Societe Ceramique: Maastricht, Holland, Four Luncheon Plates, Blue Willow

Description: Societe Ceramique: Maastricht, Holland, Four Luncheon Plates, Blue Willow History of Maastricht Ceramics Petrus Regout (1801-1878) descended from a Maastricht merchant family that since the seventeenth century had been active in the glass and earthenware trade. After his father's death Petrus had to leave school at the age of fourteen to help his mother in the business. In 1836 he founded the pottery that was to flourish. In addition to being a versatile and energetic entrepreneur, Regout was a member of the Senate (Eerste Kamer) of the Dutch Parliament and the author of a number of brochures on social and economic issues. At the end of the 17th century the Dutch Delft pottery industry had 45 workshops with 10,000 workers. By the end of the 18th century, facing mounting competition from the North Staffordshire potteries, the industry had declined to 28 factories with as few as 280 workers and by 1850 only two potteries and 76 workers remained. It was in that context that the Royal Sphinx factory was established by Petrus Regout in 1834. It was located in Maastricht, Holland. First, he started a glass factory. Two years later production of pottery began. Pottery production was initially concentrated on so called faience commune - simple pottery for a local market. Around 1840 printed decoration was introduced in Maastricht, to peak in quality as well as quantity by the end of the 19th century. This company was to become one of the most important Dutch tableware manufacturers, reaching its peak during the period between the two World Wars. At its start, Petrus Regout was unable to match the English ware in quality but his price was 40-50% cheaper. With the help of an English advisor and some Staffordshire potters he solved the problem of quality. Production gradually was adapted to higher standards thanks to hired British specialists to compete with popular British creamware. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Petrus Regout became well-known for its successful transfer ware copies of English, German, Chinese and Japanese tableware, most commonly in the blue and white colors popularized by the European fascination with Chinese and Japanese ceramics. As Petrus Regout aged, his sons were incorporated into the management of the company, so that when he died in 1878 his sons continued his industrial activities. (The eldest, also called Petrus, was to become notorious for his performance before the inquiry committee surveying the working conditions in Dutch industry in 1887. His cynical statements about the working conditions in his own factories shocked many people.) The company name was changed to Petrus Regout & Co. In 1879 the image of the sphinx started to be used as a company mark and logo. Beginning in 1899 the company was called De Sphinx. In 1913, the peak year of the Maastricht potteries, Petrus Regout & Co. employed about 7,000 people. This number comprised almost 70% of the town's total industrial employment. The entrepreneurs Winand Nicolaas Clermont and Charles Chainaye in 1851 founded a pottery in the Maastricht neighbourhood Wijck. Their company was taken over in 1859 by the Belgian engineer Guillaume Lambert and transformed into a limited partnership. Four years later it became a limited liability company that became generally known as 'Société Céramique'. Under the directorate of Victor Jaunez (1863-1913), engineer P.J. Lengersdorff (1902-1915) and Edgar Michel (1915-1954), Société Céramique flourished and became the main competitor of Petrus Regout's firm, which was renamed Sphinx in 1899. Around 1900 the products of Société Céramique vied with those of Sphinx in price as well as in quality. In the twentieth century, Société Céramique started to focus more and more on the production of sanitary ware. In 1958, to the surprise of many, the company merged with its Maastricht competitor Sphinx.The factory premises were demolished in the early 1990's to make room for a prestigious new housing estate, which was given the name Céramique.In the following decades the companies ran into difficulties, finally resulting in a number of mergers after the Second World War. The most important of these was the merger of Sphinx and Société Céramique de Maestricht in 1958. In 1958 the company merged with Société Ceramique and changed its name to N.V. Sphinx-Céramique, which, thanks to a royal decree, became Royal Sphinx in 1960. Sphinx stopped production of tableware in 1969. In 1994 the company was acquired by Swedish firm Gustavsberg and became NV Koninklijke Sphinx Gustavsberg. The Sphinx itself was bought in 1999 by the Finnish Sanitec. In 2010 the Maastricht plant was closed down and production moved to Swedish Sanitec plant. History of Blue Willow Ware (Courtesy of the University of Liverpool) The fine ceramic we know as porcelain was invented by the Chinese around 2,600 years ago. By the 1300s cobalt blue pigment was being used to create designs on white porcelain wares, and blue and white Chinese patterns were born. As they couldn’t figure out how to make porcelain, British and Dutch makers tried another approach. They covered their local brown earthenware with a white tin glaze decorated with mainly blue designs, very often with Chinese-style motifs. From around 1620, the main centre of production was the town of Delft in the Netherlands, and this type of blue and white ware became known as Delftware wherever it was made. A way of transfer printing patterns onto plain white wares was originated in Liverpool in 1756, allowing highly complex designs to be put on items quickly and cheaply, usually on white or cream glazed earthenware. One of the most popular such transfer ware patterns with Asia motifs ever developed is the Willow pattern, which wasoriginated by Thomas Minton for Thomas Turner’s Caughley factory in Shropshire around 1780. Minton then moved to the Spode factory, Staffordshire, in 1784 and they started using the design. By the late 1800s many British ceramics companies produced wares with some variant of the Willow Pattern, and it remained popular with buyers throughout the 1900s. From England, this pattern rapidly spread to Holland and other continental European ceramics centers, and from there on to the United States. The Willow pattern, wherever produced, has specific characteristics, and there is a story said to have been at its origin. The Willow pattern features a pagoda structure, three figures on a bridge, a figure on a boat, two flying birds and, of course, a weeping willow tree.The design is thought to have been inspired by a Japanese fairy tale called The Green Willow and Chinese variants of it which tells of two thwarted lovers. The story tells how Koong-se, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy Mandarin, fell in love with Chang, his low-born assistant. The Mandarin arranged a betrothal for Koong-se with a rich and powerful Duke, who arrived by boat carrying a casket of jewels as a marriage offering. While the Mandarin and Duke got drunk together, Chang broke into compound and escaped with Koong-se taking the jewels. The Mandarin, Duke and one of his men gave chase but the couple got away. They ended up living happily on a far away island where Chang made a successful living as a writer. In fact, he was too successful and his fame reached the ears of the Mandarin. He sent his henchmen over to the island where they killed Chang and set fire to the house, killing Koong-se who was inside. The Gods, seeing their plight, immortalized them as two doves which you can see flying together at the top of the Willow Pattern. This auction is one of a series of listings for transfer ware tableware produced in the early 20th century in Maastricht, Holland in the popular blue Willow pattern. Beginning in the late 19th century and continuing into the early decades of the 20th century, ceramics with East Asian themes, particularly in rich blue glazes, enjoyed renewed popularity in Europe and then North America. Among the major producers of transfer ware in this pattern for the export market were Petrus Regout and Societe Ceramique in Maastricht, Holland. The items for auction here are four (4) 8.5 inch luncheon plates. These platess are well-marked with the Societe Ceramique kiln mark in blue, featuring a rearing lion, factory name, Maastricht, Made in Holland, and the name of the pattern (Willow). Some also carry stamped incised numbers indicating size. The condition of these plates, which likely date to the early 20th century, is very good, with little to no crazing, discoloration, utensil marks, or other defects. Please see the photos for more details on decoration and condition. Please also check out my other listings for other pieces in this pattern. All shipping is by USPS insured Priority mail, and great care will be taken with packing this large bowl. A flat rate shipping charge of $20 applies to this listing. Flat shipping rate applies only to U.S. buyers. International buyers will pay higher actual shipping costs and should inquire prior to bidding. About the seller: I have been collecting art pottery for more than 30 years. The bulk of my collection is Danish stoneware from the 1920s into the 1970s. The bulk of my Danish collection consists of Arne Bang, Saxbo, Jais Nielsen, Nils Thorsson, Erik Hjorth, and Ejvind Nielsen. I have done extensive research on these and other artists and workshops and would be happy to share that with interested buyers. My second largest collection consists of European tableware from the mid-late 19th century to pre-WWII 20th century, and encompass hand-painted (stick spatter), flow blue, and other transfer ware patterns. The patterns I collect are primarily from Holland (Maastricht), but also include English, Swedish, Belgian, Danish and German makers. In addition to stoneware and dinnerware, I have a modest collection of Danish Art Deco metalware from the workshop of Just Andersen. Over the coming months I will be listing a wide range of pieces from my collection, including a selection of metalwork by Just Andersen in light bronze, pewter, and Disko metal, as well as tableware from Dutch and English factories. Please check out my other listings and add me to your list of saved sellers to receive notification of new listings.

Price: 40 USD

Location: Fort Collins, Colorado

End Time: 2024-02-20T21:16:44.000Z

Shipping Cost: 20 USD