Confused about pottery...Any help appreciated.

I recently inherited a box full of pottery which was my aunts wedding present from her boss back in 1948. It was rarely if ever used and she left it to me to sell "to help my glass collection along". In the box along with a teapot, water pot, tea bowls, saucers and small cups is the lidded bowl (for sugar?)in the picture and a piece of paper which says "Masonware. Ironstone. c1800."

I've searched a bit to try to get some more detail and found some photos of Ironstone made by C.J.Mason in the 19th century but they are all rather more colourfull than this tea set. If anything what I have looks rather more like some Spode I found.

I'm also uncertain about the Greek Key gilding. Nothing I found has this, it looks a bit like it was added after manufacture as it doesn't seem to be part of the original design and looks quite strange painted over the chinese scenery. If that's so does it make the set valueless?

I was also suprised that there seems to be a huge amount of this sort of pottery around. Is the set collectable and of any value at all? It is in good condition. Lids, spouts and handles are intact. Apart from a few cracks and a bit of wear to the gilding it seems undamaged.

If anyone knows who made it and when I would appreciate any info. they have. Thanks.

ned to have a look underneath its defo chinese look like its been over written in gold greek key , the style design looks 18th cent while the blue and white looks 19th cent

Thanks for replying. I've had time to unpack the whole box now and more suprises. What I took to be a water jug was in fact a pile of saucers with a bowl on top. No plates just large and small shallow bowls (or possibly saucers although they look way too big for the cups). The whole lot comprises: Teapot, milk jug, sugar bowl + oval dish (with different handles), 2 large shallow bowls/plates, 9 small shallow bowls/saucers, 9 tea bowls and 10 cups.

The bases are glazed but where bits are unglazed the clay is white/grey. The only marks on the base are on the tea-pot milk jug and oval dish and all are "270" in gold paint. Inside all the tea bowls is a blurred blue mark which may be some sort of chinese character but is not readable and looks more like a doodle imitating chinese script.

I attach more pics. hope these help.

What a nice old set. It has to be pre 1891 as a law was passed in that year stating that pottery had to be marked with the country it was produced in. I'm afraid I can't say if it is Mason's or not as I have never seen this pattern before.

The reason why the saucers seem large and deep is that they used to pour the tea from the cup into the saucer to cool and drink from the saucer in those days.

Tea cups did not always have handles. Chinese tea bowls influenced the first European teacups. At first, the English made cups without handles in the traditional Chinese style. Not until the mid 1750’s was a handle added to prevent the ladies from burning their fingers. This improvement was copied from a posset cup, used for hot beverages-hot drink made of milk with wine, ale or spirits. The saucer was once a small dish for sauce. In Victorian days, tea drinkers poured their tea into saucers to cool before sipping, this was perfectly acceptable. This is what writers of the period mean by “a dish of tea.”
Originally tea was poured into small handle-less Chinese porcelain bowls that held about 2-3 tablespoons of tea. It is said that the idea of the saucer developed in the 17th century when the daughter of a Chinese military official found it difficult to handle the hot bowls of tea she brewed for him and asked a local potter to devise a little plate on which to place the bowl. (Taken from “A Social History of Tea” by Jane Pettigrew).

My contribution for what it's worth.

The pattern seems to be reverse of the willow pattern i.e. the pagoda temple is on the left.
Some items seem to have it the right way round, i.e the flatware bottom right.
Some items seem to be a different shade of blue.
The gold overlay pattern is based on a traditional Chinese pattern.

Here's my theory which could be totally wrong, they might be factory imperfects that have had the gold overlay added by a 3rd party and then a set made up from them.

I love the elegant shape of the tea pot :)

Probably the only way to get a realistic valuation is from an auctioneer.

Thanks for all your replies and suggestions especialy Poscar who put me on the right track by mentioning Willow Patern. I thought of that when I first saw the sugar bowl and looked for the two swallows, which was all I could remember about the pattern, when I couldn't find them started looking for other similar things of which there are so many I flumoxed myself.

After a lot of searching among different versions of Willow Pattern I finaly found it. Miles Mason "Broseley Willow" although it also seems to be called "Two Temples" or "Temple Scene" by some. Dating varies from 1805 to 1820 depending on the various shapes and sizes of jugs and tea pots as fashions changed.

The gilded Greek Key seems to be part of the original design as several examples I found had similar gilded overlays with grapes and leaves and others had a different geometric pattern. There was no mention of the gilding being an addition. Having said that the set is, I think, put together from different periods. The sugar bowl is similar to the 1805 type design I found with blue dragons head handles while the cream jug and tea pot seem later. This might also explain why the transfers on some pieces are the right way round and reversed on others. If I'm right in that then the older versions are paler blue, perhaps from longer use and more washing, I'm no expert and am only guessing.

Anyway thanks to all for taking the time to reply, I'm now going to have a nice big glass of Rioja and relax my aching eyes. Cheers to you all.

One final quick question. Is it safe to give pieces this old a gentle wash with washing-up liquid?
Thanks.

the lightest shade of blue on china is called delft ware imported from holland 16th 17th cent , also pheasant ware which is 18th19th cent a alternative to willow pattern , also counting the grapes on willow pattern either gives a help with date and or factory , thats the limit of my knowledge on china , the style of your china does look regency and what you have found out about the pattern overlay certainly makes your china worth getting a expert to look at it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by theElench

One final quick question. Is it safe to give pieces this old a gentle wash with washing-up liquid?
Thanks.

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yep as long as non has started to crumble , ive had big willow pattern plates go that way, a soaking in bleach removes stains or at least lightens the stain were the glaze has cracked, but i would not bleach on old stuff or your stuff

Many thanks for your advice. I just want to give it a light rub over to get the dirt from the newspaper wrapping off.