Kerryl A20

Designer	Allan James
Maker	Kerryl
Marks	Incised “A20 Kerryl” to base
Material	Terra cotta clay
Description	Earthenware press-moulded bowl with tab handle to top of  thickened rim.  Light brown glaze to interior of bowl and top part of exterior.
Condition	Very good
Number	A 20
Production Date	Late 1970s
Width at rim	110mm
Width at Base	70mm
Depth	54mm
Length (with handle)	147mm
Weight	220gm
Volume	300ml
Acquisition	Camberwell Sunday Market 20th May 2012.
Rameking Reference Number	Ker 004-008

The story of Kerryl cannot be told without including Remued, or Preston Premier Pottery.  The Man who began Kerryl was Allan Edgar James who was born in the Melbourne suburb of Preston on the 7^th of October 1914 to John James and Edith (Roath).  As a seventeen year old, Allen was reputed to have been riding his bicycle past the Remued Pottery when he was offered a job as a thrower by David Dee, (1877-1934) part owner with Reg Hawkins (1894-1971).  Hawkins had migrated to Australia during the depression and had been a potter and decorator in England.  Dee, born in Launceston along with his five brothers had been apprenticed by John Campbell in Launceston Tasmania and later worked at Hoffmans in Melbourne, Victoria before starting PPP.

Premier Pottery in Preston was commenced  by them in 1929.  Both men had had much experience in pottery before beginning this small business by renting premises at 52 Oakover Road in Preston. Previously this site was used for curing bacon. This was a perfect location for opening a pottery as there was a large clay pit, virtually next door to the pottery.  See my entry for Remued for a more complete story.

 Allan took to pottery work quickly, practicing at every opportunity and his working speed meant that Remued became a leading maker in Melbourne.  David Dee died in Coburg, Victoria in 1934 and by then Allan had become an indispensable worker at Remued eventually becoming head potter.  (Yes, I know they didn’t become Remued until after David’s death.)  Margot Kerr (1898-1954) taught Allan decorating.  (Margot learnt from Merric Boyd)

Allan James in the 1930s

 Allan was the only person to stay at the pottery during the Second World War.  They had Army contracts, so someone had to make it.  In 1946 Premier Pottery was back to the level of production it was at before the war but strong competition arose from cheap Japanese imported goods, hindering the success of Premier Pottery. This trend continued, ultimately forcing them to close their doors for good in 1956.  They ceased production following, in part difficulties over the lease of the premises.  Factors such as management and rental disputes, changes in the market place, and a decrease in sales, eventually led to their closure.

 Before this, in 1951-52 Allan set up a second small pottery operation using an electric kiln, not at Oakover Road but in the backyard of his home at 16 Esther St, Preston.  It may be speculated that he was preparing to abandon Premier Pottery, which probably would have meant the end of Premier because the pottery revolved around him.  Whatever transpired it is known that, about that time, his position at Premier changed from being an employee in a firm owned by Reg Hawkins to being a co-owner.  Alan continued to work by day at Premier and worked evenings at home as well.

Allan transferred production of 'A' Series items there. The series was extended with new shapes and new styles of glazing reflecting changing fashions.  Slip-casting was introduced for some designs, replicating popular pieces from other potteries including Beswick, Shorter & Son and E.G.Greenway.  Many familiar shapes from the Later Series also made a re-appearance in the Kerryl range, particularly after about number A88. 

 The 'backyard' product, not surprisingly, bore a close similarity in style to contemporary Remued production from Oakover Road.  A new numbering series was instigated, the 'A' Series, marketed alongside the Later Series through the same agents. Like the Later Series the 'A' Series started at number 1 but was distinguished by the prefix letter 'A'.  Initially 'A' Series shapes were nearly all new, not repeating previous shapes. They included that favourite of 1950s potters, ramekins (numbered A1 & A2) plus lamp bases, dishes and vases.

 Kerryl Pottery, later operated from 53 Banbury Road Reservoir Victoria 1958 to 1980. Incised “Kerryl” to base. The name may be derived from Margot Kerr who worked at Remued from the early 1930s and was responsible for introducing the now highly collectable gumleaf/gumnut design, although it is believed that it was named for Kerry, the son of Allan and Myrtle James. The "M" series may be named for Myrtle James, nee Fraser (1916-2007) wife of Allan.  Allan died in Preston in 1979.

Compiled from
Darebin Libraries

Powerhouse Museum 

Remued.com

Penny Webb “Gumnuts and Glazes”

Fiesta by Elischer

Designer	John Elischer
Maker	Elischer
Marks	Incised “Fiesta” to base
Material	Slipware
Description	Triangular bowl with rounded corners, tapering towards base.  Fishtail handle. Off white light gloss overglaze with harlequin interiors.
Condition	Good, some crazing to interior of bowl
Number
Production Date	1960s
Width   at rim	97mm
Width at Base	50mm
Depth	40mm
Length (with handle)	140mm
Weight	190gm
Volume	210ml
Acquisition	Waverley Antique Bazaar 11 May 2012
Rameking Reference Number	FIE 001-005

These ramekins are almost identical to the Elischer Cottonware ramekins, except for a slightly modified handle.  

Elischer Pottery was started in Sandringham in 1947 by well-known sculptor John (Johann Wolfgang) Elischer (1891-1966) and his son, also named John, (known as Wolly). John (Snr) was born in Vienna and trained at the Academy of Vienna from 1908 to 1911 and was an Associate of the Royal Academy Vienna.  He won the Prix de Rome in 1909.  This was a scholarship for art students, although his name does not appear on the list of winners, he may have been awarded a second prize.  This is no shame because Manet and Monet both failed to win the Prix de Rome.  Johan later studied in Paris (1910-1911) under the even more famous August Rodin.

After serving with the Austro-Hungarian forces in World War 1, he practiced as a sculptor in Vienna and designed figures for Austrian pocelain factories.   In 1924, he became the Art Director at Dittman-Brunner, an Austrian light fitting and novelty manufacturer.  He won an international competition in 1926 to design a memorial in South Africa for General Botha.  An excellent example of his early work, the sculpture, 'Foundryman' is held in the Eckhart G. Grohmann Museum at the Milwaukee School of Engineering.  This piece captures the intense concentration, grace and skill involved in pouring metal.

John migrated to Australia in 1935. While living in Douglas Street Toorak in 1951, John won the 200 Guinea prize for a design for a jubilee medal for Australian Primary School and pre school children.  The medal was given to the school children of Australia in 1951 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Federation of Australia. The design was chosen after a competition, with the valuable cash prize of two hundred guineas. It was won by John for his depiction of a man hand-sowing wheat.  The wheat represents the seven States of Australia on the other side of the medal, at left 1901, at right 1951 in tiny letters near ground right, J.W.E. (obverse) Some of his notable sculptures are busts of Archbishop Daniel Mannix and Television great Graham Kennedy in clay.

Elischer, P. Hurry and John Farmer together held an exhibition of works at the Atheaeum, Collins Street Melbourne, in June 1937. The catalogue lists 10 pieces of sculpture by 'John Wolfgang Elischer, A.R.A. (Associate of the Royal Academy) (Vienna)' (Copy in Museum Victoria History and Technology Department

Elischer also received commissions for sculptures including the King George V Memorial in Bendigo (1938),  The statue was unveiled by the then Premier of Victoria, Mr Dunstan amidst complaints that local materials had not been used in the making of the statue.  He also made a bronze fountain for businessman and philanthropist Sir Russell Grimwade in Toorak  In 1946 Huntley Pottery in Glenhuntly began making slip cast items designed by John Elischer. 

John (Senior) died in 1966 and the business was continued by his son John (Wolly), until 1987 when it was sold.  Prior to that, at some time, he started making pieces the brand NCP.

The business continues today as “Unique Ceramics” at 31 - 33 Beaumaris Parade, Highett, Victoria. You probably have some of their stuff without knowing it. Have a look at the bottom of that ceramic port bottle of beer stein from the Dandenong Octoberfest.  In 2002, Elischer Street in Canberra was named in his honour.  Unique Ceramics continues to use the “Elischer” brand today on some of their wares.

Royal Worcester

Designer
Maker	Royal Worcester
Marks	Stamped in gold to base – Royal Worcester Fireproof Made in England inside circle.  Shape 32 size 1 stamped under circle Number 1 impressed above circle
Material	Soft paste porcelain, 22ct gold
Description	Gilded bowl with white gloss glazed interior unglazed slightly indented base dimpled inwards from footring
Condition	Good, some wear to gilding
Number	Shape 32, size 1
Production Date	Late 1960s –early 1970s
Width at rim	110mm
Width at base	85mm
Depth	45mm
Length (with handle)	165mm
Weight	260gm
Volume	250mm
Acquisition	Tyabb Antiques 26 Apr 2012
Rameking Reference Number	RWO 001-005

Originally sold in some markets as a cocotte, (one or two handled French cooking dish) these Royal Worcester Lustre Gold ramekins are press-moulded soft paste porcelain with 22 Carat gold applied to the exterior of the bowl.  They also produced a ribbed bowl they called a ramekin, so it is reasonable that these ramekins were named something else.   Gilding, as it is known, on pottery is a complex and difficult method to learn and can be done using several differing methods.  Several tonnes of gold are still used each year to gild ceramics.  It can be sprayed, brushed, screen-printed, acid etched or mixed with resin. 

Early methods at Worcester involved mixing the gold with mercury or honey giving the body a bright rich honey gold colour when fired at a relatively low temperature.  Ancient gilding on the wood of Egyptian mummy cases is still as bright as original. 

The method most commonly used is to mix gold powder and borax (borosilicate or a bismuth based flux).  The resulting powder is brushed onto the pottery with a very fine brush (usually camel hair).  When the mixture dries, because it is mixed with water, it is fired during which the borax is burnt off and the gold melts into the body.  The pottery comes out brown and must be burnished (polished) with a stone, usually agate to bring out the gold colour.  These ramekins were produced in plain and crazed gold.  Size 1 appears to be plain, size 3 appears to be crazed.

Situated on the river Severn, Worcester is the capital city of Worcestershire in England’s West Midlands.  With a population of almost 100,000 people, it is about 50km south-west of Bermingham.   In other posts, I have spoken about the loss of potteries as a result of Government policy and the consequential increase in imports.  In the case of Royal Worcester, had it not been for the collapse of the glove making industry in Worcester, then it is likely that Royal Worcester would not have come into existence.  Concerned at the loss of work for glove makers because of cheap imports from France, a number of local businessmen decided to create a pottery.

And so it was that in 1751, fifteen of them parted with £4,500 (for the Americans, that is British pounds, a type of money used in and around England) and leased “Warmstry House”, and fitted out the old mansion, still around today as part of Worcester College; and the company “The Worcester Tonquin Manufactory” was born on the bank of the Severn river.  (Tonquin is a floral pattern still in use today)  Leaders of the pack back in Worcestershire were Dr John Wall, local surgeon and William Davis, Apothecary (chemist).  Like most gentlemen of the day, they had little practical pottery skills so they had to do what businesses today still do; they bought in the skills.  Poaching a couple of potters with porcelain making skills, (Podmore and Lyes) from other factories with the promise of extra money and profit shares.

They started small and slow, making soft-paste soapstone porcelain, but within a year they started upping production.  One point of difference was that their stuff didn’t crack when boiling water was poured into cups.  Chinese porcelain didn’t but other English makers did.  Worcester porcelain in some cases was heavier than the competition but their designs and quality were better.  Another point of difference were the patterns and blue under the glaze that made Worcester distinct.

In the mid 1750s, they started using transfer prints, so innovation began early.  (Again, for the Americans, they are a type of Decal.)   By 1764 they were producing more transfer prints than all their competitors combined.  Their quality soon attracted moneyed buyers with the Duke of Gloucester being one of the first ordering a dinner service.  Royal Worcester got the contract to provide crockery to the English Royal Family. Today, these products on display in the museum on the site of the old Royal Worcester factory are worth huge amounts.  Because it is so collectible, it is often subject to forgery.  One test of genuine Worcester porcelain is to hold it up to a strong light.  You should see translucence with a slightly greenish tinge.

Dr John retired in 1774 but died in 1776 and without his leadership, things at the works began to go south.  The small factory was in need of repair and refurbishment.  Fortunately, in 1783 their London agent Thomas Flight paid £3,000 (to remind the Americans, that’s English money) for the company and set about improving it and turning it into one of Europe’s leading porcelain manufacturers.   The Flight family ran Worcester for the next fifty years.

After visiting the works, and being impressed with the standard of their output, King George III gave Worcester a Royal Warrant in 1789, entitling Worcester to become Royal Worcester.  Other Royal Warrants followed, the Prince of Wales in 1807, Princess of Wales in 1808 and by Queen Elizabeth II.  Martin Barr joined the firm as a partner in 1792.  Thomas Flight died in 1800, leaving the factory to his son Joseph Flight and Martin Barr.  Barr’s sons Martin Barr Jr. and George Barr had been trained to run the factory.

We know so much about Royal Worcester because in the 1850s, the then Managing Director and Art Director Richard William Binns, with an eye to posterity began an archive.  He was passionate about the history of porcelain and in the 1850s he started to collect not only ceramics, but also documentary evidence relating to the manufacture of porcelain in Worcester. He preserved a wide range of records relating to the factories, employees, general business and production methods as well as photographs, drawings and prints illustrating the finished products. In addition, and perhaps more importantly, he continued and expanded a detailed system for recording the thousands of porcelain designs for shapes and patterns made by the Royal Worcester factory under his direction

The name was changed to the Worcester Royal Porcelain Co. Ltd. 1862.  Royal Worcester is now over 250 years old and is one of the last bastions of 18^th Century quality and craftsmanship.  They wear artistic freedom and traditional craftsmanship as a badge of honour, carrying on Dr Wall’s vision to “create wares of a form so precise as to be easily distinguishable”.  Now part of the Portmeirion Group, Royal Worcester remains a leader in the luxury tableware and giftware market.

Royal Worcester was the first company to introduce  oven-to-table ware to fine English porcelain after World War II, with which it achieved worldwide success.  They are still one of the largest makers of porcelain and bone china in England. 

The late 1970s was a difficult time because of overseas competition and in July 1976 they merged with another great British pottery, Spode to become “Royal Worcester Spode”.  Production was moved from Worcester to works in Stoke to reduce costs.   The company struggled on but redundancies in the noughties and rising costs meant the inevitable and they went into administration in November 2008 with with the company closing on the 14^th of June 2009.  Works at Stoke, Lymdale and Worcester employing almost 400 people, closed. 

Receivers PriceWaterhouseCoopers sought a buyer and after a couple of hiccups, on the 23^rd of April 2009, Portmerion bought the name and intellectual property rights for £3.2million.  The properties were sold to reduce debt.  Portmerion is based in Stoke on Trent  and is a pottery and homewares company started in 1960 by potter designer Susan Williams Ellis and her husband Euan Cooper Ellis.  Hers is a story in itself.

Henry Sandon

No-one these days can talk about Royal Worcester without mentioning the great Henry Sandon.  For those philistines who don’t know who he is, read on.  I think I should at this point say that the Rameking has a bit of a man-crush on Henry.  Henry is the world authority on Royal Worcester.  Henry was headed down the road to a musical career when he dug up some Roman pottery in his yard.  Even though music remains a passion, his world changed.

For those of you who may have seen him on the Antiques Roadshow, Henry, now in his 80s is a happy Hobbit of a man who was Curator of the Dyson Perrins Worcester Museum for 17 years from 1966.  Henry has infected his son John with the same disease.    John has been Curator of the European Ceramics and Glass at Bonhams, founded in 1793, it is the third largest auction house after Southeby’s and Christies.  Henry has written several books on pottery and also lectures on the subject.  So Henry, on the off chance  you ever Google youself and come across my humble offering, please feel free to add any furher details that you may think relevant.

Henry is not just one of those academic types who only preaches to the converted.  Not the retiring type, he put his money where his mouth is in 1996 to become a Director of Bronte Porcelain in the Meerbrook Business Park, Malvern, Worcestershire.  Former Royal Worcester craftsmen produce spectacularly beautiful products as well as special commissions.  Henry now has a Toby jug made in his image by Kevin Francis Ceramics of Liverpool Street, Stoke, Staffordshire.  What an honour, even though he received an MBE in 2009 for services to Broadcasting, the ceramics industry and Charity.  When Time Team are digging in a thousand years, it will be the Toby Jug that survives.

Diana (6)

Designer	Diana
Maker	Diana Marrickville
Marks	No marks
Description	Cream slipware ramekin, triangular shape with integrated handle with pinched grip.  Pronounced triangular footring.  Harlequin interior.  Clear gloss glaze.
Condition	Good with age related crazing to glaze
Number	No markings but definitely Diana.
Production Date	Mid to late 1960s
Width	105mm
Depth	47mm
Length (with handle)	155mm
Weight	235gm
Volume	250ml
Acquisition	E-Bay 20th April 2012.
Rameking Reference Number

 Eric Cornwell Lowe was born in Melbourne in 1901 at East Brunswick, Victoria.  At the time, a number of potteries operated in the area, but Eric’s father (Arthur Horace Lindsay Lowe, 1868-1938) was a Salesman and later an Agent.  His mother was Amy Beatrice Catterall (b1871).  Eric moved to Sydney and married Vera Louisa Christopher in 1932, they do not appear to have had children.   Arthur and Amy moved up in the world, moving from Brunswick to Moonee Ponds, then to Caulfield, an affluent Melbourne suburb.

Young Eric was quite entrepreneurial in his late teens as he began importing cut glass and crockery from Germany and Czechoslovakia.  Timing was not on his side as this began in 1939.  This company was called “Eric C Lowe Pty Ltd.”   “Maunufacturers of Utility and Fancy Earthenware”.

The shareholders of this company were;

·        Eric C Lowe

·        Mrs Vera Louise Lowe

·        John Christopher

·        Winston McKenley Christopher

·        Brian Winter LeQueene

·        Josephine Mary Permewan (Victoria)

·        Ralph Rankin  (Victoria)

Directors of the company were

·        E.C.Lowe

·        V.L.Lowe

·        J.Christopher

·        W.M.Christopher

·         

The business was incorporated in New South Wales on the 11^th of July 1939, having previously been carried on by Eric as a sole trader, and was given 401 ordinary and 2665 preference shares when incorporated. 

Eric had a large amount of stock on hand and could not sell it due to the stigma now attached to German goods.  So, during the Second World War (1941) Eric and Vera got Government contracts to produce ceramic wares (cream ware cups and mugs and pots and jugs) for the armed forces. Eric did not join up as many of his contemporaries did.  Many industries supplying the armed forces were “protected industries” and many of their employees were exempt from military service.  Most potteries at that time were geared for the war effort and the demand from Australian and American troops was enormous. 

Seen after the company incorporated, in 1941, Eric began making art pottery.  This did not last long as wartime restrictions meant that this was prohibited in May 1942.  They began making teapots, jugs, cups and mugs around May 1942.  During wartime, price control measures meant that Eric had to submit financial returns to the Commonwealth government.  This fixed the price that Eric could charge for the output. Thankfully, these records still exist.  These give detailed accounts of all the itemised accounting for the business. 

These are notable for showing that Fowler, Bakewell and Mashman were making similar items for the services.  Still, this did not stop the business from making a profit of 39.3% in 1940/41 and 26.0% in 1941/42.  Profits gradually dropped and the next year they only made about 13%.  In 1943/44, the profit was down to 10.7%.  The next year produced a deficit of £411.  Late in 1944, Eric had to repay 25 of his workers back pay because of a Womens Employment Board decision that he had underpaid them.  These were all women as most men had by then enlisted. 

Although born in Victoria, his pottery was started at 122-126 Marrickville Road, Marrickville, Sydney and it continued there until the early 1970s, when cheap copies and imports caused a drastic decline in sales and its eventual closure.  The giant Fowler works were already established there works in the area because of the clay found in the area, and later, Studio Anna commenced nearby.  They also purchased kaolin from the Pottery Clay Works for £3.15/- per ton.

In November 1945, a fire started by a lime kiln spread to the works and quickly destroyed much of the factory. Fire is an occupational hazard in potteries and brick works but nevertheless it was a devastating blow.  The works had been extensively refurbished the previous year.  Contracts from the Services were drying up and production had to revert to peace time items.  When the war finished, Arthur began had rebuilt and began making domestic pottery for the homes of the families of returned services people.  This included a large range of slip cast vases in a variety of gloss and matte colours, sizes and shapes, or sprayed to create a speckled texture,

Their output included such products as ceramic horse-head book ends, several other animal figures, (a pair of greyhounds was a popular product) tableware, utility and kitchenware. Over 200 different shapes were produced during their lifetime.  Some products were sold using the name “Hollywood.”  By the early 1950s the company had more than 70 employees and were producing a large range of hand painted articles which included "Waltzing Matilda" musical mugs and jugs, and produced bright "gumnut" pots with pale green and brown glazes.

The musical mugs and jugs played when lifted, but the movements were expensive and difficult to obtain, being imported from Switzerland, so many mugs and jugs that should have had movements were sold without at reduced prices. In the 1960s Diana diversified their range further into decorated oven and kitchenware, hand painted with maple, poinsettia, cornflower, blackberry, wattle and flannel flower designs.  In the 1960's, a variety of small slip cast vases hand decorated in gold were made for a gift shop in the Imperial Arcade Sydney which were marketed under the name 'Imperial'.  Although these are not ramekins, I have some of them.

After the Second World War there had been a massive increase in the number of potteries around Australia. Commercial, studio and backyard potteries were being established in the suburbs of most major cities and by 1955 there were over 12,000 people working in the quarrying and manufacture of clay related industries.  This also included brickworks.  After the war, Eric had changed production to domestic pottery and throughout the 1950s, Diana was the largest and most prolific pottery in New South Wales, producing hundreds of different products and designs, many hand painted. Native wildflowers were a popular motif.

Among them, as mentioned, the Flannel Flower, an iconic Sydney plant used in imagery and art since colonial times.  Sometimes known as the Sydney Flannel Flower, it is usually known as the Flannel Flower and was chosen to be the New South Wales floral emblem for the Centenary of Federation (1901-2001).  It is found in the sandstone national parks in the greater Sydney area and can be sometimes found in spectacular drifts.  The flowers are about 50mm in diameter and appear in Spring.  The stunning Pink Flannel Flower is rarely seen as it only appears in the summer following a bushfire.

Soon after the end of the Second World War, Eric began advertising for more staff and soon had a thriving business making home-wares for the thousands of ex-servicemen starting their families.  His pottery even had a staff canteen, far more advanced than many of the other one or two person companies operating on a shoestring budget.  In the mid 1960s, they (Diana Pottery (Vic) Pty Ltd) had a shop in Melbourne at 343 Little Collins Street. 

The potteries around Australia employed thousands of people, many given their start in Australia following migration from Europe after the second word war.  Eric Jungvirt who started Studio Anna was one who started with Eric at Diana.  I think it fair to say that you would have had a piece of Diana pottery in yours or your parents home at some stage, probably a ramekin, a mixing bowl or a vase. At their peak, Diana employed around 70 people but this had declined to around 30 by 1970.  They continued on for a few more years calling their output “Dana”. 

In Australia, the Whitlam Government had cut tariffs without warning by 25 percent in 1973.  1974 saw an increase in imports of 30 percent.  By mid-1974, Australia was in an economic slump with unemployment rising significantly.  Short-term credit rates rose to extremely high levels and this caused prices to spike sharply, and according to Government figures, inflation topped 13 percent for over a year between 1973 and 1974.  On top of these problems, wage parity was legislated for female workers meant an increase in wages costs.It was in this climate that Diana fell on hard times and ceased production.  Eric was by then in his early 50s.

Much of the Dana ceramics were copies of the later “Nefertiti” ramekins, with a rough textured (Avocado) exterior and a brown glazed lip and interior. They also produced wares using the names Hollywood, Imperial and just plain Australian.  Check out the Diana website for lots more.   Also, a potter at Bendigo Pottery told me that the conveyor that moves the pottery around the Bendigo Pottery today was said to have come from the old Diana Pottery after it closed in 1974.  The entire Marrickville site consisting of the Fowler, Diana and Studio Anna potteries was demolished and subdivided in 1982.  Eric died in Sydney NSW on the 10^th February 1977 age 76.  Vera lived on for many years.