Wednesday, August 28, 2013

More Dorothy Thorpe - a glorious experiment

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of seeing a display of some of  Billy Apple's extensive collection of Crown Lynn Dorothy Thorpe ware at the Auckland Art Gallery.  Interestingly, he and Mary have discovered a record of a ball handled Dorothy Thorpe cup and saucer made in France many years before she did the range for Crown Lynn.  I had always assumed that the ball handles were a fresh concept for CL but there you go...Anyway, below are some pics of the display... I just love this army of fat little jugs and sugar bowls...
This is a selection of Monterey, the coffee pots (or teapots) are so tall and wobbly it's a wonder that any have survived.
The gravy jug looks a little  odd; maybe they were not so popular; there don't seem to be many around.
One of the more interesting objects on display was this very rare item - I have never seen another. A compote dish I guess you would call it, this pattern is a variation on Santa Barbara. The ball base is much bigger than the handles on the cups.
The Dorothy Thorpe ball handled range was developed for Crown Lynn in the 1960s - first released in the US in 1965, and in NZ the following year. Interestingly, they didn't sell especially well. They were a bit avant garde for the time, and also not especially practical. They were given Californian names - this is Santa Barbara. The basic pattern was applied as a transfer then hand-coloured.
This Santa Barbara serving bowl is a different shape from the smoother lines of the Monterrey bowl below it.
 
In the 1960s when this range was introduced to NZ, Crown Lynn made much of the salad bowl - publicity at the time explained that the Americans served a salad with almost every meal; a novel concept in this country.  Another Dorothy Thorpe pattern was Brocade - in a rather bold purple.  This cup has a loop or 'eyebrow' handle - which replaced the ball handles because they were easier to use - and easier to make.
Dorothy Thorpe also designed Laguna, a serene mix of pale grey-green and mauve - this is from my collection.
The two patterns Pine and Palm Springs originated with the Crown Lynn design team. They are branded as Dorothy Thorpe but in addition both are marked as being designed by Mark Cleverley. This however was an error - Pine was by David Jenkin. This is a Palm Springs coffee pot.
And this is Pine in the conventional cup shape. Both Pine and Palm Springs sold well in New Zealand as standard family dinner sets.
Lastly, I have to put in a plug for Billy - he has a few gaps in his collection that he would love to fill. If anyone has any of the following that they would like to sell or swap, please leave a comment on this blog. He would be forever grateful.
 
BROCADE
Milk jug, ball handle
Salad bowl, 10"
 
LAGUNA
Dinner plate
Platter, 13”
Desert bowl, 6 1/4”
 
MONTERREY
Milk jug, loop handle
 
PINE
Cup, ball handle
Milk jug, loop handle
 
PALM SPRINGS
Cup, ball handle

All the best till next time
ValM

Just recently I have been sent a picture of a sugar bowl with a lid... a very rare thing to find. Unfortunately it looks as though the bowl is Santa Barbara and the lid is Monterey, but it's still great to see how they fit together. Thanks so much to the reader who sent me this!

15 comments:

  1. Billy doesn't seem to have the sugar that has a lid with a ball handle on it .... maybe because it looks rather ridiculous hahaaa Great photos Val !!

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  2. Ev do you have a pic of this sugar??? if so it would be great if we can add it to this page.

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  3. Hi wot does a pine dinner plate go for just out of curiosity can you reply too blackbarbie824@hotmail.com cheers happy new year!

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  4. Hi Valerie
    I purchased a Santa Barbara set around 6 years ago now consisting of 4 cups, a sugar bowl and a milk jug.
    Any idea where I can source matching pieces?
    Ideally I would love to start with 4 saucers.
    Thanks.
    Shiralee
    Melbourne

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    1. Hi Shirallee. The saucers are probably easier to come by than the cups. I suggest you browse TradeMe (the NZ online auction site.) You could also leave a message on the New Zealand Pottery website; there is a section for people looking for items. You will need to register before you can leave a message. http://www.newzealandpottery.net/

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  5. I have a 6 piece Crown Lynn Pine (Mauve) dinner service with cups and saucers in perfect condition to sell.. I am in Adelaide South Australia. Could anyone please advise the best way to go about selling this dinner service. Thank you, Bobbie bobbieroberts@ozemail.com.au

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  6. Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you.. I have been having a computer holiday! You could list it on TradeMe, the New Zealand auction site, or on EBay which is based in the US but seen worldwide. Is your set ball handled or the more traditional shape? It's the ball handled version which is the more valuable, though Pine in the traditional shape is also quite collectable. I am not sure what antique dealers in Australia would make of your set, though they would be aware of Crown Lynn as quite a lot was exported to Australia and elsewhere. You could search TradeMe and EBay to get an idea of the prices you might expect for your dinner service.

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  7. Hi Val. I read somewhere that the Studio Ceramics swans have their number running in a different direction to CL swans. Do you know if there’s any truth to this?
    Also I am desperate to get my hands on one (or both) of your CL books but they’re so sought after!
    Any chance you might be printing another run of them?

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    1. I think you will find that the Studio Ceramics swans are smaller than the original Crown Lynn. They would not have the CL numbers on them. Re my books, the collectors guide is going to be reprinted, available hopefully before Christmas. The other, you just need to look on TradeMe and pay the going price, I can't imagine that there will ever be a reprint. There is a great deal of information about swans on the NZ Pottery website, if you are a member, this link will take you through to the swan gallery. If you are not a member, do join, it only takes a minute and there is such a huge resource of information there.
      https://www.newzealandpottery.net/gallery/More-Crown-Lynn-Galleries/Crown-Lynn-Swan-Gallery/Crown-Lynn-Swan-Gallery-cat_c15.htm

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  8. Yay finally! I found the Palm Springs coffee pot at Value Village in Toronto. Love at first sight! Thanks

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  9. Babooshka that's great news. You don't often see those coffee pots for sale (I have only ever seen the occasional one on Trademe).

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    1. Hi Val. Thanks! Without having to pay for an appraisal site, could you comment on approximate price for one of these? Cheers. And for anyone who's curious, this pot is stamped 1020👍

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    2. Hi there I saw your second note, and no I don't do valuations sorry. This coffee pot is rare. Its value depends on its condition and also on which pattern, ie colour, it is. If you want to sell, I suggest you go to a reputable auction house and talk about it. They might be able to recommend a valuer for insurance purposes if that is what you need. All the best.

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  10. Hi there, I have the ball handle gravy Jug, but there's no stamp underneath, yet exactly the same as you pics.. Is it possible some were not stamped?
    Cheers thank you

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    1. Yes, it is possible they were not stamped. Are there any glaze flaws? They could be seconds.

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