CULA Potteries

Designer        Ken Day? Maker CULA Potteries Marks Hand Painted in black “Cula D65” Material Mould formed slipware. Description Cream coloured exterior of bowl with offset unglazed foot ring. Yellow and black interior glaze with sgraffito wavy lines to interior. Reinforces semicircular handle attached to top edge of rim of bowl. Condition Very Good, Number D 65 Production Date Before 1958 Width at rim 113mm Width at Base 55mm Depth 48mm Weight 143gm Volume 237ml (1 cup in old money) Acquisition Purchase Daylesford 23 June 2018 Rameking Reference Number CUL 001, 002
Despite years of collecting, sometimes a surprise comes along.  This one happened recently when I found these two ramekins hiding on the bottom shelf of a retro/antique store in Daylesford Victoria.  They are from CULA Pottery, yet another small manufacturer that began after the Second-World-War.  In 1946 Ex-Servicemen Ronald Frank Curnow (1914-1998), originally a Queensland boy, later of Narrabeen and William Langley (combined the first two initials of their surnames to form CuLa) purchased a small working pottery in Grenwich, Sydney (I don't know which pottery).  In 1948 the partnership was dissolved.  Just who continued, I also don’t know.  In 1950 the works were relocated to larger premises at Brookvale in the Wahringah Shire in Sydney.  Into this pottery came master potter and mould maker Ken Day.  Ken had previously worked for Diana for many years.  He made moulds for CULA and other potteries at this time.  It is better than even money that he made the moulds for these ramekins.  He began his own pottery “DAYEL” in 1955 and operated it until 1957. The CULA pottery closed in 1958, most likely yet another victim of the trade agreement with Japan.  Ken then set up as a contract modeler in the old Martin Boyd pottery.  CULA made a variety of slip cast wares including these ramekins glazed in a variety of dark orange through to brown.  Like many potteries of the time, cultural appropriation was not considered and some were hand decorated with Aboriginal motifs or flowers and marked “Cula” either painted or inscribed.  Unusually, these ramekins have an offset base that makes them sit on an angle.

Maxwell & Williams

Designer	Maxwell & Williams
Maker	Maxwell and Williams
Marks	Transfer print to base and side.  Base “Maxwell& Williams Designer Homewares Homestead first quality porcelain Dishwasher, Freezer, Microwave and Conventional Oven safe.” Transfer to side “Maxwell & Williams Ramekin Designer Homewares The Homestead Collection”
Material	Mould formed porcelain.
Description	Cream coloured bowl with thickened rim and cream interior and unglazed foot ring. Transfer printed (as above).
Condition	Very Good, small chip to rim of one bowl.
Number	No number
Production Date	1910s
Width at rim 2 sizes	98mm 107mm
Width at Base	90mm
Depth	68mm
Weight	285gm
Volume	375ml
Acquisition	Purchase Salvos Store Norman St Ballarat 22 June 2018
Rameking Reference Number	HAG 001, 002

Question?                           When is a ramekin not a ramekin?

Answer;                              When it’s a bowl.

Just because you call a bowl a ramekin doesn’t make it so.  These bowls made by Maxwell and Williams have the word “Ramekin” printed on the side.  Well, they can call their product whatever they like, but by my definition, they are bowls.  Beautifully made but still bowls.  Nevertheless, theirs is still a story that needs to be told.  Don’t look for much on the web because you won’t find it.  They are a private company owned by a very private family, so I won’t tell you too much.

Maxwell and Williams are yet another success story created by migrants escaping the chaos of post-war Europe.  The Maxwell and Williams story is an interesting one.  Heinrich (Harry) and Anna Grundmann, German migrants, arrived in Australia on the 17^th of January 1952 aboard the migrant ship “Cyrenia”; a creaking old Greek ship built in 1911.  The ship sailed from Piraeus in Greece to Fremantle Western Australia.  Another website states that they were holocaust survivors.

On Board were 6 people named Grundmann, only Heinrich and Anna travelled on to Melbourne.  After working as a salesman, Harry decided to go it alone.  He began his own company H.A.G, combining his and Anna’s initials.  The company began life in a small garage at their home in Clinton Street in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton East.

Their story is one of talent seizing opportunity.  The business began at just the right time because Australia had signed a trade agreement with Japan in 1957.  The grandfather of the current Japanese Prime Minister Abe signed the agreement with our then Trade-Minister; ”Black Jack” McEwan, opening the door to a range of imports not available previously.  (It also almost killed our studio pottery industry).  It was abrave thing for the Post-War Government to do.

Maxwell and Williams is just one member of the  HAG Import Corporation (Australia) Pty Ltd, registered on the 17^th of June 1975 and operating from a purpose-built warehouse in Millers Road Brooklyn Victoria Australia.  Their Action Plan states; “H.A.G. Import Corporation (Australia) Pty Ltd (H.A.G.) is a family company that has been selling homewares in Australia for over 35 years. H.A.G. is the sole Australian importer and distributor for the brand names Maxwell & Williams, Casa Domani, Doozie, Headline, Krosno and Ritzenhoff.”

Maxwell and Williams are Max Grundmann, son of Harry and Anna and Bill (William) Ryan, Max’s business partner.  The company operates in over fifty countries worldwide and employs around one hundred people.  Max was studying at Monash University in Melbourne when he realised that he had inherited a love of sales from Harry.  He joined the company in 1974 and took over when Harry suffered a heart attack in 1978.  That is when Bill joined the company.  Bill had a background in finance.

The business really took off when they marketed the “Krosno” brand and the Maxwell and Williams name was born in 1995 when Max was staying in Europe.  After doodling “Maxwell and Williams” on a paper table cloth the name was born.  I believe that this piece of paper is now framed and hanging in their offices.

They also have a range called "White Basics" that have a "Ramekin" with fluted sides, that has similar dimensions.  Much of the fine porcelain produced these days is made in China.  Even though these do not have a country of origin marked on the, I think it reasonable to conclude that they are of Chinese origin.