If you happen to be in the land Down Under, you could pick up a delight in this Saturday's auction at
Elder Fine Art in Adelaide: a pair of Bishop & Stonier wine flagons, or early tinnies. They are listed as by the Staffordshire factory but I have never seen a pair like them, so perhaps a real rarity. The oriental style bamboo and flower type design is very of it's period, and much replicated by many Staffordshire makers from the high quality to the very basic. A quick Google search turned up examples by
Brownhill and also
Pinder Bourne , used on teapots; i have seen similar designs on plates, vases and bowls. Hardly a rare pattern, I admit. But for Bishop & Stonier this is a very unusual shape and they are listed also as Stoneware; again, unusual for this factory. The auction catalogue description is very sparse and there is no picture of the base markings. One can't be sure if the auctioneers have done their homework properly so it may turn out that the marking refers to another factory. So, if you're in the Adelaide area, go and take a look at them in person - you may get a rare bargain.
1 comment:
the mystery of these flagons may now be solved! on a recent outing to an antiques shop in Sussex, I happened across an identical pair of flagons/bottles which were marked underneath with impressed letters B.P & Co
This makes me wonder if the auction house in their writing of their catalogue, made an error in their research? B P & Co would make me think these were, in fact, by the Brownhills Pottery and certainly the style and material would suggest this far.
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