H is for Home

Charity Vintage: Stavangerflint plate

(ends 29 Apr 2013 19:13:13 BST) We’ve just spied this beautiful vintage Stavangerflint plate on the web. It was hand painted by Inger Waage in the 1950s/60s. These female faces always make me think of Cleopatra or Spanish señoritas – it must be their huge almond-shaped eyes and big hooped earrings! She’s currently up for […] Related posts:

* Charity Vintage: vintage 50s kitchen cupboard with warming drawer
* Charity Vintage: Dansk silver plate turtle / tortoise paperweight
* Charity Vintage: Orange Cathrineholm bowl

http://dlvr.it/3Hhdxw

Shelf Pottery bird

We picked up this striking pottery bird last week. It’s actually a money box and it was made by a company whose wares are very familiar to us – namely Shelf Pottery – who operated in Shelf, near Halifax and only a few miles away from where we live in Todmorden. We often come across […] Related posts:

* Gimme Five! Bird feeders
* Tuesday Huesday: mixing bowls
* Egg-squisite!

http://dlvr.it/38Jlnz

Bowled over by Stig!

We’re saying a fond farewell to our gorgeous Stig Lindberg bowl in a few days. We bought it last year at auction and despite it being very tempting to keep hold of these items indefinitely, we have to make a living. So it’s up for sale!

It’s a stunning piece with blue band and black zig-zag design - hand decorated by Stig Lindberg for Gustavsberg of Sweden in the 1950s. Fully marked to the base with the artist’s distinctive markings.

We put most items on our own website, but we’ve decided to list this one on eBay. There are avid collectors of Scandinavian pottery from this era - and Stig Lindberg-designed examples in particular. It will reach a wide audience for collectors worldwide who are searching for him by name. If you’re a fellow fan, there’s still 4 days left of the auction.

We’ve enjoyed living with it for a while, but it’s just got a bid… so it looks like goodbye!

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Chicken Little

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

In our case, it was the egg - the one that came with the Terrybaun egg cup & saucer we blogged about last week!

This chicken is also a piece of slipware that we recently found - the cute little figure is only 9cm tall. We thought it might be a pie funnel when we first saw it. It’s hollow but there’s no hole to let the steam out. Perhaps just a little ornament then… unless you’ve got other ideas? Its colour is reminiscent of that classic Wedgewood Jasperware blue.  Very sweet - we wouldn’t mind a flock of these!

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Egg-squisite!

We picked up this gorgeous little egg cup & saucer this week. It only cost a pound, but it’s one of those little items that we’re going to treasure. We’ve mentioned previously how much we love this type country slipware pottery.

We did a bit of research into the maker and it turns out that it’s by Terrybaun Pottery - one of the oldest, if not the oldest, craft potteries in Ireland. It was established by Madeleine & Grattan Freyer in the late 1940s. Our egg cup looks like it might be one of their quite early slipware pieces.

Below are just a few examples of the slipware & scaffito pieces they produced in the 1950s/60s - the pictures are taken from the Irish Arts Review’s online archive - stunning!!

The couple’s nephew, master potter Henri Hedou, alongside his wife Fiona, carries on the tradition - taking over the running of the Co Mayo pottery in 1983.

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Forthcoming Attractions: Early January 2012

We bought these items this week - most of them from one local contact actually. It’s quite a mid century modern collection!

Two lovely bits of German pottery for starters - they’re both by Dumler & Breiden. We love the colour contrast and striking repeat pattern of the bowl. The vase has a very distinctive form similar to another piece we’ve got. The combination of thick, textured glaze to the sides and smooth vibrant orange glaze highlighting the holes & vase rim is very effective. We’re trying to be quite strict with ourselves these days, but that’s probably a keeper!

And yet more flashes of orange with the desk lamp & cased glass vase. The lamp, dating from the 60s/70s, is adjustable and has a label for  ‘1001 Lamps Ltd’ of London. The vase is unmarked, but dates from the same period.

There’s another nice table lamp in view, this one being teak with a fibreglass shade. The base looks very Danish.

And, staying with the Scandinavian theme, we have some interesting stainless steel pieces. The snack tray is Danish and quite an unusual shape; the pair of matching vases were made in Sweden. There’s some lovely Tupperware spice pots too - both colourful & practical.

…and then there’s the classic 1950s atomic zig-zag coat rack. We’ve had lots of these and grab them whenever we see them - they’re always really popular with our customers.

And last but not least, the teak drinks trolley that the items are sitting on.

This is a lovely piece of furniture dating from the 1960s. It has the ‘Remploy’ label to the base.

It’s got a great look, it’s useful and is in excellent condition. Did we say we were trying to be strict with ourselves?!

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Mini Mugs

Following on from all the wonderful stuff in our recent Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair blog post, here’s some more hand crafted loveliness!

Justin’s brother, Damian is a very skilled potter and he dropped off some of his new designs on a recent visit.

Amongst them were these sweet espresso coffee mugs.

We love the tall narrow shape which still fits under most coffee machines and retains the heat of a small espresso very well.

He’s experimented with a few different glazes - various colours & textures - and they feel really good in the hand.

 Small certainly is beautiful!

If you’ve got any favourites or feedback please leave a comment here. We’ll be sure to pass them on - Damian’s always interested to hear what people think - especially about new ideas!

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O is for… Owl

These are the big eyes of our latest owl - in this case a pottery money box.

They never stay with us long as these feathered friends are consistently popular in our shop.

Whether in the form of money boxes, mugs, pot stands, textile prints, pictures or book illustrations.

We’ve blogged a fair few times about the great illustrator, Kenneth Townsend. He designed the cutest owl as part of his Menagerie series - apparently the owl was his favourite animal!

Another wonderful illustrator with a thing for owls was Celestino Piatti who once said, “You can draw an owl a thousand times, and never find out its secret”.

image credit: Fishink

We’ve had a quick trawl on the web for some more owls - here are some favourites:

image credit: Vintage Kids’ Books my Kid Loves

Wise Ol’ Canister, Orange: £118 - Anthropologie

Happy owl open edition print by Matte Stephens: $35 - Etsy

image credit: mmmcrafts

image credit: Shailesh Chavda

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Biscuit Barrel Bonanza

This fabulous vintage biscuit jar featured in our recent ‘Forthcoming Attractions: mid-June’ post.
What an amazing, psychedelic landscape!

The range is called Country Lane and it was designed by Robin Cody for Crown Devon Pottery.

There’s something very homely and comforting about a nice biscuit container - especially a full one!! The smell when you open it up and the treats held within!
We’re currently using tins designed by Sanna Annuka for Marks & Spencer to store ours.

We’ve sold some lovely examples over the past couple of years - they’re always steady sellers…

…and here’s a link to all the biscuit barrels, tins, pots & jars currently in the H is for Home shop

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Friday Folks - Kevin James Graham

This edition of Friday Folks features Kevin Graham. We came across him online a few years ago when we were trying to find more details about some of the ceramic items that we’d been accumulating for our shop. Kevin is one of the founding members & admins of the online Pottery and Glass Forum - a group full of very friendly & extremely knowledgeable people from all around the world. You can also find him endeavouring to spread the Fat Lava love around the virtual world via Twitter and Flickr

Who are you & what do you do?
I am Kevin James Graham. I am a researcher & Author on factual books on West/East German pottery. To date I have written Spritzdecor to Fat Lava (hardback), and West & East German Pottery Marks & Form Numbers (hardback). Both limited edition books which came out in July 2009 with only 250 copies of each.

Since the publication of these two hardcover books, I switched to CD as a medium and introduced Spritzdecor to Fat Lava Book/CD and West & East German Pottery, Marks & Form numbers Volume II (which contained over 3500 more numbers than the original book). These came out in January 2010.

In November 2010 I released Spritzdecor to Fat Lava II on CD which contained 32 more companies than the original hardback book & CD, and an additional number of designer profiles bringing the total to 48. At the same time, I released the greatly updated West & East German Pottery, Marks, Form Numbers & Decors Volume III which contained over 2800 new form numbers, including a huge section on Art Deco, with the aid of Volker Hornbostel, a collector of pieces from this period. In addition, a new Decors section was added, with pictures of the known decors of Alka Kunst, Bay Keramik, Bückeberg, Carstens Tönnieshof, Ceramano, Conradt (Gebruder), Cortendorf, Dümler & Breiden, Eiwa, ES-Keramik, Fohr Keramik, Ilkra Keramik, Jasba, Jopeko, Keto, Kupfermuhle Keramik (KMK), Marzi & Remy, Ruscha, Scheurich, Schlossberg, Schramberg (SMF), Stutzel Sachs Wächtersbach, etc.

Other additions to this CD included studio marks & porcelain marks sections. This CD covers the period 1900 to 2000, for form numbers. Also inside this CD is information on who designed the famous Hearts motif pieces for Wächtersbach and when.

Also within is the answer to the 5 WGP companies that had LAVA as a known decor. Of course, the work on both the form numbers & decors is ongoing as, since publishing this extensive CD, I have found new catalogues from Carstens Tönnieshof, Ceramano Fohr, Marzi & Remy, Ruscha, Roth & Ü-Keramik - so next year, a Volume/Edition 4 will be issued.

Other publications that I will launch this year are a Ceramano bookalogue to be released for the More Than Fat Lava Mid Century & Modern German Ceramics Exhibition happening in Amsterdam from 18 June 2011 in conjunction with Emiel Monnink from Retrominded. This exhibition will be opened by my friend Mark Hill.

Bauhaus Generated (German Atelier/Töpferei/Studio Pottery) 1920s to 2000 which contains the profiles of leading potters - who trained them, start date, marks etc with over 300 colour photographs. Over 700 potters are identified in this publication.

Studio potters include Antal (Bandi), Heiner (Balzar), Bampi (Richard), Bisang (Liselot) Bomblies (Eva), Bontjes van Beek (Jan), Böttger (Inge), Brügemman (Antje), Busz (Ralf), Crumbiegel (Dieter), Claussen (Michael), Doss (Antje & Rainer), Dudas (Laszlo), Eggemann (Hildegard), Frey (Harro), Gerhards (Walter), Gramman (Siegfrid), Harney (Else), Heuckeroth (Gerda), Hillers (Ulfert), Hohlt (Albrecht & Georg), Hudler (Friedrich), Kagel (Wilhelm), Kerstan (Horst), Kiessling (Albert). Klopfer (Lu), Kuch (Wilhelm & Elly), Kuhn (Beate), Kummer (Thomas), Lang (Anton) Laeuger (Max), Langelot (IB), Liebenthron (Gerhard), Lindig (Otto), Loesche (Ernst), Maetzel (Monica), Meier (Otto), Mühlendyck (Wim), Piesche (Anton), Schäffenacker (Helmut), Scheid (Ursula & Karl), Stahl (Rudi), Stahl (Wendelin), Stehr (Barbara), Uhlemeyer (Richard), Unterstab (Kerstin, Gudrun & Ralf), Weber (Rolf), Wichmann (Otto). The foreword to this publication will be written by Mark Hill.

How did you get into the business?
By accident! In 2001 I found a Fat Lava Bay Keramik piece in a charity shop in Chard, Somerset - I started to collect later. In 2004, after meeting my wife Esther, I moved to North Germany. I found a treasure trove of West & East German pottery. My collection, which up to that point was only 200 pieces, grew rapidly. However, very little was known then about this pottery. I started to catalogue the form numbers and after several discussions with my friend in the USA, Forrest Poston, I decided to write a book. Research on Spritzdecor to Fat Lava & West & East German Pottery Marks & Form Numbers started in 2004. The only book available at that time was 50er Jahre Keramik by Dr Horst Makus, only in German, and didn’t cover most of the items I was interested in. In 2006, a new book came out (only in German), by Dr Michael Thomas entitled Deusche Keramik und Porzellan der 60er und 70er Jahre, which is an excellent book. I still collect today, my WGP/EGP pieces have exceeded 21,000. I know it sounds a lot, but Michael Thomas has nearly 10,000 more!

Who or what inspires you?
This is a difficult one, I have several people who inspire me to write more, these include Mark Hill, Michael Thomas, Cari Zalloni, Stuart Brownrigg, Stuart Gunning, Emiel Monnink to name a few.

What has been your greatest success?
Again, difficult to think of just one thing. Work wise, writing the two original books which actually started life as a single book, but the printer I used was unable to bind such a large book so it became two.

Have you got any advice for someone wanting to break into the business?
Hmmmmm… make sure your workplace is quiet, has no telephone, make sure you back up your data - every day and make sure your research is sound. I don’t think of writing my books as a business, more of a quest to catalogue the history of WGP. I certainly have not made any money on them, so far, and I know I am not alone. Also, make sure you have a lot of cash in the bank as printing books is expensive!

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Five Flea Finds

This week was very successful at our local flea market… with 5 really good vintage finds for the shop.

First is this original catalogue from the Festival of Britain held in 1951. We’ve really enjoyed browsing through this booklet. In addition the run down of the exhibition itself, there are some fantastic period ads.

Next up is this enamel teapot made by Finel. It was covered in dust and badly tea stained inside, but it’s come up beautifully - a good wash revealed the lovely pattern and the inside bleached clean & white.

This 1960s coffee pot couldn’t fail to catch our eye. We’ve actually had a set in this pattern before - what a great design with its simple, stylised flowers.

This plate was at the bottom of a pile. We could just see the petal edges poking out. We’re glad we made the effort to dig down a bit! It’s a lovely vintage hand-painted sunflower plate produced by Arabia of Finland.

Finally, we have this tea trio - a set of six trios to be precise. It’s the Amanda pattern produced by Ridgway in the 1960s/70s - bright, cheerful and very usable.

All worth getting up early for!

In addition to the five finds destined for our shop, you may also have noticed some wine glasses in the background of the group photo. We were down to our last couple of decent wine glasses (and we do love a glass or two of red wine in front of the fire!). We’ve been looking for new ones for a few weeks now and were determined to pick some up in a charity shop or flea market. There they were - lovely wine glasses - large bowls, long slim stems, nice quality - £2.50 for a set of 8!! Now that was a great buy!

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J is for… jug

Here’s a little blog in praise of the humble jug.

An essential part of domestic life over thousands of years - we use jugs for carrying water, pouring milk, washing & bathing, displaying flowers - the list is endless.

Justin’s brother is a potter  and we have some of his jugs dotted around the house. We love the salt glazed ones above which he makes. They’re quite timeless - you can imagine the one on the right filled with ale in a Pieter Bruegal village scene. The simple thumb detailing around the base is lovely. We need some bowls to match if you’re reading this Damian!!

And, as if we didn’t have enough jugs, we bought 3 more at last October’s Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair. We couldn’t resist Hannah McAndrew’s wares for a second year - her traditional slipware pottery drawing on medieval influences. They look perfect set upon antique wooden furniture  - but would look equally fantastic as stand alone pieces in a very contemporary modern space.

Here are a few more favourites that have recently passed through our hands.

A well designed & attractive jug will give you a little bit of pleasure every time you use it!

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Friday Folks - Hannah McAndrew

Welcome to #3 in our nearly new Friday Folks series.

We met Hannah McAndrew two years ago at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair in Manchester and were immediately struck by her wonderful slipware pottery. We saw her at GNCCF again the following year and just had to treat ourselves to some of her wares!

Who are you & what do you do?
Hello, my name is Hannah McAndrew and I am a slipware potter working in the wonderful South West of Scotland. I make pots which I aim to be beautiful, which want to be picked up and held and which have a job to do and do it well. I want to make things that tell a story, that make people smile and that give a bit of warmth.

How did you get into the business?
In the first instance I came across clay in a sort of accidental way, I went to Manchester Metropolitan University to study Three Dimensional Design and intending to focus on metalwork. In fact I could not stand the noise and the business in the metal department and by comparison the ceramics room was airy and quiet and light. The tutor there though, Alex McErlain, was probably the biggest influence though as his enthusiasm for functional thrown pots soon had me hooked and I suddenly knew just what it was I wanted to do.

I didn’t feel I knew enough though on leaving university to be able to just go out there and make pots so I searched for an apprenticeship. Eventually I found again in a somewhat accidental manner a potter called Jason Shackleton who lives near Dumfries who offered me a place working at his pottery. So that was that, I left Bolton and moved to Scotland and as soon as I started working with Jason I fell head over heels in love with slip, the techniques associated with it and the history and tradition and passion that stem from it.

Who or what inspires you?
What inspires me? Pots, old pots, new pots, seeing other potters work, folk arts, tapestry and embroidery in particular, my imagination, my surroundings, and the way that clay and slips can come together and the potential that they have to create wonderful exciting things.

What has been your greatest success?
A few things spring to mind when I think about successes for me and business, being asked to visit the USA in April 2011 to demonstrate my work there, being accepted as a professional member of the Craft Potters Association, being still here making pots and selling pots and still loving it after eight, nearly nine years of being self-employed.

Have you got any advice for someone wanting to break into the business?
To anyone wanting to enter the business I would say that being determined and passionate and enthusiastic about whatever it is that is your thing are key to your success. Do what you love, follow you heart and share your passion.

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F is for…

Figgjo is a Norwegian pottery company still producing today.

Our favourites are the folk art and landscape-inspired designs of the 1950s & 60s - ranges such as Lotte, Daisy, Siciliaand Market.

Tor Viking pattern egg cup and plate border detail

They incorporated mythical creatures, whimsical figures and stylised flowers.

Sicilia pattern plates

The motifs were used to decorate tableware, kitchen equipment and decorative objects such as bowls and wall plaques.

Pair of pottery sauce/milk pans

Detail of wall plaque designed by Rolf Frøyland

Daisy pattern tray (left) Berry and leaf patterned butter dish (right)

Various mergers have taken place under the Figgjo umbrella, significant amongst these was with Stavangerflint in 1968.

Stavangerflint June coffee set

For more of a detailed history visit the Figgjo AS website.

Lots of our Flickr friends have lovely examples of this distinctive pottery. Have a look at them here.

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C is for…

What makes that perfect coffee break?

Well designed machines to make it in…

Striking pots to serve it in…

Beautiful cups to drink it from…

And not forgetting… cosies to keep it warm!

Coffee time @ H is for Home

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