Collecting English and German Salt-Glaze Stoneware

Ceramics and Glass Specialist, James Quarterman presents a specialist guide to collecting salt-glaze stoneware, offering expert insight into key German and English examples from Roseberys’ 11 March Fine & Decorative auction. Spanning the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, this guide explores the history, techniques and appeal of salt-glazed stoneware through standout lots from the sale.

BROWSE THE CATALOGUE

Roseberys’ March Fine & Decorative auction features a collection of German and English salt-glaze stoneware, which illustrate the breadth of variety found in this medium of pottery, and range in date from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. This type of stoneware was usually fired at very high temperatures of between 1100-1400 degrees Celsius, making it non-porous, durable, and suitable for a wide range of practical applications. The phrase “salt-glaze” refers to the glossy ceramic glaze formed by throwing common salt into the kiln during the firing process, which produces a texture similar to orange peel, and may be colourless or coloured by the addition of various oxides: iron for brown, cobalt for blue, and manganese for purple. The collection in the present sale mostly comprises jugs, mugs, bottles, and jars, and as we explore my favourite lots, moving through the centuries and from Germany to England, we can enjoy the variety of forms and decoration on display.

Lot 132: A German brown salt-glaze stoneware small Bartmann jug, probably Cologne or possibly Frechen, probably mid-16th century

Estimate: £300 - £500

Bartmann Jugs

In the sixteenth century, the Rhineland area of Germany had major production centres of salt-glazed stoneware, including Cologne, Frechen, Raeren, Siegburg, and Westerwald. A popular form that arose in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was the Bartmann jug (Bartmannskrug), translated as ‘Bearded Man Jug’ and otherwise referred to as Bellarmine jugs (an association with Cardinal Robert Bellarmine, possibly invented by Dutch and English Protestants to ridicule the Cardinal and his anti-alcohol stance).

Lot 132 is a fine example of a Bartmann jug, probably from the mid-sixteenth century. It has the characteristic bearded face to the neck and shoulder, perhaps the most naturalistically rendered face of the four Bartmann jugs in the sale, and unlike the other three jugs this one has a central geometric band with up and down stylised leaves and portrait medallions, decoration interpreted from Antique Roman coins and decorative schemes. At 13cm high this bottle sits neatly on a shelf or mantlepiece, unassuming and yet inviting for the viewer to handle and admire. The hardiness of stoneware makes this jug, like much of the collection in the sale, still useable today (given a thorough wash first) – for wine or water, or indeed whatever you prefer!

Lot 140:  A Westerwald grey salt-glaze stoneware Queen Anne ‘Royal’ mug, c.1702-14

Estimate: £800 - £1,200

Westerwald stoneware – Connecting Germany and England

The practicality of German stoneware resulted in heavy importation to England in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. Distinctive amongst the brown stoneware from the Rhineland is the blue and grey of Westerwald stoneware, and lot 140 is an example of Westerwald stoneware not only imported to England, but made specifically for the English market. It prominently features a roundel bearing a crown and the initials ‘AR’ for Queen Anne, surrounded by sharply incised and sprigged foliage, the flowerheads distinguished from the cobalt blue ground by a manganese glaze. The presence of the roundel makes this mug dateable to 1702-14, and makes for an early collectable item of Royal memorabilia not often seen on the market.

The Rise of English stoneware

The virtual monopoly of Rhineland stoneware imports in the English market (so much so that the name ‘Cologne ware’ was adopted for all stoneware objects) naturally led to a rise in English competition, with John Dwight of Fulham generally credited as successfully elevating the process of stoneware production from experimentation to commercialisation with his patent of 1672. By the turn of the eighteenth century, English stoneware was a well-established trade with centres of production in London, Bristol, Nottingham, Derbyshire, the Midlands, and the North.

Lot 150: Five English buff and brown salt-glaze stoneware 'Reform' character flasks, c.1832-40

Estimate: £400 - £600

Reform flasks and English wit

The collection of English stoneware in the 11 March sale covers production in the 19th century, by which point stoneware had direct competition from porcelain and glass as the practical means for drinking and storing liquids. Nonetheless stoneware remained popular and enterprising firms made flasks, jugs and mugs with an inspired variety of decoration. This brings us to lot 150, a collection of ‘Reform’ flasks made by Doulton & Watts in Lambeth and Bourne Potteries in Derbyshire to cater to the gin-drinking public. These flasks depict the heroes of the 1830s, specifically those instrumental figures in the Great Reform Act of 1832, a pivotal reformation of the British electoral system to give greater voting power to the middle classes, as well as Daniel O’Connell, the hero of Irish Catholic Emancipation. The rim and shoulder of each flask is naturalistically modelled to depict its subject, with their name inscribed underneath, but my favourite detail is found on the scrolls held by three of the flasks, each inscribed ‘The True Spirit of Reform’ – a classic example of English wit if ever I saw one. These make for fine collectables as well as great talking points, especially if you choose to serve your spirits in a flask such as this!

Lot 148: An English brown salt-glaze stoneware loving cup, Thomas Smith & Co., London, late 19th century
Estimate: £80 - £120

A Lovely Loving Cup

By way of rounding up the tour of the 11 March sale I will mention lot 148, a Loving Cup by Thomas Smith & Co. of London, dateable to the late 19th century. By this time the history of English stoneware had begun to be documented by Solon and Jewitt, which helped bring about a revival of interest in the medium, and appreciation of its perceived quaintness, rustic, and homely qualities. The Loving Cup as a form had existed for centuries, used in early Christian communal meals known as ‘love feasts’ where food and drink was shared to strengthen bonds of parishioners. The cup is filled with a drink of choice, sipped from using the two handles, and then passed to the next person. Nowadays you may see Loving Cups used in weddings or ceremonial banquets. The stylised rendering of the leaves and flowerhead combined with the cobalt blue highlights creates a striking decorative effect, which to me reads in the vein of the Art Nouveau movement. I would love to display this piece at home on a mantlepiece or bookshelf, perhaps filled with flowers, or just as it is.