Finials that topped the lids of coffeepots, teapots, sugar bowls, and tureens, were a unique way of adding a design element to a pattern.
The club gets many requests about how to begin to downsize a collection.
Ouch! Not an easy question to answer, for many reasons. Why? Well, do you want to determine something’s value “for insurance purposes” or do you want to make sure you can resell it at a profit?
Keller & Guerin was a French family pottery that made flow blue, mulberry, and polychrome faience pieces in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The history of the factory dates to 1728.
We have been concerned for quite some time about the proliferation of so-called New Flow Blue. There is nothing wrong in buying a piece of china that was manufactured recently – it is wrong to represent these pieces as being “old” or “antique” and charging accordingly.
Early in 2014 Warren Macy asked me if I knew anything about the figure which appears on the relief moulded jug pictured below:
This question concerning possible lead poisoning associated with the use of antique china is one that surfaces frequently.
As the past Webmaster of FlowBlue.Org I received many inquiries asking about Flow Blue China, pattern identification, value, where to sell, where to buy, etc. but an inquiry really piqued my curiosity. A young lady sent me a photo of a Flow Blue plate, that with a little research, I determined was Messina by Cauldon.
“Flow Blue” entered the English pottery world in response to highly valued Chinese Export porcelains. The fanciful oriental landscapes and romantic themes created in deep cobalt blue caused quite a stir in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries, which prompted English potters to imitate the designs and bring their own version to the marketplace.
A bout a year ago, I took a photograph of an Oregon mug I have in my collection for Betty Reed. She asked me how I took my photos because she liked the end product.
With the most discreet nonchalance you can muster, you glance at the price tag. After you perform a bit of mental arithmetic, your blood begins its inevitable rush toward your feet.
n this rather technical follow-up article to my original photography article, I will discuss how I use Photoshop CS5 after taking photos of flow blue or mulberry ironstone to adjust curves.
In a previous article on the website entitled “Distin Musician Figural Jug,” Dan presented an interesting relief jug decorated with the figure of one of the musicians of the Distin family band.
We have been concerned for quite some time about the proliferation of so-called New Flow Blue. There is nothing wrong in buying a piece of china that was manufactured recently – it is wrong to represent these pieces as being “old” or “antique” and charging accordingly.
A lot has been written about the production of flow blue and mulberry china, but when potters and collectors attempt to
explain the actual science of such processes, misinformation is often the result.
You might get a sense that while the world turns and things change, our Club just keeps plodding along with blinders on. Not So!
A Convention presentation how the Civil War effects on ceramics.