Ware small blue lustre bowl,
pattern 3050. Dated 1926-29, 4in diameter.
ANTIQUES INFO - July/August 07
Maling may not be the first name that
comes to mind when you think of 1920s
and 30s English decorative ceramics, but it
deserves a distinguished place on that list.
C. T. Maling & Sons pottery was originally established in 1762. It was for many
years one of the UKs largest and most
modern manufacturers of utility wares,
particularly earthenware jam jars, a market
Maling dominated until the 1930s.
Maling’s Ford A & B potteries, built in
1859 and 1878 on Tyneside, were two of
the most advanced and highly-automated
pottery factories the world had seen. They
made pioneering use of steam engines and
other mechanical systems to facilitate high
volume production of commercial pottery.
Such wares formed the bulk of Maling’s
output until the early twentieth century,
when the semi-porcelain Cetem Ware
range, introduced in 1908, heralded a
change of direction towards a greater
emphasis on decorative wares. Scrolled
and floral patterns adorned several popular
ranges of toilet and tableware, which
continued until the 1920s.
Maling’s first purely decorative range
followed, a set of wares decorated with
Oriental themed patterns on a black
ground, undoubtedly influenced by the
popular Chinese Kang S’hi porcelain.
Similar black ground wares were also
produced by several well-known Staffordshire potteries, and were very popular with
the buying public.
A Sea Change
In 1926, Maling appointed a top designer,
Lucien Boullemier to take charge of their
decoration departments. Port Vale football
fans with long memories may remember
him as the scorer of the winning goal in the
1898 F.A. Cup, but Boullemier had a fairly
distinguished ceramics pedigree too. He
was the son of one of Minton’s finest
French painters, Antonin Boullemier, and
was himself a former employee of Minton
and the Soho Pottery in Cobridge.
Boullemier had spent much of his artistic
career decorating high-quality porcelain.
As a result, he was able to bring a level of
glamour and refinement to Maling’s
decorative output. This surpassed anything
else the factory made, before or after
Boullemier’s tenure at the Ford potteries.
It is worth noting that in the years before
Boullemier’s arrival, Maling had already
started to modernise and expand their
decorative ranges. Former Wedgwood
painter C. N. Wright had been employed
by the pottery in 1922, and had introduced
a range of new patterns, and perhaps most
notably a new range of ground colours.
The white, cream and black grounds that
had dominated before were still in
production, but newer ranges were being
built around ground colours that have
come to be characteristic of Maling’s
decorative work - red, pink, purple, blue
and yellow.
New Techniques
Boullemier adopted much of Wright’s new
work and continued to improve on it,
introducing a range of stylish and contemporary new patterns and rejuvenating
some old patterns with new decorating
techniques.
Of particular note were gold register
printing and the distinctive swirled
grounds found on so much twentieth
century Maling. Maling’s decorators were
already adept at transfer printing, but the
gold register printing technique favoured
by Boullemier took this skill to a new
level. Patterns were applied with linseed
oil rather than ink, and gold dust was then
sprinkled over the oil before being baked
on to create very intricate gilded patterns.
A great proportion of the decoration was
hand-painted, as were the swirled grounds
used on many of his high-quality lustre
pieces. This combination of glamorous
and even decadent designs, luxurious
hand-painted decoration and fine detailing
meant that in the late 1920s, Maling’s
decorative output compared very
favourably with that of the top
Staffordshire potteries of the time, perhaps
most notably W&R Carlton Ware and
Fielding’s Crown Devon.
State of the Market
Maling does not seem to have much of an
export market. This has contributed to the
general decline of prices for most
twentieth century Maling in the last few
years. Now is certainly a good time to buy
for collectors, with a fairly flat domestic
market and little export demand. The most
collectable examples of Maling’s decorative wares are certainly those produced
during Boullemier’s time at the pottery
(1926-1936). These pieces still command
the strongest values, especially if they
have a desirable, non-floral pattern.
Ceramics
For a small example of how the market has changed,
however, consider this. In May, 2004, a dealer acquaintance sold a small blue ground lustre bowl decorated in
the Peony (5030) pattern for £100. In June 2006, she sold
an almost identical bowl for £65. Both bowls sold at
antique fairs, providing an interesting comparison.
Likewise, a tall lamp, decorated in the late 1920s Exotic
Birds pattern fetched £315 at a fair in May 2005. A tall
vase in the same pattern recently sold in March this year
for only £155, too big a difference to be accounted for
solely by the differing appeal of the two shapes.
Collectors of Maling will find that it is relatively scarce in
comparison to comparable Staffordshire potteries. There
are very few specialist Maling dealers, and quality pieces
are comparatively rare at fairs. Good pieces occasionally
come up at auction, most often at auction houses in the
Tyneside area, suggesting that quite a lot of Maling has
stayed relatively close to home, perhaps in the families of Maling Daisy pattern 6157, vase, pink
ground. 6.5in tall. Dates, 1933-39.
former workers of the pottery, which closed in 1963.
Buying Advice
Photos courtesy of
While there are some good buys to be had, it is important
to differentiate between pre-1939 pieces and post-war
Perfect Pieces.
pieces. The latter are generally not worth as much, and in
www.perfectpieces.co.uk
the case of the lustre wares are not of quite such high
quality. Post-war pattern are generally floral, and likely to
have a pattern number above 6500. Pieces made for
Ringtons can also vary widely in appeal. Look for early
pre-Second World War examples. As a general rule, the
best pieces from the late 1920s and early 1930s have
pattern numbers below 6500. A number between 30003500 denotes a pattern introduced between 1926 and
1930, during the first years of Boullemier’s period at
Maling. These are amongst the most desirable designs,
followed closely by those with pattern numbers up to
around 5500. Earlier pieces still, such as Cetem Ware and
black ground pieces tend to have a more limited market,
and lack the outstanding quality of these later examples.
Some shapes display these patterns better than others, and Maling Windmill pattern, 3930, lustre
while beauty is in the eye of the beholder, you should charger. 11.25in diameter. Dates,
consider this when choosing pieces. The 1930 Windmill 1932. Sold September 2003, £440.
pattern (3930) for example, displays much better on a
large charger than it does on a tall, narrow vase, and is a
particularly desirable pattern on lustre pieces.
As always with such pieces, the condition of gilding,
enamelling and glaze is paramount. Worn gilding is
especially common and whole sections can sometimes be
completely missing, leaving very little trace to show you
where they should be. Heavy crazing can also be a
problem on the lustre pieces, detracting from their appeal.
It is hard to predict whether Maling’s popularity will
increase in the future, but the best pieces should always
make sound investments simply because they represent
some of the most finely-decorated examples of 1920s and
30s British decorative pottery. There probably won’t be a
better time to start investing in Maling.
Maling Springtime pattern 6524, bowl.
8.75in diameter. Dates, 1950-55.
Maling Peony pattern 5508, twinhandled dish. 6.25in diameter. Dates,
1932-34.
Maling Peony pattern 5030, bowl,
dark blue ground. 3.5in diameter.
Dates, c1930. Sold May 2004, £100.
Price Guide
On the following pages we have provided a selection of
forty Maling lots which have been sold at auction
between 1999 and 2007. The price range is £420 to £20
hammer. Readers should ensure that they read the
market comments in this feature before studying the Maling Peony pattern 5955, vase, pink
ground. 8.5in tall, c1932-34.
price guide. Editor
Maling Exotic Birds pattern 3001,
lamp base. 11.5in tall. Dates 1926-29.
Sold July 2005, £315.
Ceramics
A selection of Maling lots from our Gold
Services at www.antiques-info.co.uk
1
Maling ware Daisy pattern 6157 K
lustre bowl c1949-63, 8.5in.
Lambert & Foster, Tenterden. Aug 99.
HP: £420. ABP: £494.
2
10
15
5
Maling North East Coast industries
Exhibition May 1929, circular plate.
28cm. Boldon Auction Galleries,
Tyne & Wear. Sep 04. HP: £180.
ABP: £211.
Maling vase, pattern no 6320.
Great Western Auctions, Glasgow.
Jun 05. HP: £130. ABP: £152.
Early 20thC Maling polychrome
floral plate, pattern no.1501, 11.5in.
Gorringes, Bexhill. Mar 02. HP: £85.
ABP: £99.
16
6
11
Maling ware Ringtons Ltd tea caddy,
hexagonal shaped with each side
showing a different cathedral, 7.5in
high. Dee, Atkinson & Harrison,
Driffield,. Jul 99. HP: £190.
ABP: £223.
Maling ‘Daisy Victorian Green’
pattern ginger jar and cover.
Boldon Auction Galleries, Tyne &
Wear. Sep 04. HP: £180. ABP: £211.
Maling ginger jar and cover.
Jan 07. HP: £120. ABP: £141.
Maling plate with tulip decoration.
Oct 06. HP: £85. ABP: £99.
17
7
3
Maling dish ‘Dovecote’.
Feb 07. HP: £160. ABP: £188.
8
12
Late 1930s Maling vase of ‘Briar
Rose’ pattern on green background,
15.5cm. Boldon Auction Galleries,
ABP: £94.
Ringtons Ltd Maling Ware jug of
tapered octagonal form, transfer
printed, 8.5in high.
Dee, Atkinson & Harrison, Driffield,.
Feb 01. HP: £110. ABP: £129.
Early 19thC Maling lustre plaque,
painted with inscription ‘Thou God
See’st me’ beneath an eye, amidst
pink lustre border, 7in.
Gorringes, Lewes. Oct 04. HP: £190.
ABP: £223.
4
18
Maling, circa mid 1930s fruit bowl of
Daisy pattern 6236, 21cm.
Wear. Jun 04. HP: £140. ABP: £164.
9
Maling plate, pattern 5454 of a
parrot on a blossom branch within
leaf border, castle mark, 28.3cm dia.
Bristol Auction Rooms, Bristol. Jan
04. HP: £180. ABP: £211.
Twin handled Maling bowl decorated
with butterflies and flowers.
Jan 07. HP: £140. ABP: £164.
13
Maling lustre bowl decorated with
fruit, 8.5in. Gorringes, Lewes. Jul 00.
HP: £90. ABP: £105.
14
Art deco design Maling bowl with
geometric polychrome decoration,
10in. Gorringes, Lewes. Sep 00. HP:
£90. ABP: £105.
Maling fruit decorated lampbase,
29.5cms high. Great Western
Auctions, Glasgow. May 05. HP: £80.
ABP: £94.
19
Maling blue Garland pattern two
handled bowl, 30cm. Boldon Auction
Galleries, Tyne & Wear. Sep 04. HP:
£80. ABP: £94.
Ceramics
20
Maling flower decorated plate,
28.5cm dia. Great Western Auctions,
Glasgow. May 05. HP: £70. ABP: £82.
25
35
30
Maling pottery jelly moulds: 4 small
examples and one larger. Gorringes,
Bexhill. Jul 05. HP: £35. ABP: £41.
Maling dish. Great Western Auctions,
Glasgow. Feb 06. HP: £65. ABP: £76.
Ringtons Maling blue chintz pattern
hot water jug. Boldon Auction
£50. ABP: £58.
36
31
milk jug, 19cm. Boldon Auction
Galleries, Tyne & Wear. Sep 05.
HP: £35. ABP: £41.
21
Maling vase, pattern no 6156.
Jun 05. HP: £70. ABP: £82.
22
26
37
milk jug, 18.5cm. Boldon Auction
£62. ABP: £72.
Maling Peony rose ginger jar.
Feb 06. HP: £50. ABP: £58.
32
Maling floral pattern bowl, with
gilding, pedestal base, 10.5in dia,
small dark scuff to top near rim, base
marked ‘Daisy, 6157’. A F Brock &
Co Ltd, Stockport. Nov 05. HP: £35.
ABP: £41.
38
27
Maling plate decorated in relief with
flowers and kingfishers.
Oct 06. HP: £70. ABP: £82.
Maling bowl, upon 3 feet.
Jun 05. HP: £60. ABP: £70.
28
Maling plate depicting a water wheel.
Jun 06. HP: £50. ABP: £58.
Maling plate depicting flowers.
Apr 06. HP: £30. ABP: £35.
33
23
Maling Peony rose pattern tall vase.
Wear. Sep 04. HP: £65. ABP: £76.
Maling plate, depicting a windmill.
Apr 06. HP: £60. ABP: £70.
29
24
39
hot water jug. Boldon Auction
£48. ABP: £56.
Maling squat water jug on a purple
ground decorated with exotic flowers,
14cm high. Boldon Auction Galleries,
ABP: £32.
34
Maling basket pattern no 6319.
Jun 05. HP: £65. ABP: £76.
tea pot. Boldon Auction Galleries,
ABP: £61.
40
teapot. Boldon Auction Galleries,
ABP: £52.
Ringtons Maling blue and white tea
caddy of Castle pattern.
Wear. Sep 05. HP: £20. ABP: £23.

Maling - Antiques Info

Transcription

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