Collecting Deco Poole Pottery
While Poole pottery has embraced many styles, it is the dazzling bold shapes and hand-painted patterns of the 1920s and 1930s that really stand out. The 1920s were a period of change for the arts in Europe and if you are collecting Poole pottery you really want to own at least one piece from this period. This was the period of modernity that gave us the designs of Lalique and Corbusier and they would have exhibited at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes’ exhibition in Paris in 1925.. Poole won a Diploma of Honour here and it revolutionised their design.
They moved from simple floral spriggs and plain band patterns to abstracts featuring wheels, cogs and lightening flashes, which had most likely been inspired by the exhibition. Poole were soon to exhibit regularly at the Mansard Gallery at Heals and at regular trade events at London’s Gieve Gallery. This enhanced Poole’s profile, they acquired a reputation for quality and ‘on trend’ wares and ensured them regular press coverage.
While Poole got a lot of attention for their exhibition pieces they did not neglect their ‘bread and butter’ which consisted of mass produced biscuit barrels, preserve pots and bowls. While these pieces would not have been as elaborately decorated they were still hand-thrown and hand-painted and were very popular across the country. The first trade catalogue was issued in 1920, promising to produce unique handcrafted wares, thrown by the potter and hand-painted. Continue reading »
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The company was originally founded in 1873 as Carter & Co and was known for its tiles and flooring. It expanded into studio art pottery in 1921, trading as ‘Carter, Stabler and Adams’ (CSA) until 1963, when it became ‘Poole Pottery Ltd’. Although there were several name changes, all the pottery produced by this factory is commonly referred to as Poole Pottery.
Poole Pottery is easy to identify. Early examples from 1873-1921 are marked ‘Carter and Company’ or ‘Carter Poole’ on the base. From 1921-1963 they bear the ‘Poole England’ mark and thereafter ‘Poole Pottery Ltd’. Many pieces also bear the decorator’s monogram.
Very many of the pre-war Art Deco designs are hand-thrown stoneware with a matt, greyish-white glaze. Some are hand decorated in just one or two colours, but generally the most desirable ones have geometric and floral motifs, sometimes incorporating animals, in combinations of rich reds, blues, greens and yellows. The price range is somewhere between £100-£2,000, depending on the rarity of the design and who created or painted it. Pieces conceived by Truda Carter or painted by Gwen Haskins fetch particularly high prices.
Of the post-war designs, the hand-thrown, hand-painted ‘freeform’ and ‘contemporary’ style pieces by Guy Sydenham and Alfred Read display the distinctive, fluid forms, bold abstract patterns and striking colours of art pottery of the period. These qualities are also evident in the studio wares developed post-1958 by Robert Jefferson, especially in the brightly coloured Delphis and Aegean ranges. These are priced between £100-£800, lower than the pieces from the Art Deco era, but they are beginning to catch up. Now would probably be a good time to buy
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