Customer Reviews

English Pottery (Fitzwilliam Museum Handbooks)

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I acquired this book solely for its superb illustrations. Each piece is given its own, full-colour page, opposite which is a description, not only of its use to the society which produced it, but of the body, glaze, and decorative technique and style. I found much information therein which had been ignored by longer and heavier books on the subject of English ceramics. Also included with each description is a brief selection of titles which will ease further research. This is a beautiful little book (like all the Firzwilliam Museum Handbooks) which would make a very welcome gift for any ceramic historian or collector.

First of all for the price I thought it would be better; it's my fault I didn't look too closely and didn't notice that this is a paper back. I also thought that it would show pottery marks and be more than just a book of pictures with some information.

The book is just three eighths of an inch thick and when it arrived I thought it was the supplement.

The pictures are accompanied by the history of the type of item in the picture; for example item number 3 on page 16 is 'flagon;' underneath it says 'probably Derbyshire or Staffordshire 1630-60.' Then it says 'Dark red stained earthenware covered with glossy black, iron stained lead glaze. Height 29.4cm. Glaisher Catalogue 23-1928.'

On the opposite page there are a couple of paragraphs on the history of homely pottery known as Midlands Yelloware and Midlands Blackware and then at the bottom of the paragraphs recommendations for further reading - and that's it on every page.

As I said not what I was expecting; there are some wonderful photographs, one per item and there are sixty four of them, but I am not likely to come across any of these items unless I am watching the Antiques Road Show or visiting a museum.

The introduction gives a fairly interesting brief history of English Pottery and there is a glossary of terms where you can learn that `grog' is ground up fired clay and that `earthenware' is Opaque, porous pottery fired at temperatures between 450 and 1100ºc.

But it is a museum book and not really for the antique collector.