demitasse

Some while ago, I posted pics of a Hong Kong pattern teaset by Bishop & Stonier which a lady named Anne was selling.  She apparently got an enquiry as a result of the blog posting - great result.  Here are some more pieces she's selling - you'll need to contact her for more details of condition and makers etc.

Jill Fenichell

Jill Fenichell  Inc , a porcelain dealer in New York, sells some truly delicious things.  check out the link to see more, including this lush Powell Bishop & Stonier service.

P.B&Co

It seems P&B weren't the only ones who were recycling their wares by using different transfer designs on the same mould shapes.  It appears that P.B&Co  (yes, "Co") were at it too.  Pinder Bourne and Company used the same tactic as their contemporaries at Powell & Bishop.  The common mistake of mis-attributing the two factories just got even more complicated.

Chelsea

I hope this ebay seller will forgive me using their photo, but i hope also they will appreciate me directing you readers to their auction.  This seller in America is selling off a rather large set of Powell Bishop & Stonier (P.B&S) wares in a pattern called Chelsea.  It should do well in the American market as brown transfer printed wares seem to be very collectible on that side of the Atlantic.  Good luck to seller and bidders alike!  there are some lovely pieces on this collection.

Bisto vs Losol - even i sometimes get caught out.

 These similar wash sets caught my eye whilst browsing The-saleroom website.  One is by Bisto, the other is Losol ware (by Keeling & Co - a contemporary factory of Bishop & Stonier).  Both fetched £75 at auction.  I'll let you guess which is which... perhaps a search through previous blog posts on this site will help identify the Bisto pattern.

What this illustrates most to me as how easy it can be to misattribute pieces to one factory or another.  That's why knowing marks and patterns can help so much.  Luckily for Bisto collectors, they were usually very good at marking their wares.  It also shows us how styles and fashions were completely pervasive among the best brands of their day.

my home town

http://www.jacobsandhunt.com/jan.84.jpg    Coming up for auction soon is this little vase depicting a football player from my home town team, Portsmouth.  Why am I showing you this? Is it by Bishop & Stonier or one of the other associated partnerships?  No, well, not really.  It's actually by the Grays pottery.  This factory has two connections with Bishop & Stonier: the first is that they often bought B&S blanks which were then decorated with their own designs.  You can, on occasion, find Grays pieces which have their own factory mark applied over a Bisto mark.  The second connection between the two factories is that George Buttle, a designer for Grays, also worked at the Bishop & Stonier company as Art Director.  This piece of Grays pottery is known to be designed by Buttle in 1911.

Lastly, the subject of this vase gives me a very loose excuse to link to a youtube clip of the wonderful Adele singing Hometown Glory

Beautiful Jugs, and not a silicone implant in sight!

You will know how on occasion I like to show you some of the different pattern designs that Powell Bishop & Stonier used on the same mould shapes; how in using different patterns and surface treatments they could re-invent a shape and extent it's longevity, especially useful if there was a large stock of blank pieces in storage. Well, here are some examples of jugs and their accompanying wash sets dating from around the mid 1880s.

 One of mine

 tragically undersold on Ebay and I MISSED IT!  DOH!!

Sold at auction in 2006 for £450

found for sale in Hungerford

Making Connections

Here are two jugs that will look familiar to regular visitors to this blog.  They belong to a Dutch collector called Bart who has graciously agreed that I can share pics with you.  The image, designed by Louis Rhead, is a contentious one as neither I, nor Bart, are sure if it indicates that Rhead worked as a designer for Bishop & Stonier, whether the image was licensed for use by them, or even whether the image was used by the retailer (in this case, the jug is marked as being retailed by Goodyer) who perhaps applied them to B&S blanks.  The tall, thin jug is a regular shape used by Bishop & Stonier and can be found with other coloured examples of this Pre-Raphaelite maiden, dragons, holly hock flowers, rainbow ware stripes and no doubt,   several other patterns that I have yet to come across.  The shape of the smaller jug seems familiar, but I don't have any in my collection, nor in my store of photos from my internet browsing.  I can't be sure then if it was a design that was sold by Bishop & Stonier, or whether it was commissioned specially for Goodyers.  But at the end of the day, it's academic, and what is most interesting to me is that this one designed was re-used in various colourways and on different body shapes.  It is possible that it appears on plates, vases and bowls too.  IF  you have one, PLEASE get in touch!

A proper brew

 There is nothing in life that a good brew can't put right!  And what better way to enjoy my Earl Grey (yes, i'm a heathen, i take it with milk), than in an Abbey patterned mug by Bishop & Stonier.  There are many precious antiques out there, but i think they're so much more satisfying to collect when you can actually use them as well.