Charger
Della Robbia Pottery
Category
Ceramics
Date
1895
Materials
earthenware with sgraffito and painted decoration
Measurements
65 mm (H)485 mm (Diameter)
Place of origin
Birkenhead
Order this imageCollection
Standen House and Garden, West Sussex
NT 1213667
Summary
Large plaque, red earthenware, with recessed well and broad, sloping flange, designed and decorated by Willie Williams and William Warwick, Della Robbia Pottery, Birkenhead, 1895; decorated with sgraffito and painted design in turquoise, yellow and white of serpent on a shield at the centre against a ground pattern of circles with foliate designs, a zig-zag pattern around the edge of the well, the flange with a rounded cruciform pattern, with scrolling foliage and dashed lines.
Full description
The Della Robbia Pottery was established in Birkenhead in 1894, taking its name and inspiration from the maiolica (tin glazed earthenware) masterpieces of Italian Renaissance sculptor Luca Della Robbia. It ran according to Arts and Crafts principles, aspiring to use local labour and materials, and to create works entirely by hand. Della Robbia employed many women as designers and decorators. The ceramics were bold, bright and colourful – the Magazine of Art reported that, with Della Robbia ceramics in a room, ‘the ordinary meal would have the comparative air of a banquet.’ Unfortunately, the venture was never profitable and it closed in 1906 after just 12 years in business. William Henry (Willie) Williams (b. 1879) was born in Birkenhead. He began working at the Della Robbia Pottery shortly after it opened in 1894 and remained there until about 1901. Williams produced sgraffito (incised) designs for the pottery. William Warwick (b. 1840) was born in Yorkshire and spent most of his working life in the Royal Navy, before joining the Della Robbia Pottery as a painter. Unusually, he was in his mid-fifties when he started working for the pottery in 1895.
Marks and inscriptions
Underside of base: Y: W (incised, probably for Willie Wilkins) D [ship] R / 1895 (mark for Della Robbia, date) Underside of base: W [with four dots] (painted, for William Warwick)
Makers and roles
Della Robbia Pottery , manufacturer William Henry 'Willie' Williams (b.1879), designer William Warwick (b.1840), decorator
References
Hyland 2013: Peter Hyland, The Della Robbia Pottery, Birkenhead, 1894-1906, Suffolk: Antique Collectors’ Club 2013