Although the finest complete services are out of reach for most collectors, it is possible to find beautiful single pieces such as teabowls, coffee cups and saucers, teapots, jugs and chocolate beakers at reasonable prices.

Tea, coffee, and chocolate have been firm favourites with the British ever since a ‘drink called by the Chineans tcha’ was introduced in the 1630s, the first coffee house was opened in London in 1650, and chocolate was first advertised for sale as a drink in 1657. The three beverages were to have a profound influence on the ceramics industries of Britain and the rest of Europe. The high cost of tea when it first arrived in Europe was responsible for keeping early wares small, so that such a luxury item would not be wasted. (more…)

Unexpected finds of early Chinese porcelain do still occur — when a lamp base, for example, or a dog’s bowl turns out to be a valuable early Ming piece. But there is also plenty of later blue and white to attract the collector.

The origins of underglaze-blue decoration are debatable, but certainly it was in use in China by the second quarter of the 14th century. Cobalt oxide, a black pigment which turns blue on firing, had been imported from Persia in Tang times (AD 618-906) and used to colour glazes. But it was the idea of painting it onto a white porcelain body before glazing and final firing that produced the blue and white style of decoration that is still in wide use today. (more…)

In Britain

Very few earthenware figures were produced in Britain - or elsewhere in Europe - before about 1700, but early to mid- 18th-century white, salt-glazed stoneware pieces are now among the most sought-after items of ceramic art. Some are freestanding and single, while others are grouped on a pew. Pew-groups in good condition rarely fetch less than £60, 000. (more…)

Over the last century, individual potters and decorators have produced unique, sculptural ceramics that stand apart from mass-produced pieces.

The term ‘Art Pottery‘ has been used since the second half of the 19thC century, often interchangeably with the similar ‘studio pottery‘. Both refer to one-off, individually designed and decorated pieces produced in a workshop run by a craftsman or craft group. The term also encompasses the work of artists who finished individually signed pieces in studios set up by firms such as Doulton and Minton. (more…)

As early as the 14th century, Chinese potters were making sophisticated blue and white bowls and dishes. By the r6th century, wares were reasonably thinly potted and painted in inky underglaze blue with boldly drawn birds, animals, flowers, grapes and dragons, surrounded by radiating panels which formed the border. These early dishes did not filter through to Europe until the reign of the late Ming Emperor Wanli (1573-1619). They are still known as kraak porcelain after the Dutch word for the Portuguese carracks, or galleons, that brought them to Europe. Compared with other examples of Ming porcelain, they remain surprisingly inexpensive, fetching between £150 and £3000 apiece. (more…)

During the 18th century, a continuous stream of porcelain dinner services arrived from China while others were manufactured in Europe. They originally copied shapes that had been made in contemporary European pewter or silver.

Chinese Export Porcelain

At first, Chinese porcelain was unrivalled as it was both fashionable and cheap. Throughout the 18th century, services by the ton packed the holds of the East India companies’ ships. Many were meticulously painted to order with the armorials of aristocratic British families in `famille-rose’ enamels, but sometimes amusing mistakes occurred — as when a family motto ‘Unite’ appeared on hundreds of pieces as ‘Untie’. A service such as this, or with unusual associations, will fetch far more than ordinary services. Other designs included delicately painted Chinese flowers, birds and family scenes, and an exotic pattern of overlapping coloured leaves known as the `Tobacco Leaf’ design. (more…)

Embroidered pictures, samplers and everyday objects survive from as early as the 16th century, when Mary, Queen of Scots was a noted needlewoman.

Although Elizabethan needlework is rare today, a surprising number of early pieces dating from the 17th century onwards have survived. They include both so-called needle paintings, which present a picture in the form of embroidery, and also decorative household items such as bed- hangings, fire screens and cushions. (more…)

The most versatile and widely available of precious metals, silver combines brilliance with strength and the ability to be intricately worked by a variety of techniques to create objects of great beauty.

Pure Silver is too soft to be made into articles that must withstand daily wear and tear, so it is alloyed (blended) with a base metal — usually copper — to make it tougher and more malleable. Most antique and modern silver in Britain is of sterling standard, which contains 92.5 per cent pure silver to 7.5 per cent base metal. (more…)

Always glamorous, silverware can offer superb craftsmanship at what many consider to be a historically bargain price.

Ever since it was discovered, silver — like gold — has been converted into gleaming artefacts of great opulence and beauty. Such symbols of power and wealth are collected for their superb craftsmanship, but smaller, less ornate pieces also have a unique attraction. This is in part because silver has long been a precious metal. Today silver bullion is cheaper than ever in real terms, but nobody knows whether or for how long this will continue. (more…)

Stoneware

As its name implies, stoneware is harder than earthenware, but it is also finer-textured and non-porous even if unglazed. The clays used could be fired to higher temperatures of around 1300°C (almost 2400°F), at which point the grains of clay fused together.

Most stoneware clays are grey, and so- called ‘brown’ stoneware tankards, flasks and so on often have only a wash of colour on the outside: a chipped edge will show that the brown colour is skin-deep. (more…)