Okay, back to blue and white china.
Among my collection–which I bought on eBay 15+ years ago from a German seller–is a cup and saucer made by Wood & Sons.
I think this is, in essence, a lovely pattern, though the production of the pieces is oddly ham-fisted. If you look closely at the cup you’ll see that the leaves of its upper border have been cut off to make room for the design on the lower portion, which has also been clipped in places. What the heck, guys?
This page shows the various marks associated with Wood & Sons, and reveals that my piece dates from after 1960, the “Detergent Proof” guarantee giving it away. This doesn’t surprise me; like all these pieces it is in great shape, with a bright color and no crazing. Clearly not Very Old.
I also have one piece by Barker Bros. Ltd. I’m disappointed to say that the Potteries.org web page on them doesn’t include a likeness of this piece’s mark, however, because it guarantees the piece Detergent Proof, I assume it’s from the ’60s or later, like the previous piece. I’m really glad that I’m able to appreciate my blue-and-white ware just for its general loveliness, rather than its age or value…
Anyway: the depiction, of hurdle-making, makes me particularly happy. I watch Gardener’s World, where Monty Don is always talking about the hurdles he uses as temporary fencing, and we’ve been watching The Edwardian Farm in the evening (or was it on The Victorian Farm? We just watched that, too) in which Alex Langlands gets a lesson in hurdle-weaving. I also follow a Twitter account called @copseworker, who cuts the rods traditionally used to make hurdles. So for this particular design, I feel that I have my hands on the ropes, as it were. Firmly enough on the ropes to see that these are not traditional hazel hurdles. Oh well!
I’ll wrap up this post here. Tomorrow’s will be the last about the odds & bobs in my collection, encompassing the lowest (Made In England and nothing else) and the highest (which will be a surprise). Hope you’ve enjoyed looking at these pieces as much as I have. See you then.
Frost and Fog 