SALISBURY WARE 1940-1946 (and a note about Partridge/Harwyn)

Owen Salisbury and his descendants made ceramics in Auckland for over 75 years, first as Salisbury Ware and later as Royal Oak Pottery.

This post is about Salisbury Ware.  I will tackle Royal Oak next.

When Salisbury first came to my notice – say 15 years ago – there was plenty of the distinctive hand-painted ware around. Now, of course, it’s not so easy to find.  But keep looking.  They are there. You might just have to pay a bit more than we did back in the day.

The Salisbury factory in Khyber Pass Road in Newmarket in Auckland operated for only about six years. It opened in 1940 and closed in 1946.  That’s over 70 years ago.

The story begins in 1939 when Owen Salisbury began decorating hand-thrown vases made by West Auckland potter Jovan Rancich and his young apprentice Wally Silva.  Owen and his friend  Arthur Martin thought there would be a market for this type of decorated ware, and by 1940 they had set up a factory and were producing on a commercial scale.

They bought Jovan Rancich/Silva’s fired but undecorated vases (bisque ware) and sprayed them with cellulose lacquer. Sometimes commercial transfers were stuck on over the top of the paint. At the time, the same style of pottery was imported from England, but Salisbury and Martin found a ready market for their New Zealand version.

Above: Salisbury Ware vases, hand thrown at Jovan Rancich's pottery, almost certainly by Wally Silva. They were decorated with cellulose lacquer and the two in the centre have had stick-on transfers added. The bowl on the left contains a separate ‘frog’ with holes to accommodate flower stems. Heights range from 6.5 cm to 13 cm.
Below: This vase from a private collection has a more successful transfer.  

Jovan Rancich died suddenly in 1942, leaving Salisbury and Martin scrambling to find another supplier. Rancich's widow Vera and Wally Silva continued to run the pottery for about two more years, but Salisbury also bought increasing amounts of blank pots from Tom Clark from Ambrico (later known as Crown Lynn).  At that stage Clark was still developing his glaze mixes and techniques. Selling unglazed blanks relieved him of the uncertain process of decoration.

The products from the Khyber Pass Road factory, almost exclusively vases, were marked with a stick-on paper label, most commonly ‘Salisbury Ware NZ’.   Other labels from this period included NZ Mattone Ware and NZ Sunset Ware.

Above, Salisbury vases with different labels.  From left, Sunset Ware, height 14 cm; Salisbury Ware, 19 cm; Mattone, 18 cm. Blanks from Ambrico.

This was the heyday of Salisbury Ware.  A team of artists decorated the vases with hand-brushed flowers and garden scenes, or spray-painted using stencils.  During the 1939-1945 Second World War, non-essential imports came to a halt and New Zealand was forced to rely on locally made products. Salisbury Ware helped fill that gap and the factory prospered, even while Owen served in the Pacific Islands between 1942 and 1944.

Above: Salisbury Ware vases, slipcast by Ambrico and hand-decorated with cellulose lacquer.  Height 11 cm. 

Post-war, New Zealand again imported English ware and Owen Salisbury’s Khyber Pass Road factory faltered, finally closing in 1946.  This was the end of the Salisbury Ware brand.  In its place Owen Salisbury established Royal Oak Pottery, but that story will have to wait for my next post.

Glazes vs paint

The two vases below are both made by Crown Lynn, both shape number 13. Height 14 cm. So why do these vases look so different? The dark brownish one was finished at Crown Lynn. It is covered in a hard shiny waterproof glaze. The pale blue vase was decorated in matt paint at the Salisbury factory. Both would have been made in the early to mid 1940s.

Below: the vases above as seen from the base. Left, the glazed vase showing the early Ambrico mark. Right, at various times different prices have been pencilled onto the base of the hand-painted vase.

Sometimes Salisbury Ware pieces are in a poor state with badly flaking paint. The vase below will give you an idea with its white flaky patches around the rim – I have seen them much worse, but I don’t buy them.  

The difference in durability is because glaze is fired in a kiln to a high temperature and becomes glass-like, while the cellulose paint is simply dried. Paint is thus more vulnerable to wear and tear, especially if it gets wet.  However paint has one big advantage – it is less complicated to apply.  Whether sprayed or brushed on, it doesn’t need that extra trip through the kiln that glaze requires. Whatever their condition, these vases are historic treasures. When you think that they were made 70-80 years ago, we should be impressed that they have survived at all.


EDIT:  Jovan Rancich and Wally Silva

After I published this post it was brought to my attention that the early Salisbury pots which I at first attributed to Jovan Rancich are very similar to marked examples by Wally Silva. I agree and I have edited this post accordingly.

Wally Silva joined Rancich as an apprentice (aged 11 or 12) in 1937/1938. Thus, we can be sure that young Wally made at least some of the hand-thrown pots which were sold as blanks to Owen Salisbury and others.   Jovan Rancich died quite suddenly in 1942 and Wally Silva and Rancich's widow Vera kept the pottery going until 1944, when it was destroyed by fire.  It is most likely that Silva still supplied some pots to the Salisbury factory after Rancich died, but I believe that from about this time, Owen Salisbury and Arthur Martin were also buying an increasing number of blanks from Ambrico.

Owen’s son Edward Salisbury can find nothing in the Salisbury family records that suggests a commercial arrangement with Wally Silva, but unfortunately neither Owen Salisbury or Arthur Martin, or Wally Silva himself, are alive to tell us the full story.  A document written by Owen Salisbury for researcher Gail Henry describes Rancich's sudden death as 'a set back to us.' Salisbury then describes the approach to Tom Clark of Ambrico, who began making their blanks. When we look at Salisbury Ware, Ambrico shapes outnumber Rancich/Silva shapes by a very large margin.

The Silva family also recalls being told that Wally Silva sold once-fired blanks after he set up his own pottery in 1945. It is highly likely that he supplied Partridge/Harwyn, and he may also have sold some to the Salisbury Ware factory, which closed in 1946.

My thanks to Lance Silva, Edward Salisbury, Brian Ronson and Ev Williams for helping sort out this puzzle.

Harwyn/Partridge Ware

During the war years, Owen Salisbury was not the only decorator of unglazed blanks. The Partridge family of Harwyn Potteries used similar techniques to decorate vases from Rancich/Silva, Ambrico and Glen Afton Pottery.  The painting on Harwyn ware is generally lush and detailed, mainly of flowers.  Harwyn also hand-painted flowers on small glazed Ambrico vases.

Above: two vases decorated by Partridge/Harwyn. Left, hand-thrown blank from Jovan Rancich/Wally Silva, height 7.5 cm. Right, slipcast blank from Crown Lynn, 18 cm. 
Below: Crown Lynn vase hand-painted over glaze by Partridge/Harwyn. Height 8cm.

SALISBURY WARE TIMELINE
1939 – At the age of 28, Owen Salisbury began decorating hand-thrown ware made by Jovan Rancich/Wally Silva. 
1940 – Owen opened a factory at Khyber Pass Road in partnership with Arthur Martin. They began selling ware with stick-on ‘Salisbury Ware’ labels.
1942 – Jovan Rancich died. His widow Vera and Wally Silva kept the Rancich pottery going, but it is believed that most blanks were then supplied by Ambrico (which later became Crown Lynn). 
1942-1944 – Owen Salisbury served overseas on war duty in the Pacific Islands. The factory continued operating in his absence. 
1946 – The Khyber Pass Rd factory closed as imports from England were restored after the war ended. This was the end of the Salisbury Ware brand.

Identifying Salisbury Ware
Many pieces of Salisbury Ware are not marked, because the original stickers have been removed.  The early Rancich/Silva vases are almost invariably marked with numbers impressed separately into the base - eg in the example below.
Later, Salisbury Ware was marked with stickers - most commonly Salisbury Ware, but also Mattone and Sunsent Ware.

Above: stamped numerals typical of Salisbury Ware made by Rancich/Silva

Hand Made Salisbury NZ sticker

NZ Sunset Ware sticker

NZ Mattone Ware sticker

SOURCES
My heartfelt thanks to Edward Salisbury, son of Owen and Cecily Salisbury, for the large amounts of information he gave me. This came from notes and records complied by Edward, plus an interview I recorded with him.  Further information is from Ev Williams and the New Zealand Pottery Forum website, from Lance Silva, son of Wally Silva, and from the book New Zealand Pottery, Commercial and Collectable by Gail Henry.

ENDS

STAGE ARTWARE 1990s - a joy to behold!

Beverley White bought Stage Artware in 1993 and sold four years later in 1997.  She knew nothing about ceramics and at first there was failure after failure. Pottery is a highly technical business and fortunately Tom Hodgson and others from Western Potters Supplies helped her to learn better techniques.  Soon she had the business back on track and earning money.  

Everything from Stage Artware is hand-made.  Each piece is cast in a mould, then fettled and painted, then fired in a kiln. Lastly it is dipped in clear glaze and fired again.

Above: My sister Gill's vase in the 'Carlita' pattern - lovely with irises.

Stage Artware made mugs, coffee sets, teapots, bowls, cups and saucers and dinnerware.  Lamp bases and vases were also consistent sellers.  Beverley learned every step of the process, from slipcasting to painting, glazing, firing, packing, marketing and distribution.

'Nouveau' Teapot. Beverley White collection 

She sold to retailers throughout New Zealand and recalls that Auckland was a smaller market, while country towns like Invercargill took larger orders. She hired a sales rep to look after the marketing and distribution side of the business. The previous owner had sold some ware in Australia, and for a while Beverley continued to sell through an agent in Sydney.  
Beverley re-designed most of the existing shapes when she first took over, and many of the less popular patterns were discontinued unless someone specifically asked for them. Probably the best-known pattern is Fruit, which was developed by one of her artists, Sally Ann Hingston, and refined over the years.   

Vase in Fruit pattern.  Valerie Monk collection 

Sunflower (below) was another very popular pattern, also developed by Stage Artware artist Sally Ann Hingston.

'Sunflower' vase. Valerie Monk collection 

Beverley’s hand-painted patterns were quite detailed, with a number of different colours. Her artists had to work quickly and accurately. The painters had a certain amount of leeway but they still needed consistency with colour and pattern so that buyers got what they expected. Each piece was placed on a wheel to be painted – a flat platform which could be spun around. This allowed easy access without handling wet colours.  

Most of the painters were art students who worked part-time.  Beverley found that trained artists were better at the job – they generally had a lighter more fluid style, which suited customer tastes of the 1990s.

The Stage Artware from Beverley White's time is stamped.  Her predecessors used stick-on labels but Beverley changed to stamping because that is a quicker and more enduring method.

At the peak Stage Artware had 11 staff, including a full-time slipcaster and a fettler (who tidied up any imperfections when the pieces came out of the moulds.) The shop was at 84 Karangahape Road in Auckland, with the factory out the back.  Beverley did most of the final clear-glazing herself. Moulds and new shapes were made by Hemara Hemara, a prolific modeller and mould maker in Auckland for decades.

There was only one major hiccup over shapes – someone else began making the distinctive ‘deco mug’ and it took a legal challenge to put a stop to that.

Deco mugs. Valerie Monk collection 

Like most commercial potteries, Beverley did special commissions for various businesses who would give their loyal customers a mug or other small gift at Christmas.  That was quite a lucrative source of income.  She also did a few one-off commissions for places like the Sheraton Hotel.  Artist Vaune Mason made some sample vases and platters – the hotel took the little platters but the vases proved too expensive to make.

Sample vase for Sheraton Hotel (never went into production). Beverley White collection. 

Beverley also experimented with painting fabric to make tablecloths and napkins to tone with her ceramics, but that idea never really took off.

One of the more eccentric products was a little pig. It was decorative only, not designed as a money-box.

Stage Artware pig. Valerie Monk collection. 

Below, A Stage Artware lamp base with the original lampshade. This pattern is a copy of some fabric that Beverley owned.

Beverley White sold Stage Artware after only four years.  She says that she loved the pottery business but after four full-on years she was more than ready to try something a bit less demanding. A couple of years later she moved to Hawkes Bay and opened a Bed and Breakfast – complete with Stage Artware dinnerware and a lovely garden bird bath featuring a Stage Artware platter.

The owners before Beverley were Maureen and Dennis O’Brien.  Unfortunately Beverley can’t remember who she sold to, and so far I have been unable to find anyone who can shed any light on that question.  

If you want to know more about Stage Artware, go to the New Zealand Pottery website and look at the beautiful gallery of thumbnail pics.
Also - more information here, again on the NZ Pottery website. These are individual comments and posts from various collectors and researchers.


ENDS 

Titian and Orzel: random notes from our lunch

In July 2019, Titian collectors Louise and Danny de Varga invited us to lunch with Cameron and Beverley Brown, whose family established Titian Potteries and later Orzel. It was a lovely afternoon, a pleasure to see Cameron and Beverley again, and to talk to other collectors and researchers. Special thanks to Louise for organising this event! 

This blog is a random dump of notes that I scribbled down as Cameron and Beverley talked. It is based only on the pieces which were discussed at the lunch, and of course it only tells  bits and pieces of the Titian/Orzel story.  There is more info on the NZ Pottery website and on this blog.   My previous post is also useful.  This is a Titian facebook group run by Ev and Andrea. 

PLEASE let me know if there is anything I have got wrong in this post – added comments are welcomed.

Titian/Orzel timeline 
(information from Gail Henry’s book New Zealand Pottery Commercial and Collectable).

Cameron Brown Snr and his wife Dorothy established Sherwood Potteries in the Waitakeres in about 1951. 

In 1958 they moved to new premises in Henderson. Around this time the pottery was re-named Titian Studio.

In 1966 the business moved again, this time to larger premises at Takanini. The family sold shares to fund expansion. The shares were bought up by Crown Lynn Potteries and by about 1968 Crown Lynn had taken over Titian Potteries.

The Brown family remained at the Titian factory under the control of Crown Lynn for a time, but then set up the beginnings of Orzel Potteries in the family garage.  
They then left Crown Lynn/Titian and developed a busy and successful business of their own, selling under the brands Orzel, Aquila and Adelaar.  

‘Young’ Cameron, who was at our lunch, grew up with the pottery, and he and his wife Beverley took more responsibility as Cameron Snr and Dorothy grew older.  'Young' Cameron and Beverley were the driving force behind Orzel.  Today, they work with their son (also Cameron) making Kiwiana souvenir ware under the name Sherwood. 

Sherwood/Titian Potteries (1951-1968)

The photo above was given to me by Cameron and Beverley. It shows (front, from left) the three Brown brothers Cameron Snr, Neil Brown, Jack Brown.  At rear are 'young' Cameron (right) and his cousin Viv. 

Cameron Brown Snr was born in NZ.  During the war he served in the Polish merchant navy.  After returning from the war he worked at Crown Lynn for a while. He got jobs there for his brothers Neil and Jack. After a time, Cameron left Crown Lynn to set up his own Sherwood Pottery. Neil was in charge of casting at Crown Lynn, he knew about clay bodies and how to make slip for slipcasting.  He too left to work with Cameron Snr at Sherwood Potteries. Jack stayed at Crown Lynn until he died in the early 1970s. He was responsible for the machinery that made cups and saucers.

Titian Pottery marks

When Cameron Snr began marking his work, he usually painted a strip of colour on the base and scratched variations on the word Titian into it.   When Vic Lawson took over mould making, his moulds included shape numbers etc.  
So the early Titian ware is marked by a coloured smear, the later ware by numbers. Below is a typical mark from the early days of Titian Studio, almost certainly made by Cameron Brown Snr. 

Pic from the New Zealand Pottery website

Titian treasures 
The girl figurine below was made by Cameron Brown Snr in the very early days of Sherwood/Titian Studios. Photo by Louise

Below: Cameron Snr was very proud of this figurine as it is made from bone china. Camneron Snr worked very hard to develop a bone china clay body.   If you put a lighted match inside this little figurine, it glows.  Photo by Louise

The polar bear

Cameron told us that this polar bear was one of a series of animals made for the Auckland Zoo, to be sold in the zoo shop.  Cam’s brother Chris also remembers an elephant and a hippo but Cam can only remember the polar bear. 

Photo Ev Williams from the New Zealand Pottery website

A rare fish
Kate and Dayle showed Cameron and Beverley their fish. The Browns identified Cameron Snr’s writing on the base. This fish was part of the Titian exhibition curated by Mary Morrison.  It had its own protective box from that exhibition.

(Info from Rick). Kate and Dayle item, Louise pic

An even rarer teapot!
This cat teapot is from the very early days of Sherwood Potteries. It was shown to us by Cameron Brown's cousins. Cameron told us that the glaze was the same as is used on bathroom ware, eg toilet pans and handbasins.

Photo by Louise

Palmerston North Souvenir plate.
This plate appeared in two versions. There is this black on white and also a white-on-black version which Cameron remembers much better.  For this black on white version, the image was drawn on the raw clay by artist Teddy Rennie who worked for the Browns for a few years. Cameron said he was sometimes allowed to draw the simple bits, eg the branches of the trees, when he was a young boy. 

Teddy Rennie – artist and decorator

Teddy Rennie decorated a lot of the Titian ware. He was an artist from England, where his job had included drawing advertisements for fashion magazines. He was particularly skilled at depicting fur, eg fur coats. Teddy Rennie was a friend of Uncle Neil Brown’s. (Cameron Snr’s brother).  ‘Young’ Cameron was a schoolboy when Teddy was working at Titian.  Teddy made the marble, woodgrain and feather finishes on the Titian vases. The feather finish was made by applying a thick glaze which was literally given texture with a feather.  For the marble glaze, Rennie had two colours on his brush and manipulated the brush (which had a fine point) over the raw clay of the vase. He moved the brush sideways, dabbed it etc to get the marble effect.  The same type of technique was used for woodgrain.  The original colour would be sprayed on then the second colour applied with a soft brush. Rennie did not work for Titian for long, maybe three years… He was quite close to retirement when he came to Titian.  He had left by the time Titian moved to Takanini but Cam doesn’t remember any dates. 
Cam told me that Cam Snr originally developed crackle glaze and feather glaze to cover blemishes. Far too many of his pots had pinholes in the glaze and other defects, which of course he could not sell.  The thick textured glazes covered minor flaws.

The butterfly
Around 1951/52, Titian made blanks for Owen Salisbury, who had a factory where they were painted to make Salisbury Ware.  This butterfly would date from that time.  It is in very good condition.  (Julie C brought this to the lunch)

. Pic by Louise. 

Presley Ware black vase
A lot of black vases (and white) were made for Flower Beauty as well. 

The colourful dishes – and other copies 
Cameron and Dorothy told me that someone bought these dishes in Hawaii and asked the Browns to copy them, including the woodgrain effect on the back.  There are several shapes in this series. Cam told us that his family was asked to copy dozens of different things, including the toby jug Dick Whittington, the set of wall ducks, etc etc.  Wholesalers brought them examples and asked for copies.  Cam said his father had a rule that he would copy anything from overseas, but not  ware that was made in New Zealand. 

Decorating 

Mary Baillie painted all the gold lines.  Dorothy (Cam’s mother) did hand-painting and fettling.  She was not really interested in spray painting.  In the early days Cam Snr used a garden sprayer to spray glazes. He then bought a small and not very good compressor spray outfit.  That broke down at a time when they had no money to buy a replacement or pay for repairs.  They replaced the broken part with a sixpence coin, thereafter called ‘Mum’s lucky sixpence.’ 

Modelling, moulds etc

When they started, Cam Snr made all the models and moulds.  After Vic Lawson arrived, Vic did the modelling and moulds.  When Vic left, Hemara Hemara took that job. (I believe Hemara started when Orzel was being established).  Hemara modelled the Ti Toki bottles and shaped all the steins and mugs. He left in 1988.  Hemara’s son Paul Hemara also worked for Orzel, as did his brother Stephen (for a short period). 

A new (to me) treasure
This lovely vase came to me at the lunch. 1950s or 1960s? 

Orzel – after 1968

Generally speaking, Titian ware is finely made and decorative, as was appropriate for the fashions of the time (1950s/1960s).   Orzel, which had its heyday in the 1970s and 1980s, was far more 'handmade' in style, heavier and definitely utilitarian. 

The beginning of Orzel

After Crown Lynn took over the Titian factory, the Brown family continued to work there.  Then Paramount Trading gave the Browns a personal order for 6000 mugs and they began making them in their garage at night and weekends.  Cam Snr built a kiln in the garage workshop.  However Crown Lynn (at the Titian factory) was also making product for Paramount and they didn’t like the fact that the Browns were moonlighting. So Crown Lynn asked the Browns to leave the Crown Lynn /Titian factory.  

Dorothy in the very early days of the Orzel factory when it was still in the family garage.

Photo courtesy of the Brown family. 

Ti Toki liqueur bottles

Orzel made thousands of the big Ti Toki bottles, but they also made a run of little bottles which were given to First Class Air New Zealand passengers on a flight to the UK.  (I believe Cameron told me this was the inaugural Air NZ flight to the UK but I am not sure).  Cameron told us about the time they had an urgent order for the large Ti Toki bottles, so they rushed to get them all cast, fettled and glazed.  Cam Snr volunteered to watch the kiln that night, and turn it off when it reached the required temperature. However he went to sleep and the kiln was still going in the morning. It was far too hot and this is what the bottles looked like: 

Cam and Bev have kept these for many years. Bottles, Cam and Bev Brown, Pic Louise. 

Kitchen jars

Orzel and Royal Oak made very similar kitchen storage jars.  Some of the Royal Oak jars had stick-on labels and once contained ginger and other foods. Cam and Beverley told me that the jar below is Orzel.  The Orzel jar has a longer neck and a more pronounced shoulder than the Royal Oak jars.  Edward Salisbury from Royal Oak has also told me about the difference between the two shoulders.  Cameron and Beverley identified the writing on the base of this jar as Cameron Brown Snrs.  (ignore the green sticker, it is my ID system).  

The Settlers Collection

The Settlers Collection terracotta kitchen containers were made by Orzel for chain stores including The Warehouse. The lettering was stamped on using Indian ink.  Beverley did most of the stamping because she had a good eye and made sure the lettering was level. 

Coffee pot
This coffee pot is part of a set that I treasure. Bev and Cameron remembered Cam’s mother Dorothy offering to help fettle these pots... and she kept breaking the spouts. (Sellotape is holding the lid on this pic)

The large animals

Orzel/Aquila made a number of large animal figurines. Beverley decorated them with sprayed glazes.  I understand that they were all were made from Hobby Ceramics moulds which were imported by Chris Brown as part of his Hobby Ceramics business. (Chris is 'young' Cameron's brother).  The Aquila animals can be differentiated from Hobby pieces because they are made with heavier clay body and they are professionally decorated. Beverley remembers two owls, one sitting and one with wings outstretched.   Other animals included a big Alsatian dog and a big greyhound (thigh high), also an elephant with its trunk up and pink mouth, a big polar bear, a tiger standing on its four legs, and an eagle.  (Note that this list is probably incomplete, it is based on a very quick conversation I had with Beverley). 

The 1987 crash

Orzel lost a lot of money after the 1987 financial crash.  Cam and Bev would follow up on overdue accounts and often discover that the customer had gone out of business and their phone was disconnected. After the crash, Orzel looked for a more reliable market.  They made less general use kitchenware to be sold be retailers, and more large runs for private firms.  They made at least 60,000 little mustard pots for Colemans, and thousands upon thousands of steins for various beer makers and sports clubs. 

The steins
After Orzel began making steins and other ware with company logos etc, transfers were made at the factory and fired onto the ware.  Eg see the beer steins below. 

Joe Staples and Company ordered and on-sold a lot of the Orzel steins.  Below: At one stage Staples asked Orzel to reproduce all their old labels in an old-fashioned style on steins.  

Packaging

At Orzel, the cardboard boxes for packaging were all printed at the factory. 

Cameron and Beverley today
Although the mass-production days of Orzel are now over, Cameron and Beverley and their son Cameron continue to make ceramics. Now they focus on souvenir ware and Kiwiana to be sold at markets around New Zealand. Here they are with a set of decorative wall plaques created by Beverley. 

Pic by Louise

A little story about MckSkimmings - not related to Titian/Orzel

‘Young’ Cameron Brown told me this story about his grandfather, who worked at McSkimmings at Benhar in the South Island. The McSkimings family had substantial industrial holdings in the Dunedin area.  Their potteries included Abbotsford, Benhar,  Green Island and others.  At one of the potteries a new kiln was built.  It was designed to be run continuously, ie it needed to be stoked and looked after day and night, seven days a week.  However the McSkimings were very religious and would not allow their staff to work on Sunday, ‘the Lord’s day.’  The kiln was never used.  

ENDS