Arts and Crafts

The Doulton factory began production in 1815, first at Vauxhall and later moving to Lambeth. In 1882 it opened an additional factory at Burslem, Stoke on Trent in the centre of the English pottery. Known at first mainly for utilitarian works it began to develop decorative wares more extensively in the 1860s and soon gained a reputation for its distinctive designs. As the factory mark indicates, these pieces were made at the Lambeth factory and the absence of ‘England’ below it indicates that it dates to before 1891. The Lambeth ware pieces were often marked with the date of manufacture, here 1882 which is fully consistent with a design inspired by Eastern influence. The artist’s mark, ‘B’ with a tail, which appears on both pieces, is for Alice L Burlton, whose signature can be seen on other pieces of a similar date with similar raised decoration. The other three markings ‘B’ and ‘OO’ presumably indicate the pattern number.

In general, Doulton designs were often both striking an experimental and this pair of vases is an example of their work at its best, a striking form combined with skilful decoration making them true collector’s items.

Elements of two contrasting contemporary styles combine here with features from both the Arts and Crafts and the Art Nouveau movement. The hammered pewter with the almost rustic nail head fixings and the red bead reflect the former but the elegant depiction of the lotus and butterfly, with more than a hint of the Orient, reflect the latter. The maker is anonymous but doubtless British and clearly a highly skilled craftsman. Much thought and expertise went into the design of this piece which would be a desirable addition for collectors of either or both of the pieces made under the influence of these two highly popular design movements.

Elements of two contrasting contemporary styles combine here with features from both the Arts and Crafts and the Art Nouveau movement. The hammered pewter with the almost rustic nail head fixings and the red bead reflect the former but the elegant depiction of the lotus and butterfly, with more than a hint of the Orient, reflect the latter. The maker is anonymous but doubtless British and clearly a highly skilled craftsman. Much thought and expertise went into the design of this piece which would be a desirable addition for collectors of either or both of the pieces made under the influence of these two highly popular design movements.

The design and style of these pieces recalls products of the ‘aesthetic movement’ era popular in Britain from 1860 to 1900. The object was to produce items of beauty and the furnishings and domestic objects of the middle-class home were to be of a quality that would please the eye of the artist and grace the houses of collectors and connoisseurs. William Morris, in particular, concentrated on distinctive organic forms and the floral designs of his wallpaper and tiles are reflected in the gilt bronze decoration here (see image 8) . The influences on the movement were diverse and Oriental porcelains extremely popular. Perhaps this explains the use of blue and white ceramic here, although the work looks Western rather than Eastern. The form of the nozzles also has many parallels in other contemporary candlesticks. Although there is a slightly continental feel to these pieces, the aesthetic movement was very much a British fashion so English manufacture is the most likely with a circa date in the late nineteenth century before the style lost its popularity in 1900.