Ramekin is thought to come from a Dutch word for "toast" or the German for "little cream."




Name

Ramekin

Variant

Ramequin, Ramekin dish.

Pronounced

(ramə kin)[RAM-ih-kihn]ræməkin

Function

English Noun

Plural

Ramekins

Hypernym

A type of dish

Purpose

Cooking

Etymology

French Ramequin from Low German ramken, diminutive of cream, circa 1706. middle Dutch rammeken (cheese dish) dialect variant of rom (cream), similar to old English ream and German rahm. Ancient French cookbooks refer to ramekins as being garnished fried bread.


Meaning

1. A food mixture, (casserole) specifically a preparation of cheese, especially with breadcrumbs and/or eggs or unsweetened pastry baked on a mould or shell.

2. With a typical volume of 50-250 ml (2-8 oz), it is a small fireproof glass or earthenware individual dish similar in size and shape to a cup, or mould used for cooking or baking and serving sweet or savoury foods.

3. Formerly the name given to toasted cheese; now tarts filled with cream cheese.

4. A young child usually between the ages of 3 months and 11 years exhibiting a compulsion to force or "ram" their head into various objects and structures.

These days, a ramekin is generally regarded as a small single serve heatproof serving bowl used in the preparation or serving of various food dishes, designed to be put into hot ovens and to withstand high temperatures. They were originally made of ceramics but have also been made of glass or porcelain, commonly in a round shape with an angled exterior ridged surface. Ramekins have more lately been standardized to a size with a typical volume of 50-250 ml (2-8 ounce) and are now used for serving a variety of sweet and savoury foods, both entrée and desert.

They are also an attractive addition to the table for serving nuts,dips and other snacks. Because they are designed to hold a serving for just one person, they are usually sold in sets of four, six, or eight. Ramekins now are solid white, round, with a fluted texture covering the outside, and a small lip. Please bear in mind that whatever you ask for them on Internet auction sites, someone is still getting the same thing in an op shop for peanuts.

However, there are hundreds of decorative ramekins that came in a variety of shapes and sizes. They came in countless colours and finishes and many were made by our leading artists and ceramicists. My collection has ramekins with One handle only, fixed to the body at one point only. If it has no handle, it is a bowl. If it has two, it is a casserole dish. But the glory day of the Australian Studio Art ramekin is well and truly over. See some here, ask questions or leave answers.

P.S. Remember, just as real men don't eat quiche, real ramekins don't have lids or two handles. Also remember, two handles makes it a casserole dish. Also, please note If it aint got a handle, it's just a bowl.

P.P.S. To all you cretins who advertise your ramekins by associating them with "Eames" or "Eames Era". Get your hand off it, you are not kidding anyone. The Eames people have told me that they never made ramekins.

P.P.P.s To all the illiterates out there in cyberspace, just as there is no "I" in team, there is no "G" in Ramekin. I am the Rameking, they are ramekins.

If you have a set of Grandma's ramekins at the back of a kitchen cupboard, have a look through the site, maybe you will identify them. Thank-you for looking.

There are many of you out there that have knowledge of Australian pottery. Please let me know if you have anything that I can add to the notes. It is important to get the information recorded. You probably know something that nobody else does.

Please note that while your comments are most welcome, any that contain a link to another site will no longer be published.

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Monday, November 16, 2015

Muir, Lindsay Muir




Designer        
Lindsay Muir
Maker
Lindsay Muir
Marks
Stamped “Norfolk Island”
Incised “Muir” in longhand to base
Material
Glazed earthenware
Description
Heavy glazed earthenware bowl with curled “pigtail” handle fixed to top of outer rim.  Matte glaze to body, unglazed flat circular footring
Condition
Very good
Number
No number
Production Date
Late 1980s
Width at rim
132mm
Width at Base
65mm
Depth
42mm
Length (with handle)
160mm
Weight
390gm
Volume
375ml
Acquisition
Purchase
Salvos Store Bacchus Marsh, Victoria
11 Nov 2015.
Rameking Reference Number
MUI 001

This ramekin was made by Lindsay Muir while he was working at the Norfolk Island Pottery.   It is a typical example of a 1980s heavy earthenware ramekin.  A prize-winning artist, Lindsay’s pottery is now very collectable.  Lindsay was born in Stanthorpe, Queensland in 1964.  He majored in ceramics at the University of Southern Queensland, while completing a Diploma of Visual Arts in 1984.  His work has been exhibited in galleries in both Australia and Japan.  After completing his Diploma, Lindsay worked at a number of different potteries, including the Norfolk Pottery.  Others between 1985 and 1991 were the Flaxton Gardens Pottery and Green Frog Pottery. 

Lindsay has said “Working with clay is a way of life and without it I would not be who I am” 

He managed a pottery in Lincolnshire for a year, an area where the Muir family may have come from.  He was working on wheel thrown domestic ware.  He returned to Australia to begin working on the hyper realistic ceramics he now makes.  Hand-building ceramics is his real passion.  This began at the Montville Pottery that ran from 1966 until 1998.  Lindsay worked there in 1985, his wife Karen ran the gallery.  They moved to a new location “Clay Illustrated” at Curramore Road Witta, a short distance from Maleny in Queensland.  Since 1991, he has concentrated on the naturalistic pieces that are so popular today.

He has created naturalistic works and commissions for numerous parks and wildlife organizations and his work has been featured on a number of Australian television programmes.  His works have also been used as illustrations in children's books.  The “Hollow Log Collection” successfully sells his work also.  



Thursday, July 30, 2015

Ernestine






Designer        
Ernestine Virden Cannon
Maker
MatteoD’Agostino
Marks
Painted “Ernestine Salerno Italy” to base
Material
Glazed earthenware
Description
Octagonal plate with four small ramekins glazed in Red Selenium gloss glaze with green glaze to footrings. 
Condition
Very Good
Number
No number
Production Date
1960s
Width at rim
60mm
Width at Base
35mm
Depth
30mm
Length (with handle)
92mm
Weight
60gm
Volume
60ml
Acquisition
Purchase
Waverley Antiques
24th July 2015
Rameking Reference Number
ERN 001-005

This tasting set was made by a small company called “Ceramiche Ernestine” begun by, Matteo D’Agostino, (1905-1968) an architect and tile maker who came from a family of ceramic makers and later his America Designer wife Ernestine Virden Cannon (1904-1969).  She made ceramics as a response to the poverty in Italy caused by the Second-World-War.  Matteo had been producing tiles during the Second-World-War. 

Ernestine travelled to Salerno in the mid 1940s where she met Matteo at her home in Ravello, a town on the Amafi coast.  They operated as a joint partnership from 1946/7 until 1969.  They produced tableware and successfully exported to America through Fisher, Bruce and Co, Market St Philadelphia, importers of china, earthenware and glassware.  Ernestine eventually produced around 100 different designs.

They began making pottery in the style of Vietri Ceramics, from another town on the Amalfi coast.  Shortly after they started, an adventurous, and fortuitous decision in 1950 was to employ German Chemical Engineer Horst Simonis (1923-2002) who developed new pigments, glazes and clays for the company, including this one, “Red Selenium”.    Horst’s influence on the company cannot be overstated. 

They also worked with legendary Architect, Industrial Designer, Furniture Designer, Artist and Publisher; Gio Ponti (1891-1979).  Their output was always low volume and is now collectable for those in the know.  In 1951 she was awarded the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award because her “creative designs” had “brought new life to the ceramics industry of Italy.”

The collaboration of Matteo’s shapes and Ernestine’s designs, coupled with Horsts' technical expertise produced a product the style and finish of which is known as mid-century modern and most tasters produced elsewhere since are of a similar design. The pottery became a centre for research and development of colours and glazes. 

One of their contributions was to remove asbestos from pottery.  Asbestos was mixed with clay as an adhesive and its long fibres allowed for large vessels with thin walls that made them lighter and more heat resistant without compromising durability.  Their tableware was all hand-painted.  One consideration for makers of the day was the proliferation of dishwashers in American kitchens.

Their pottery was popular with Europe’s rich and famous, among them the Belgian Royal family, Jaquiline Kennedy and many actors and artists.  The company ceased production in 1968 due to the death of both Matteo and Ernestine.  Many galleries and museums now have some of their work on display.


Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Buchan, Portobello



Designer        
Not known
Maker
Buchan
Marks
Stamped “Buchan Portobello Scotland Finest Stoneware” in black ink to base around a printed Thistle mark.
Material
Glazed Stoneware
Description
Shallow harlequin matte glazed stoneware on inside and outside of bowl with long rounded handle moulded to top of outer rim and extending slightly upwards.
Flat unglazed foot.
Condition
Very good
Number
Number 241 M3 in black ink to base
(241 is the model, M3 is the colour code)
Production Date
1970s/1980s
Width at rim
97mm
Width at Base
80mm
Depth
35mm
Length (with handle)
154mm
Weight
220gm
Volume
125ml
Acquisition
Purchase
9 June 2015.
E-Bay
Rameking Reference Number
BUC 001-010

These ramekins are a plain version of the many hand-painted patterned ramekins produced by Buchan under either their own name, or as Thistleware.  Sometimes described as an Individual Open Soup Server, the painted ramekins are sold for a much higher price than these plain ones.  Some of these patterns were named Costa Brava, Peach and Riviera.

The range of wares made at Portobello, spanning over two hundred years, covered much of the ceramic spectrum. Activity was centred on several sites, clustered around the mouth of the Figgate Burn where it enters the Firth of Forth.  A number of well-known names emerged, of which two stand out; Thomas Rathbone, celebrated for his fine painted and printed earthenware, and Alexander Buchan, famed for his utilitarian stoneware. From the 1830s this latter class of ware had been produced by a succession of firms: Cornwall Brothers, Milne & Cornwall, Milne & Smith, Thomas & Robert Tough, Thomas Tough, Murray & Buchan, starting in 1867, and finally A. W. Buchan & Co (1878-1972).

In 1867 Alexander Buchan and Thomas Murray bought the pottery of Thomas and Robert Tough & Company in Portobello, Edinburgh.  Portobello was one of the main centres of pottery and ceramic production in Scotland, dating back to the 1770s.

The Thistle Pottery, established around 1770, was taken over by the Buchan family in 1867.  They produced decorated and buff-glaze stoneware, and, at the time of closure in 1972, probably constituted the last complete industrial pottery in Scotland.  The pottery was housed in late 18th-century premises, substantially rebuilt and extended after 1879, covering the area of an infilled 18th-century harbour site. They traded as Murray and Buchan, changing to A W Buchan & Co in 1882 when Murray dropped out of the partnership. They moved to larger premises in Crieff, Perthshire.

The rise of Alexander Buchan to the fore heralded a sixty-year period during which vast quantities of stoneware goods of all descriptions were manufactured. The firm was inventive too, securing a number of patents and registering several novel designs, and time was even found to dabble in the world of art pottery with their exotic but misnamed Portobello Faience.


A.W.Buchan

W. A. Gray & Sons of the Midlothian Pottery, located nearby, produced almost identical stoneware, if not quite so extensive in its range. They were famed for their patented white marmalade jars. Meanwhile, at their other site, production was continued by a number of close Buchan family members until this phase came to an end at the time of the Second World War, dictated by a variety of changing circumstances. However, being one of the few Scottish potteries to have survived the Depression, A.W Buchan & Co was not about to slide into closure. Instead, the manufacture of utilitarian stoneware was all but given up and replaced with a product of quite different decorative stoneware.

In the early days the bread-and-butter lines were stoneware storage vessels and stylish containers of various kinds. It was not until the end of the nineteenth century that decorative domestic wares were produced; slip decorated during the first half of the twentieth century and painted or printed in the second.

Initially of a single uniform colour, a range of multi- coloured patterns developed under the guidance of Eric McKinnon Buchan. About a dozen of these were given names, but the total number ran into three figures. Favourite above all proved to be the Thistle pattern (never officially named) comprising a semi-stylised grouping featuring a thistle, heather, and bluebells, all on a sky blue background. This was hugely popular both at home and overseas, and was in great demand from countries with large populations of expatriate Scots, which contributed to Buchan’s prosperity in the post-War period.

The goods were known as Thistle ware from 1946, the cleverly designed thistle trade-mark was registered in 1949, and the works were known as the Thistle Pottery from 1955 until its closure. When government economic policy brought about the demise of Buchan’s at Portobello in 1972, all seventeen girls in the decorating shop were painting the famous Thistle group.

Only the two bottle-shaped brick kilns, dating from 1906 and 1909 respectively, now survive. Portobello, amalgamated with Edinburgh in 1896, attracted some importance with the discovery of valuable clay deposits in 1765. The manufacturing of bricks, bottles and pottery became important industries until its last pottery closed in 1972

The mark used from 1949 onwards is a thistle design with the words BUCHAN Portobello Scotland in the thistle motif and FINEST STONEWARE beneath. The Portobello mark was still used after the move to Crieff. Other marks include 'Portovase' and 'Senolith' or 'Cenolith'.

Buchan ceased trading in 2000 but this was not the end of A.W. Buchan & Co, for it relocated to Crieff’; manufacture starting there even before it had ended at Portobello. It prospered, rather against the odds, still producing the Thistle and some other patterns until its sudden closure in 1999. Even then it was not totally finished, as a lone potter, Joe Hunter, and a single decorator, Karen Cramb, continue to keep the Buchan name alive. The famous Thistle mark has been re- registered, and Thistle ware, and some other lines, continues to be made.






Friday, April 17, 2015

Gellibrand Pottery


Designer        
Jon and Alda Hubbard
Maker
Jon and Alda Hubbard
Marks
Stamped (impressed) “Gellibrand Australia” to outer edge of flat base.
Material
Glazed Earthenware
Description
Gloss glazed earthenware bowl with unglazed flat circular base. Abstract floral design to internal and external surface of bowl. Light cream / grey under glaze over painted by hand.   Pink band around mid-outside of bowl with grey border.  Pink band around top rim of bowl.
Condition
Very Good
Number
No number
Production Date
Late 1980s
Width at rim
140mm
Width at Base
62mm
Depth
60mm
Length (with handle)
160mm
Weight
310gm
Volume
450ml
Acquisition
Purchase
Salvo Stores. Kilsyth, Victoria
18th April 2015
Rameking Reference Number
Hub 001-004

These earthenware ramekins were made by the Gellibrand Pottery around the late 1980s.  More of a bowl than a ramekins, the handle is fixed horizontally to the rim, making it qualify by my definition.  The decoration is a hand painted floral pattern, partly stencilled on both the inside and outside of the bowl.  The handle is a twisted extruded strap pressed onto the outside of the rim.

Alda Hubbard


Jon Hubbard
Gellibrand Pottery was a family partnership between Jon and Alda Hubbard, established on the 7th of January 2000. (ABN 19 445 482 657).  They were located on Old Beech Forrest Road in Gellibrand in the Otway region near Colac in Victoria.  They still live there today.  The area is an electoral district named after Joseph Gellibrand, (1792-1837) an early pioneer of Melbourne, Victoria.  He disappeared on an exporation and his remains have never been found.  Although the Gellibrand Pottery business was de-registered on the 24th of July 2000, there are still many references to them on many business websites, even though they have not operated for some time.  There was more than one stamp used over the life of the pottery.



They had exhibited at some city galleries before commencing at Gellibrand and are reported as showing at Gallery 180 at 180 Toorak Road in South Yarra and Distelfink at 432 Burwood Road in suburban Hawthorn in 1980.  This was described thus “Perhaps on a more functional note, the selection of kitchenware thrown and painted by Jon and Alda Hubbard should appeal”.  They are now teaching Visual Arts at Trinty College Colac and Alda exhibits paintings at the Gellibrand River Gallery and more recently two paintings at the Apollo Bay Art Show, “Otway Tapestry” and “Trout.”   Both are now involved with charitable works.


Monday, April 6, 2015

Silcraft Pty Ltd


These ramekin cups were made by the Melbourne company, Silcraft Pty Ltd.  The bowls were made by “Agee Pyrex”, a Sydney company.  They were sold through a number of Australian Department stores and Jewellers.  They are marked “Silcraft EPNS A1”.  The “A1” is a quality symbol for plated ware and describes the thickness of the silver deposited on the body, in this case about 35 microns.  A human hair is around 100 microns thick.  EPNS stands for electroplated nickel silver.  Some other examples without the inserts are referred to as punch bowl cups.  Their handles are pierced to hang from the bowl, but these have a Pyrex insert and are intended for hot food.



Silcraft began as a proprietary limited company, and there were two shareholders, J Sharp and Mary I Sharp.  It was incorporated on the 13th of February 1930.  They were gold and silversmiths and jewellers.  The company had a capital of 7,500, a large sum for the time, especially being in the depths of the great depression.  Later, their Managing Director was Mr A.F. Thompson.  The Thompson family had taken over the company.

Silverplate from Silcraft and Hecworth were advertising in 1936.  “Hecworth” was a brand name sold through a shopfront in Collins Street Melbourne.  Hecworth plate was made by Platers Pty Ltd in the Melbourne suburn of St Kilda at 39 Greeves street.  Silcraft Pty Ltd was located at 6 Station Place Glenhuntly, opposite the station.  Silcraft produced a range of “Huntly” brand leadless pewter ware, one of the popular products was their glass bottomed tankard.  The “Hecworth” brand was taken over by Rodd Pty Ltd in 1940.  As well as making EPNS ware for many years, they also made the Esteele range of kitchenware, particularly copper-bottomed stainless steel saucepans. 

Silcraft Dandenong Road Oakleigh

They expanded during the late 1940s, with many new employees, later moving to 82 Dandenong Road Oakleigh in the early 1950s.  They were then relocated not far from there at 168 Forster Road Mount Waverley.  In the late 1950s, they began making sheet metal for the recently built Ford Motor Company at Broadmeadows.  They continued producing components for the local car industry as their major output but fell on hard times when the local manufacturers began downsizing and many would eventually close.  In 2007 Silcraft closed their 163-179 Forster Road Mount Waverly plant and all the contents were sold.  They then began the manufacture of chemicals and compounds.  They were also still electroplating.  Their premises are now closed and being demolished.  Silcraft were owned by Chartwell Industries Limited, an international company with subsidiaries worldwide. There are now a number of companies around Melbourne using the name Silcraft.



Boring Bits

Silcraft                        ABN: 33 004 703 119
                                    ACN 004 703 119

Trademark No       82798

Monday, March 16, 2015

Stone Wave


Marketed as a cooker, it is more accurately described as a ramekin.  The difference being the “chimney” in the lid, somewhat similar to the North-African standard Tajine, which is designed to return condensation to the food inside.  Advertised widely on television recently, Stone Wave cookers are now beginning to appear in second hand stores, which is where I picked up these two.  It was (and still is) sold by the “As Seen On TV” people who are part of the TeleBrands Corp.



TeleBrands Corporation began in 1983 and has its headquarters in Fairfield, New Jersey U.S.A.  It now has multi billion-dollar turnover from direct marketing of a range of products, predominantly through television advertising.  One of the successful products is the Stone Wave Cooker.  It is made for them in China by the Ningbo LKO International Trade Company Limited Houcao Xiang No 43, Ningbo, in the province of Zhejiang.  This small company began in early 2014 and now exports most of its output to North America, Europe and the Middle East.

Designer        
Not known
Maker
Ningbo LKO International Trade Co. Ltd.
Marks
No marks
Material
Glazed earthenware
Description
Mould formed gloss glazed earthenware bowl.  Flat foot, hollow tube handle fixed at a slight upward angle from centre of exterior of bowl.
Condition
Very good
Number
No number
Production Date
2014
Width at rim

Width at Base

Depth

Length (with handle)

Weight

Volume

Acquisition
Purchase
Savers Stores Fountain Gate
16 March 2015
Rameking Reference Number
TEL 001 - 002







Friday, March 13, 2015

Kitchen Craft


These are not strictly speaking, Ramekins, but they fit the description.  They are a set of ceramic measuring cups ranging in size from 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 to 1 cup.  Each cup has the measurements in cup, millilitres and fluid ounces printed on the handle.  These are from a collection known as their “Classic Collection.”  A wide range of matching ceramics and accessories, many of them made in China.


Unlike many makers of pottery and porcelain, information about the founder of the Kitchen Craft Company is sparse indeed.  If I got the right one, he was born in Warwickshire in 1799 and died there in 1867.  He began as a wholesale Ironmonger and seller of household goods.  The company was founded in 1850 as a foundry and continued in family hands registered as “Thomas Plant (Birmingham) Ltd” but trading as “Kitchen Craft”.  Its registered office is at Plumbob House, Valepit Road, Garretts Green, Birmingham, UK  (Company No 3411690). 

Kitchen Craft is one of the largest suppliers of household goods in Britain, offering over 3,000 products for sale through a number of different subsidiaries.  These are; Master Class, Bar Craft, Le'Xpress, World of Flavours, Miniamo, Home Made, Clearview, Kitsch'n'fun, Coolmovers, Let's Make, Colourworks, Sweetly does it, Santa and Friends, Let it Snow and others.

Kitchen Craft were taken over in 2014 by the New York based company; Lifetime Brands Inc.  The Great Great Grandchildren of the founder Thomas Plant are still managing the company.  They source their goods world-wide and export to over 70 countries.



Designer        
Not known
Maker
Thomas Plant (Birmingham) Ltd
Marks
Stamped to base
Material
Glazed slip
Description
Set of fou glazed slip bowls, fitting inside each other.  Tab handles with measurements printed to upper surface.
Condition
Very Good
Number
No number
Production Date
Not Known, possibly 1990s
Weight

Volume
As shown below
Acquisition
Purchase
Waverley Antiques
13 March 2015
Rameking Reference Number
KIN 001-004

Size of cups

1 Cup   250 ml        9fl oz        90mm w 120mm with Handle     68mm D         80mm base
1/2Cup  125ml    4.5 fl oz        80mm w 110mm with handle      40mm D         70mm base
1/3 Cup   80ml       3 fl oz        77mm w 112mm with handle      30mm D         60mm base
¼ Cup   60ml    2 fl oz       73mm w 100 mm with handle     26mm D         53mm base               
            

Friday, January 30, 2015

Innobella




Designer        
Not known
Maker
Innobella
Marks
No marks
Material
Glazed stoneware
Description
Heavy, gloss glazed stoneware bowl with flat unglazed foot.  High waisted bowl indented near rim.  Separate vented lid with vent moulded into knob on lid.  Hollow wide trumpet handle fixed externally at mid point of bowl.  Circular ringed pattern to simulate wheel throwing.
Condition
Very good
Number
No number
Production Date
Approximately 2005
Width at rim
107mm
Width at Base
95mm
Depth
62mm
Length (with handle)
177mm
Lid
112mm wide
190gm
Weight
420gm
Volume
400ml
Acquisition
Purchase
Vinnies Carrum Downs
29th January 2015.
Rameking Reference Number
INN 001

Success breeds imitation.  No doubt you will have seen the advertisements on television for the Stonewave Microwave Cooker.  They produce a large range under the “As Seen On TV” banner.  Well, this ramekin was advertised as a lower cost alternative.  Advertised as the “Innobella Ceramic Microwave Micro-Cooker.”  I got this one at an even lower price in an Op-Shop recently.

There is no information around about who “Innobella” are, except that they produce a range of kitchenware.  This type of cooking has mixed results, if the on-line reviews are to be believed.  Like all things, it is personal taste.  Chances are, that it was made in China.