A look at the design, market and legacy of Victorian pottery

Friday, November 25, 2016

A Majolica Mystery: Is it real or is it a fake?


We were surfing online recently and a particular piece of majolica caught our attention. It was the Oak leaf tray shown above. It presumes to be an Etruscan oak leaf tray by the Etruscan Works of Phoenixville, Pa. The GSH Oak leaf tray is one of the most commonly seen reproductions of Etruscan Majolica but this one is somehow different. Do you think it's real or a reproduction? We lay out the pros and cons for you to decide. Here is the case.

The Obverse
Con: The reason this tray caught our attention was the decoration. The colored glazes were used in a manner very different from the norm. For one thing the colors were very highly saturated and slightly different in tone and application from the trays we are used to seeing. The tray measures 12.5 inches. The average tray measures 12 inches. There are no stilt marks on the front of the tray.
Pro: At the Etruscan Works the glazes were mixed by hand over a period of eleven years. There is quite a variation of color on similarly decorated Etruscan examples. Would you say it fit well within the parameters of these variations? There was also quite a bit of variation in the size of pieces potted in Phoinixville as a result as the different clays used over the years.
Our Take: Over the years we have seen literally thousands of these leaves. We have probably personally owned 40 or 50 of them. We know this piece backwards and forwards. We have seen them in a variety of colors and conditions but we have never seen decoration this crisp and this bright. Compare it to the example below.


Right off the bat you can see that the MIS piece has an entirely different feel about it. There is a distinct difference in the colors and the application of the colored glazes. The surface of the MIS example is also much more irregular than the top example. The details of the leaf on the MIS example is less distinct, made so by the pooling of the glaze on the surface of the leaf and from the hundreds of impressions that must have been taken from the same mold. The MIS piece appears thicker and more substantial than the other as does the open handle which is unusually thin on the example in question.  Although there is quite a bit of variation in the size of otherwise identical pieces, the variation is usually within a ¼ inch of 12 inches.

The Reverse
Con: The color is entirely wrong. The reverse of Etruscan majolica was done in a different color teal than that seen here, much less green and more grey. The reverse glaze usually shows a great variation in the thickness of the glaze application. This appears to be uniform. The decorators mark is missing.


Pro: The stilt marks which are commonly found on all Etruscan majolica are present on the reverse of the piece which speaks well for its authenticity. The overwhelming majority of Etruscan majolica produced, regardless if it is marked with the GSH mark or not, will have a decorator's mark like the stamped mark seen below, but there are exceptions! The piece is marked Etruscan. The example in question sold from a very reputable online site for a great deal of money. No professional dealer would risk their reputation selling a piece they knew to be a fake.


Our Take: When we examine the Etruscan mark itself something is clearly wrong. On the piece in question, shown left on the illustration below, the center logo is distorted, stretched horizontally. The condensed font used for the words "Etruscan Majolica" that compose the logo is entirely different from the one on the one on the right—there is no stress or variation to the strokes in the letters. They are generally uniform throughout. Where there is a variation, like on the letter U, the stress is on the wrong side. The slender rim on the inside of the outer seal ring is also missing.


We're sure the dealer who sold the piece assumed it was authentic but no antique dealer can know everything. We think it could have been a reasonable mistake.

So, what do you think?
If it is a fake it is really quite upsetting to see a copy this good. We are always on the lookout for majolica with exceptional decoration. What peaked our suspicions with this piece was the intensity, the application and the color of the glaze. It stuck out like a sore thumb as we were sifting through hundreds of similar GSH oak trays on Google Images. The reverse seal only makes us more suspicious.

Without actually examining the piece in person there is no right or wrong answer to this quiz. You need to decide for yourself whether you would purchase this piece if you saw it for sale online. When buying majolica use your head as well as your heart. If something seems off, it probably is. No one wants to be cheated. As always in antiques the burden of proof remains with the buyer. 

Let us know what you think.

Monday, November 21, 2016

Majolica Terrines and Tureens

“Beautiful soup, so rich and green, Waiting in a hot tureen”
—Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

As the holidays approach it’s the time of year when friends and family gather to celebrate the joys of the season. This year we thought we'd do a celebration of majolica terrines and tureens, those wonderfully ornate, over-the-top serving pieces made to dazzle upon presentation. 

The word terrine is a French word, meaning a container of chopped or ground meat or vegetables prepared in a loaf. It is derived from a Latin term terra meaning earth or pottery. Today the word terrine is used in a broader context to describe any container of cooked food. The word tureen is an Anglicized version of the same word generally used to describe a deep, footed container for stew, soup or any other type of similar food preparation. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably although they do have distinct differences in use.

Retail advertisement for game dishes

The English in particular excelled at the decorative majolica dish but continental Europeans contributed beautiful examples as well. Most are traditionally decorated by images relating to food. Since majolica was not meant for oven use, game terrines usually came with plain earthenware liners in which the food could be cooked, that fit inside the decorative terrine for table presentation. When purchasing a game terrine it should come with its interior liner, otherwise it is incomplete. Fruit and vegetable terrines—which are most common in France—and soup  tureens, which generally contain preparations cooked in other types of containers, do not usually have such liners.

Unattributed game terrine derived from a Wedgwood design complete with earthenware liner

Page from the George Jones pattern books showing a few of their terrines

The "mother of all" English terrines is the Minton hare and mallard terrine, a huge, intricately detailed piece that is a showstopper in any collection—always with a show stopping price!

Minton majolica duck and hare terrine 

You don't need to afford a hare and mallard terrine though to make a statement at your holiday table. Imagine your friends and family's excitement with any of these fabulous pieces as your centerpiece. Lets take a look.


Holdcroft fox and goose terrine 


Minton majolica fox and mallard terrine

A Hugo Lonitz variation of the above Minton terrine

Another Lonitz variation of the above Minton terrine

George Jones lobster terrine

Sarreguemines chestnut terrine 

George Jones majolica terrine with boy and dog finial



Large Minton majolica fish with lemon slice terrine
Wedgwood partridge majolica terrine

A Wedgwood variation on the partridge terrine above

Wedgwood majolica terrine

George Jones fish, game and fowl terrine

George Jones "full nest" quail terrine

George Jones prawn terrine

French crab tureen

Continental majolica egg terrine

Sarreguemines egg basket terrine

Sarreguemines egg basket terrine

Sarreguemines egg terrine

Choisy-le-Roi majolica egg terrine

Sarreguemines strawberry basket terrine

Minton crab tureen and seafood server
Minton majolica terrine with hunting dog finial

Minton majolica hare and mallard game terrine

Sarreguemines squash terrine

George Jones majolica fish terrine

Victoria Pottery Co. boar terrine
Brown-Westhead Moore majolica terrine
Huge Minton majolica boar soup tureen

Holdcroft majolica squab terrine

Majolica boar tureen 
Brown-Westhead Moore majolica terrine
George Jones boar's head terrine

Brown-Westhead Moore hare terrine

Copeland majolica game terrine
Forester fish terrine

Victoria Pottery Company game terrine


VPC majolica mallard terrine


Minton majolica lobster terrine

Minton lobster terrine design from the Minton pattern books

Unusual unattributed majolica egg and chick terrine

Wedgwood hare game terrine

George Jones “empty nest” game dish
Minton majolica squab tureen

George Jones fox and duck terrine

George Jones game terrine with deer finial

George Jones game terrine with hunter finial
Minton seafood terrine

Choisy-le-Roi lobster terrine
Sarreguemines seafood tureen
Wasmuel majolica soup tureen

Julius Dressler strawberry tureen

Dreyfus majolica duck tureen

George Jones Partridge Game Pie Dish

Partridge game terrine

Choisy-le-Roi game terrine

Brownfield game dish

Wedgwood hare and dogs terrine 

Brownfield game terrine

Brown-Westhead Moore chick game terrine 


George Jones majolica hare terrine

Unattributed majolica boar terrine

Holdcroft seafood terrine

Wedgwood lobster terrine

Brown-Westhead Moore crab game terrine
Sarreguemines pansy terrine

So, invite the family and set the table with these glorious pieces they will never forget.

Have a wonderful, joyous holiday season!