Hilditch and Son 'Chinoiserie' Mug 1822-1830 Ref. HS4

Hilditch and Son 'Chinoiserie' Mug 1822-1830 Ref. HS4

It is believed that the Hilditch firm in Longton, Staffordshire, was already established in 1811. The company made headlines in the local newspaper at that time, an intriguing confession by a Mary Price that she had disclosed secret information about the Miles Mason company to an employee of Hilditch. Between the years of 1811 and 1832, it appears that the company operated under the names 'William Hilditch', 'William Hilditch and Company', ' Hilditch and Martin' (possibly the same 'Martin' who joined up with the 'Martin, Shaw and Cope' company of a slightly earlier age) and, finally 'Hilditch and Sons'

It was a short-lived concern, and a typical Georgian manufacturer of porcelain and earthenware, and operated at Lane End, Longton, Staffordshire. It is estimated that around 1500 potters came and went during the area's heyday, Hilditch and Sons, being one of them. Very little is known about the company but, their designs reflected the taste of the Georgian period of the time, namely typical 'Chinoiserie' designs, executed in a strong printed blue colour and hand- embellished in vibrant colours.  Gilding was sometimes added after the firing process had been completed. Much of the painting, decoration and finishing was conducted by children, many from the age of eight years old. The 'H &S' mark, in its various forms, is relatively rare, and many unmarked pieces have been attributed to Hilditch.  Fine quality porcelain is what the company strove for - and accomplished - but, some pieces of lesser quality appeared at the end of the company's life.

The "Chinoiserie Mug" offered above, stands 9cm tall and just under 9cm wide. It shows a striking, printed pattern in a dark blue with overglazed reds, pink, purple, yellow and green colours. Some gilding is found over the design and a wide band of gilding is seen at the foot of the mug. Manufactured from a translucent porcelain, and showing the rare "H & S' mark on the base, it remains in excellent condition with no chips, cracks or damage to the design. The interior shows a broad band of 'flowers' around the rim, again with some gilding, and some black 'spots' can be seen at the bottom of the mug.  These 'black spots' would have been due to coal dust which was caught up during the firing.  Coal was used to fire the kilns and coal dust was every potters nightmare.  However, these 'spots' are extremely useful for dating unmarked pottery. The glazing is fairly thick, and has an 'orange peel' effect, glazing was still in its infancy during the early 1800's.  Some trapped air bubbles in the glaze are also evident on the base.

This is a genuine antique. Please remember the classification of an 'antique' is that it should be 100 years old, OR MORE. There are many articles being offered as 'antiques' when, clearly, they are not.

Price R500.00    

Post R60.00   

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