Martin, Shaw & Cope 'Improved China' Jug 1815-1827 Ref.MSC2
Very little is known about the Martin, Shaw and Cope factory, apart from the fact that it was a short lived enterprise, lasting from 1815 to 1827, but produced some exquisite work. The history of the Staffordshire Potteries lists them as having worked at Lane End, Longton. From some rather old records, we find the description of this part of Staffordshire 'LANE END and LONGTON are two townships, forming a populous and thriving market town, in the parish of Stoke; situate at the southern extremity of the Potteries, four miles south east from Newcastle, on the road between that town and Uttoxeter. This place has risen to opulence and importance, within a comparatively few years, by the prosperous manufactures which distinguish this district. The Trent and Mersey canal passes about two mileswestward from the town; and through it runs a small stream, on which are several mills grinding flint. The chapel is a brick edifice, rebuilt about the year 1795, and subsequently enlarged; the living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of certain trustees. An additional church was erected a few years since. There are places of worship for the several denominations of methodists, and for baptists, independents and Roman Catholics. In a free school founded by John Bourne, Esq., in 1760, forty children of both sexes are instructed; and there is another conducted upon the national plan. The markets are held on Wednesday and Saturday; the latter is the principal, and is well supplied with provisions of all kinds.'
Not much to go on, but in total, over 1,500 potters came and went during the area's heyday. By 1800 the pottery industry was well established and expanding, with over 300 potworks in north Staffordshire.
The majority were in the town centres but more were being built alongside the areas roads and canals. The transport system was further improved by tramways linking collieries, canals and roads. This, in turn, offered greater flexibility for the location of potworks. The geography of Staffordshire in central England conspired to make it a center for slipware and other types of lead-glazed earthenware. Thick layers of clay lay only a few feet below the surface. In fact, there was so much of the stuff within easy reach that 18th-century potters routinely dug clay right out of the roads, thus giving us the origins of the phrase pot hole.
This rare, porcelain marked, transfer-printed jug, is decorated with an attractive chinoiserie design typical of the late Georgian era, featuring a number of pagodas with a long bridge to the forefront, with a boat, six figures, a tea-house, and numerous flowers. The jug would have first been transfer-printed and glazed and fired at a high temperature, then hand embellished with vibrant colours and once again fired at a lower temperature. This had to be done as the colours would not stand up to the initial high temperature of the first firing. The jug is in excellent condition. Well glazed, although it shows a typical "orange-skin' finish ( the glazing process was not fully under understood yet) is also has some black 'spots' internally which would have been due to dust from the coal-fired kilns. Small spots are common in most ceramics of this era. A similar jug can be seen at the Fitzwilliam Museum UK.
The jug stands 11cm high to the top of the handle and is roughly 12cm in diameter. There is virtually no wear to the design and the colors remain vibrant. The jug has no makers mark on the base.
This is a genuine antique. Please remember the classification of an 'antique' is that it should be 100 years old, OR MORE. There are many articles being offered as 'antiques' when, clearly, they are not.
Price R800.00
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