Fig. 68. Romano-British Urn, with Slip Decoration. (B. M).

Fig. 69. Encaustic Tile, from Monmouth Priory. (B. M).

Fig. 70. Tyg of Wrotham Ware.

Fig. 71. Dish of Slip Ware; by Thomas Toft. (S. K. M).

Fig. 72. Dish of Lambeth Delft. (B. M).

The Salt-Glazed Ware

The Salt-Glazed Ware is one of the hardest wares known, and is almost a porcelain in composition. The glaze gives a slighty uneven surface to the ware, which comes from the manner in which the wares receive the glaze. The pieces are not dipped in a glaze mixture, but when the kiln has reached a very high temperature common salt is thrown into the kiln; the soda is liberated from the salt by the action of the heat, and coming in contact with the silica of the stoneware clay, forms with it a silicate of soda, which is really a glass glaze. The composition of the ware is, generally speaking, clay and fine sand. Astbury, the potter, in 1720 used what is considered the best composition - grey clay and ground flint instead of sand. The colour is drab, or sometimes has a dull cream-coloured covering.

The colour of the old Staffordshire ware is drab, with small white applied ornaments that were previously cast from moulds of brass or stoneware. Coloured enamels have also been very much used for decorating later work. The ornaments are single roses, may blossoms, fleur-de-lis, spirals, small interfacings, birds, figures, straight or wavy lines, etc, all generally very sharp and clear cut (Figs. 74, 75). The potter John Astbury worked for the Elers, and after finding out as many secrets as he could from them, he left them and started a pottery of his own in Staffordshire. He used a wider range of clays and colours than those used by the Elers, and had more variety also in the decoration of his ware, which consisted of such ornaments as harps, crowns, stag's, lions, and heraldic designs.

Brown Stoneware

Brown Stoneware was made at Nottingham during the whole of the eighteenth century, and was of a bright rich colour; the material was thin and well fabricated. Besides the ordinary shaped jugs, puzzle-jugs and mugs in the shape of bears with movable heads were made, that were used in the beerhouses of the last century.

Bristol And Liverpool Were

Bristol And Liverpool Were famous for their delft-ware during the last century. Richard, Frank, and Joseph Flower are names of potters who had delft works in Bristol.

In Liverpool bowls with pictures of ships, arms, and landscape decoration were made of delft. Tiles on which were printed transfer decorations were also made of Liverpool delft by Sadler and Green, the inventors. These tiles were about five inches square, were printed in black or red, and were used for lining stoves and fireplaces. Theatrical characters and portraits of celebrities were the usual subjects. Wedgwood and other Staffordshire potteries sent their wares to Liverpool to get transfers printed on them.

Wedgwood Ware

Wedgwood Ware is one of the most technically perfect productions that has been invented. The colouring is quiet and refined, and the decorations - following the classic ideals of the period - are severe and rather cold, but the workmanship is of such a perfection and delicacy that is seldom found in the ceramic products of any other manufactory.

Josiah Wedgwood came of a family of potters. He was born in 1730, and died in 1795. He was the youngest son of Thomas Wedgwood, a potter of Burslem, who died in 1739, and after his death Josiah left school and was bound apprentice to his brother Thomas, who succeeded his father in the pottery. Josiah concentrated his energies to the designing and modelling of pottery ornaments and to the invention of new paste compositions and glazes. Later on he sought to imitate in appearance and composition the precious stones of agate, onyx, jasper, etc.

After his apprenticeship was over he joined partnership with Harrison, of Stoke, and afterwards with Wheildon, of Fenton, but these associations did not last long, and in 1759 he started business in a small way at Burslem, where he executed many works, and by degrees perfected the cream-coloured ware which is known by the name of "Queen's ware." In the year 1776 he took into partnership Mr. Thomas Bentley, a Liverpool merchant of artistic tastes, who attended chiefly to the production of the decorative wares of the firm. This partnership lasted until the death of Bentley in 1780, It was in 1769 that Wedgwood removed his works and went also to live at his new house at Etruria, where he founded and named this village. He took his sons John, Josiah, and Thomas into partnership, and also his nephew Thomas Byerley in 1790. Five years after this date he died.

The products of the Wedgwood manufacture - which may be found more fully described in Professor Church's excellent book on "English Earthenware," to which we are indebted for many particulars on English pottery and for some of the illustrations - are thus classified : -

1. Cream-Coloured Ware, Or 'Queen's Ware'

Cream-Coloured Ware, Or 'Queen's Ware', comprises dinner and dessert services, tea and coffee sets. Cream-coloured, saffron, and straw-coloured, with well-painted designs of conventional foliage and flowers, and later work with transfer engraving in red or black, printed by Sadler and Green, of Liverpool.

2. Egyptian Blacky Or Basalt Ware

Egyptian Blacky Or Basalt Ware, owing its colour chiefly to iron. Seals, plaques, life-size busts, medallion portraits, and vases. Black tea and coffee sets decorated with coloured enamels and gilding (Fig. 76).

3. Red Ware, Or Rosso Anticoy

Red Ware, Or Rosso Anticoy used for cameo reliefs.

4. White semi-porcelain or fine stoneware

This ware was composed of one of Wedgwood's improved bodies.

5. Variegated Ware

Variegated Ware is of two kinds, one a cream-coloured body, marbled, mottled, or spangled with divers colours upon the surface and under the glaze; the other an improved kind of agate ware, in which the bands, twists, and strips constituted the entire substance of the vessel.

6. Jasper Ware

The body of this ware was the material in which the chief triumphs of Wedgwood were wrought. Outwardly it resembled the finest of his white terra-cotta and semi-porcelain bodies, but in chemical and physical properties it differed notably from them. There are seven colours in the Jasper body besides the white Jasper, but the solid Jasper is of a blue tint. The seven colours are: blue of various tints, lilac, pink, sage-green, olive-green, yellow, and black".

Plaques, tablets, large portraits, and other medallions, cameos, intaglios, vases, statuettes, pedestals, flower-pots, etc., are objects and vessels that were made in Jasper ware.

Flaxman collaborated with Wedgwood in making many designs for his work. The beautiful pedestal shown at Other names of artists who designed or modelled for Wedgwood are Hackwood, Stubbs, Bacon, Webber, Devere, Angelini, Dalmazzoni, etc. An influence on some of his work was due to his studying and copying the celebrated Portland Vase, which was lent to him for this purpose for more than three years by the Duke of Portland.

Fig. 73. Bellarmine, Fulham Stone Ware.

Fig. 74. Jar, White Stoneware of Staffordshire. (S. K. M).

Fig. 75. White Salt-glazed Ware of Staffordshire. (S. K. M).

Fig. 76. Lamp, Black Egyptian Ware.

Fig. 77. Pedestal in Green and White Jasper, Wedgwood Ware. (S. K. M).

Fig. 77 is from a design by Flaxman, and is made in green and white Jasper.