MORE opshop treasures

I know I shouldn't .... but sometimes you see things you MUST have... eg this lovely vase which I found in Paeroa.

It was $35 and would have been far more costly in white, but I am happy with classic honey glaze. It's not a shape you see that often. Number 2095. It is 18 cm tall.

And then... went to the local junk shop and there was a shell which I was pretty certain was Crown Lynn.. only $15 so worth the gamble. And it is, shape number 630 (Thanks NZ Pottery Forum!)

This version is a bit garish for my taste; there's a gorgeous white one on TradeMe at present which is attracting a lot of interest - and no wonder.  NOTE I have since discovered that Studio Ceramics made white shells in this shape, which were unmarked. I am not sure if Crown Lynn also made shells in white - I  have seen them with this pink and grey effect and also in green and grey. My Crown Lynn shell (above) is unmarked. 

 

And then... at the Waihi charity shop there was a Crown Lynn condiment set; not easy to find. One piece (a toothpick holder?) is missing, but the rest of it was in such excellent condition I couldn't leave it behind.

Just look at these gorgeous perky little hand painted salt and peppers.

There is no number on the base of this set, but the shape guide says it's number 420 and the salt and peppers are shape 422.  The plate is 15 cm wide. It's part of the Crown Lynn 'Fancy Fayre' range from the 1950s:

Next stop was Andrea's China in Te Puke. This shop has a vast array of all sorts of china, it's a bit dusty and tired at present but absolutely still worth a stop. I found a saucer to match a floral cup I found years ago - the combination is quite busy, in a way I preferred it on a plain white saucer, but still it's great to have the real thing.

The cup has the standard Made in New Zealand mark, and the saucer is Genuine Ironstone.

And this is another groovy cup and saucer - not often seen. The cup has 'New Zealand' on the base, the saucer is Cook & Serve.

I also bought a Narvik jug, 10 cm tall and pristine.  This was one of the design award patterns, not easy to find any more. 

I love the Scandinavian effect - just look at this detail.  Tom Clark told me once that he was very keen on Scandinavian design, and even did a trip over to look at the work their potteries were turning out.

Also on my travels I couldn't resist this Air NZ dish. It's a backstamp I haven't had until now, and the dish is a very pretty turquoise shade - not the same as colourglaze, nor the other Air NZ ware. It's 10.5 cm wide, 4.5 high.

Enough!  This is our bus at the Miranda shellbank, almost deserted in midwinter, with gorgeous hot pools just up the road. George says that given my tendency to accumulate, we should have a truck not a bus, and sometimes I think he has a point.

More next week.

ValM

 

Crown Lynn displays - Auckland 22 July, 4 August, 11 August

I have been thinking about how to approach my Crown Lynn displays at the Auckland Art Gallery this coming Sunday 22 July (and repeated on Sun 4 August). The theme is modernist design - a general term applied to simple structured shapes with clean lines and very simple - or no - decoration.

So where does Crown Lynn fit into that? Even in the beginning when Tom Clark and his team were struggling to make anything, they gave thought to how to make their products look good.

For that early period I will display things like my early kitchen bowl and the ceramic hot water bottle, which was technically very difficult to make but Tom also described it as having 'a bit of style.'
 
 This bowl is about 80 years old. Its glaze has a few blobs and dribbles, but its simple clean lines would not be out of place in a modern kitchen.

And look at this little ashtray - so gorgeously deco.

 

From these early products we will move onto the classic and long-lived items like the hotel jugs - made for at least 30 years. The red-lined version below was hand decorated for hospital use.  These simple jugs, most often found in undecorated clear glaze, have a dignity which again is not out of place in today's kitchens.

Then we have the gorgeous curved 1950s shape 709 jugs, which I just love. I bought this beauty complete with a worn glued-on picture of a bird.. the other day I finally scraped it off, which is bad form when you are supposed to be preserving history, but I think it was an amateur effort, certainly it was not a decoration from the Crown Lynn factory.  The jug's simple shape and glaze complement each other so well.

Which brings us to the point that all through the history of Crown Lynn there was a conflict between the wish for simple stylish shapes and decorations and the fact that NZ buyers, on the whole, wanted flowers and 'fancy' decoration. 'Stick a rose on it and it would sell'  Alan Topham, the long-time marketing manager and later GM, once told me.   Frank Carpay initiated a 'war against the roses' with his bold designs - but they didn't sell at the time though they are very collectible today. (This, on a standard Crown Lynn shape, is less valuable than some of his other work.)

The lovely simple crisp shape 849 jug from the 1960s was usually sold complete with transfer - on the right we have Autumn Splendour, the best selling pattern right through the 1960s. Yet look how lovely it looks in a simple mustard glaze. You appreciate the shape more when it is undecorated.

And look at this wonderful colourglaze teapot. I am so pleased it is finished in a simple yellow glaze.

But then.. decoration has its place! Look at  this lovely Mexico Cook & Serve coffee can. Hand painted in the 1960s.

So. In summary. On Sunday 21 July and again on Sunday 4 August, I will be at the Auckland Art Gallery with an interesting and varied collection of my favourite pieces made between the 1940s and the mid-1960s. I am set down to speak about my collection between 12 noon and 2 pm, but I will be around all day and happy to chat and to sign my books.

And - wait for it... on Sunday 11 August Billy Apple will be at the Art Gallery with some of his magnificent collection of Dorothy Thorpe ball handled pieces.  Without doubt, he has the largest and most interesting collection of Dorothy Thorpe ever seen - that display will be well worth a visit as well.

These Crown Lynn displays are part of a series of 'Design Encounters' built around the Auckland Art Gallery California Design 1930-1965 exhibition.  Over several weeks, there are some great events to look out for - on Sunday 21 you can also hear Douglas Lloyd-Jenkins talking about how California design influenced NZ modernism (1pm) and at 3pm AUT Senior Lecturer Tony Robotham discusses the influence that California has had on the modern motorcar.

All design encounter events are free. It costs $15 per adult to get into the main California Design exhibition - which I wouldn't miss for all the tea in China!

The exhibition features more than 250 objects including furniture by Charles and Ray Eames, fashions from Levi Strauss & Co. and graphics by Saul Bass. A number of landmark industrial designs, ceramics, jewellery, metalwork, architectural drawings and photography are also on show.
The touring exhibition was organised by Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

All the best
ValM

Next!!! Crown Lynn events coming up!

We had a very happy and buzzy book launch on Tuesday, with an amazing mix - people who worked at Crown Lynn, dealers, collectors old and new, and researchers... plus a few heroic friends who braved the Crown Lynn frenzy to support me and George. (added later... and the potters.. how could I have missed you out when I first wrote this!) Here I am (left) with Carole from the Women's Bookshop:

And here is a general pic of the gathering.

Thanks again to the Women's Bookshop who hosted the event, and to Penguin who also contributed substantially. (photos courtesy of the bookshop). And a heartfelt thank you to all who came to the launch on a chilly workday night. I was so very happy to see you all.

But wait.. there's more! 

On  Sunday 21 July and again on Sunday 4 August, I will have a display of Crown Lynn at the Auckland Art Gallery, and on Sunday 11 August Billy Apple will be at the gallery with some of his amazing collection of Dorothy Thorpe ball handled Crown Lynn.

These will be informal events, with ample time to look at the exhibits and to question and comment, and to listen to us tell the stories around our particular obsessions.  My display will be a general collection of Crown Lynn with emphasis on the simple clean designs such as hotel jugs, the McAlpine jug, colourglaze, Shufflebotham, etc etc. It won't be a huge display, but it should be interesting. Billy of course has probably the largest collection of Dorothy Thorpe in NZ.

Our talks are built around an exhibition at the Art Gallery called California Design 1930-1965, living in a modern way. This exhibition features amazing modernist furniture, ceramics, even clothing and posters. 

And alongside it, a huge range of NZ collectors and researchers have been asked to display and talk about their particular fields.  Just scroll down this page to see the 'design encounters' on offer... including talks on Barbie Dolls, modernist architecture,  surfboards, furniture, fashion.... you name it!

As well as wonderful Crown Lynn. So here are these dates again:

Val Monk (general Crown Lynn) - Sunday 21 July and Sunday 4 August, 12 noon to 2 pm 
Billy Apple (Dorothy Thorpe) - Sunday 11 August, 12 noon to 2 pm

IMPORTANT when I first posted this blog I got the timing wrong for the times that we would be speaking about our displays. My apologies, please note the correct times in red.

Listen to my radio interview

And one last thing.... a few days ago I had a half-hour interview with Kathryn Ryan on Nine to Noon on National Radio . If you click on the link, you will go through to the page which features my gallery of images - then click on Nine to Noon, which will flick you through to another page, then scroll down and you will see the link to the interview. Any problems, let me know and I can pop it through to you on email.

AND the last piece of good news.. I have found my camera charger! So my next post will have new images to enjoy.

Take care till then.
ValM

My new book - your invitation to the launch!



My new book, Crown Lynn collector's handbook, will be launched at the Women's Bookshop, 105 Ponsonby Rd, Auckland... and if you love Crown Lynn, you are invited! 

 

The launch is from 6pm on Tuesday 2 July.  I will be there to introduce my book and to sign copies if you wish.  Carole from the Women's Bookshop has asked me to put this event on my blog - Crown Lynn enthusiasts are absolutely welcome.

 

So here's your invitation:   If you wish to attend can you please email reception@penguin.co.nz or phone 09 442 7400 before Monday 24 June.

I am very pleased with the way this book has turned out - it's all about the products and the backstamps - completely focused on what to look for when you are searching for Crown Lynn.

 

It is published by Penguin NZ and has a recommended retail price of  $35.   It will be in the shops from around 28 June.  This is the cover:

 

 

And this is a sneak preview of a randomly selected page - pg 63:

 

I have summarised all the info I can find for each backstamp, and have given a date and measurements for the examples I have chosen to photograph. This is the entry for Aero British:

And this for Kelston Ferrostone:

 

The book has 168 pages and is a size you can easily slip into your bag to take with you on op shop hunts. I have listed about 300 products and every backstamp I am aware of. There are nearly 200 backstamps in the domestic ware section alone - and more under other headings such as nurseryware. I have done sections on:

• Identifying Crown Lynn
• Domestic ware
• Vitrified hotel ware
• Commemorative and promotional ware
• Nursery ware
• Early products
• Vases
• Hand potted and hand painted ware
• Maori themed souvenir ware
• Animal figurines
• Technical porcelain
• Other factories (ie Titian, Mayon, Luke Adams, Royal Grafton)
• Odds and ends

There is also a chapter which examines some of the debates about Crown Lynn - eg the 'Metropolitan Ware' vases which are often attributed to Crown Lynn but were in fact made by Orzel, and also the disputed ginger jars. I have also included a brief history of Crown Lynn, a timeline and a glossary of terms. The book is fully referenced with end notes.

 

It is illustrated with colour photos on every page. The photos are mainly of my collection and were taken by my partner George - a marathon project as you can imagine. 

 

This book would not have been possible without the assistance and enthusiasm of a myriad of Crown Lynn ex-staffers, and collectors from throughout NZ who have given me information and lent me examples to be photographed... to them all I am forever grateful. I have also gone back through the interviews I did for my first book, and also the Crown Lynn papers at the Auckland Museum and the Waitakere library. 

 

I hope to see you at the launch - all the best till then.  Don't forget to RSVP if you want to come. reception@penguin.co.nz

 

ValM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back again! Take a look at my new shelves

My apologies for the longest ever gap between posts... we moved house, then I got a hideous cold and retired to my bed - and we seem to have been packing and unpacking forever. I swear we will never move again.

But out of this trauma has come the most wonderful thing. For the first time ever, I have space to display some of my collection! I bought these Lundia office shelves online and now they're painted white and bracketed firmly to the wall, and I am slowly slowly filling them.  This is still very much a work in progress, mountains of boxes are still unopened in the garage, but you can see where I am heading.

 (Apologies in advance for substandard pix, I took these in haste just before my camera died. I can't QUITE put my hand on the charger at present!) The display will change and change again as I work out some kind of cohesive 'story' to my collection, but one thing is certain. Centre stage will go the originals, the first things Crown Lynn - then known as Ambrico - made.

Far left is one of the jiggered early mugs, behind it a bowl made for the American Army in the very early 1940s. The others are trickle glazed vases made through the 1940s. They share a shelf with this jug, an early household item in a classic and much-used shape.

Then there are my later jugs... 1950s and perhaps into the early 1960s.

And this striking jug with the rare Rigo Giftime backstamp. Like most of this pattern it is much the worse for wear, the black glaze flakes off. I am pondering the ethics of filling in the flaky bits with new paint. I know that one is NOT supposed to do that, but I feel that as long as I don't try to sell it, then it's ok to re-create how it originally looked. I'll ponder that - not doing anything hasty.

I'm working on a hotel ware section. These are the smallest jugs, given to me by George's brother who worked at Crown Lynn for a while. He recalls that this pattern has some nautical connection - perhaps it was used by a yacht club or on a ferry service.. does anyone remember?

Then here are some of my Cook & Serve coffee cans. There are more - still in a box! I also have black saucers which I have yet to find.

And lastly, I am so very happy this wee mug survived the move unscathed. It's my all-time favourite pukeko pattern, the only one I have ever bought and probably the only one I will ever own. They are like hen's teeth.

There will be more once I find my charger!

All the best till then

ValM

Airways - a collector's dream



Just look at this little beauty, an Air New Zealand butter dish from 1965. It's only 8 cm wide, and at best guess worth somewhere between $50 and $80.

This Air New Zealand ware is truly lovely, and highly collectable. A while ago I met someone who has a whole dinner set. She wouldn't tell me what she paid, but you can guarantee that it is worth much much more now. The first design for this ware was gold on turquoise, but the gold wouldn't stand up to industrial dishwashers so they chose brown instead. This is what the backstamp looks like:

Later, in the late 1970s Crown Lynn made ware for Air NZ second class - the initial order in 1977 was 330,000 pieces. In dark brown with a subtle Koru emblem, it's quite classy but it doesn't tug the heartstrings like the turquoise. In any case they are far far superior to the disposable plastic that comes with the disposable food on airlines these days!

Often the dishes have strange long numbers and letters on the back - they denote specific aircraft, I have been told.

It pays to check before swooping on this ware in junk shops. Some was made in Japan - check the backstamp carefully! This is Japanese:

This is Crown Lynn.

More collectable than the grim brown are Air NZ beakers and ashtrays, in honey glaze from in the Titian factory. I love their graphics, moulded into the shape. The beaker is 9 cm high, the ashtray about 20 cm wide including the handles.  I assume this is an ashtray, but then again it might have been a platter - can anyone enlighten me?

 

This is the base of the beaker. The only ashtray I have seen is unmarked.

They also made a few beakers in a gorgeous lively green:

(Thanks to Ev for letting me photograph some of these items from her collection).

 

Crown Lynn also made ware for other airlines. This classic little casserole was for Qantas. The mini-casserole shape was used over and over again for all sorts of domestic and commercial ranges, they must have made millions of them.

Note that the Qantas backstamp was applied separately to the Cook & Serve stamp - with no consideration as to which way up it goes! 

Here is a British Airways dish, the same shape as the brown one above.

This is the backstamp:

Last, I have a little mystery. This gorgeous hotel ware oval plate (also known as an ashet) is the same turquoise as the Air New Zealand ware.

I have no idea when it was made or why. It has the standard vitrified ware backstamp which was used from around 1955-1970:

But it also has some impressed marks which I have not seen elsewhere.

AND it has a very fuzzy shape number (1631) also not usually seen on plates.

If anyone can tell me who this plate was made for, I would be most grateful. And if anyone has any for sale, I would be even more grateful! I would love a set of four for our motor home.

In the next couple of weeks we are moving house, so there will be a bit of a gap before my next post.
Take care meanwhile
ValM

 

 

 

 

 

Made in New Zealand... plastic!

This week I'm taking a brief break from Crown Lynn to introduce you to some of my lovely collection of  New Zealand made plastic kitchen jars, all picked up for a few cents in op shops.  This is my favourite:

It's about 9 cm tall, and on the base it is marked Premier Pl.  Premier Plastics is still operating in Auckland, still making containers of various sorts. I also have a  brown jar in the same gingham pattern, I am not sure if there are other colours.

There were several NZ manufacturers of plastic jars as far back as the 1970s and 1980s. Each jar was moulded, then screen printed individually on hand-operated semi-automatic machines. There are quite a few different brand marks on the base of these jars. This spotted treasure is marked  Aunty Auckland New Zealand. It is tall, at 23 cm, and normally holds my couscous.

My rolled oats jar is also tall, made by Smiths Plastics which operated out of Newmarket. It is not marked on the base. The red and white blips are soap bubbles I believe. Smiths Plastics manufactured for Service Wholesale which were also based in Newmarket.

Another manufacturer was Nuon Industries; an upper case NUON is imprinted on the base of this jar with orange flowers. You may be able to see that the plastic has darkened slightly, a sign that it will not last for too many more years. Light very slowly but surely denatures the plastic, making it brittle.

And to finish, here is one more classic: its barrel shape is the same as the glass coffee jars of the same era. This jar, made by Premier Plastics, appears with prints in various other colours and styles.

This is only a small selection of the range of NZ made kitchen jars. They came in all shapes and sizes, including a square version in various heights. They are not perfect - the screw tops are not airtight, and after many years of use the plastic is inclined to split around the top where the lids screw on.  They have no particular value at present, but they are a New Zealand product - a memory of a bygone age before so much manufacturing got moved to China.

Despite the offshore competition, not all is doom and gloom in the plastics industry. Several of the 1970s-1980s manufacturers still survive, though most are under new names and of course they're making different products. One highlight is Systema, a New Zealand company making a wide range of plastic containers and drink bottles which you will have seen in many shops and supermarkets. Often the name of the manufacturer and the country of origin is marked on the base or on the label. Check before you buy, and...
Buy New Zealand made!
Take care
ValM