ON TO THE DELAWARE ANTIQUES SHOW WHERE WE'LL FEATURE AGATE

It is off to the Delaware Antiques Show where we will exhibit our collection from November 9 through the 11.  We are hoping to meet lots of new customers and we are looking forward to seeing our loyal customers and friends.  

For this show, we are going to feature Agate, probably my favorite pottery.  When you look at this rare plate, you'll see why I am so fascinated with these pieces. 

I think you'll agree that it looks like a fine example of modern art, except for the fact that the plate was made in 1750.  The technique used isn't with different colored glazes but instead with different colored clays.  The striations are simply amazing.  Here is a tea pot where you can see how the striations have a mind of their own.  So, how did they make these?  They did this with two methods,

either they took the different colored clays and used a potter's wheel to bind them together or they took the clays pounded them together, folded the clay and pounded them again.  Then, when the clay was ready, they flattened it so that they could use it to create the pots, jugs, plates, etc.  This pot was made using a two part mold, then the spout and feet were adhered seperately.  Since these pieces were from a mold, the striations are very crisp.  The only section that they had to do by hand was the handle and as you can see, that is not as crisp as the other parts of the pot.  This pot dates from 1750 and it was made in the Staffordshire region of England where the clays were the best available.  Here is another example of the form, it is a small silver form jug that has incredible feet.

 

The feet are called mask and paw, because they have the face of a lion and they have paws.  In the case of this piece, you can really see the beauty of the feet, they are well molded and almost come alive when you look at them.  This jug is also from 1750.  As you can see, the color of the clays is slightly darker than the previous two pieces.  The clays varied from piece to piece, some were darker and others had a bluer tone.  Here is an example of a different type of tea pot because it has a bulbous shape and no feet.  If you look at the handle, you'll see clearly the difference in the striations; they are not as clearly defined because

it was molded by hand.  The dog of fu finial, on the other hand, is beautifully molded.  You can definitely see his face, mane and feet.  The dog of fu finial is an example of the love the English had of all things Oriental, so they copied it often when making their pots. To close, I wanted to share with you this last jpg, this is a double handled sauce boat, c1750.  It is another wonderful example that shows

you how fabulous this pottery is.  Just look at the formation of the clays both on the inside and out; really quite wonderful.

Sadly, by 1770, Agate was out of fashion and very few pieces were made after that date.  As a result, these pieces are hard to find and are all quite rare.

We'll be featuring this collection, next week, at the Delaware Antiques Show.  For more information about the show, here is a link: https://www.winterthur.org/exhibitions-events/events/delaware-antiques-show/

We hope to see you there.  Please visit us online at https://www.warrenantiques.com.

Thank you for reading.  All the best.  AJ Warren