China Manufacturers G to M
The Famous Potters Guide
To Fine China and Antique China

IDENTIFYING POTTERY MARKS ....more

CHINA PATTERN IDENTIFICATION ....more

VALUING YOUR WARES ....more

EXCHANGE (FIND & SELL) ....more

...And don't forget the all important Newsletter:

Go to this special D.G.L.B. page for full details.

Gardner

The first Russian Porcelain maker, founded by Englishman Francis Gardner in 1765. They produced high quality wares and figures. It remained in the Gardner family until 1891, when it was purchased by Kusnetzoff. The factory is still in production today.



Note:

This China Manufacturers G to M 2008 snippet was written and researched by Peter Holland © 2007 as part of the "Talking points for quick connoisseurs" segment of his website Figurines-Sculpture.com. Any corrections or additions please go to the CONTACT page.

Gien

Gien is a quality china manufacturer that specializes in earthenware. Founded in 1821 by Thomas Hall who was an Englishman with a mission to introduce fine English earthenware techniques to France, the home of hard-paste porcelain.

Gien presented exceptional earthenware exhibitions pieces from 1855 to 1900. In the 20th Century, despite wars and other crisis, Gien is the no. 1 producer of quality earthenware in France, and one of the best selling brands worldwide. See also Limoges (below).



Note:

This China Manufacturers G to M 2008 snippet was written and researched by Peter Holland © 2007 as part of the "Talking points for quick connoisseurs" segment of his website Figurines-Sculpture.com. Any corrections or additions please go to the CONTACT page.

Gorham China

Gorham was founded in 1831 in California, USA by Jabez Gorham.

Initially, Gorham manufactured only eathenware. In 1970 Gorham purchased the Flintridge China Company and in Pasadena, California began to make fine china dinnerware.

Gorham also began producing their own china designs many of which were made to coordinate with their sterling silver patterns. In 1984, Gorham ceased manufacturing its own china and began importing it from Japan.

In the early 1990s, Lenox (see below) purchased Gorham and continues to make various Gorham China patterns today.



Note:

This China Manufacturers G to M 2008 snippet was written and researched by Peter Holland © 2007 as part of the "Talking points for quick connoisseurs" segment of his website Figurines-Sculpture.com. Any corrections or additions please go to the CONTACT page.

Grafton

Grafton bone china or "Royal Grafton" as it more commonly known now, is a pottery mark of antique bone china manufacturer, A.B. Jones & Sons Ltd see listed here:- Royal Grafton bone china OR go to the Antique bone china manufacturers section and look under "R".

Haviland

Haviland porcelain has its own dedicated information page - see Haviland Dinnerware. See also Limoges (below).

Hudson & Middleton

(aka Sutherland, Delphine Ware) see antique bone china section.

Hutschenreuther

Hutschenreuther acquired sculptors and skilled laborers then began working with the Selb Technical School of Porcelain. Selb is also the home of Rosenthal.

Today, Hutschenreuther is part of the Rosenthal Group, who, in turn have been acquired by the Wedgwood group.

Note:

This China Manufacturers G to M 2008 snippet was written and researched by Peter Holland © 2007 as part of the "Talking points for quick connoisseurs" segment of his website Figurines-Sculpture.com. Any corrections or additions please go to the CONTACT page.

Jackfield

Jackfield in Shrophire, not far from the site of the original Coalport works, was long known as a centre of the early pottery industry, and had developed its own distinctive style of pottery manufacture by the early 1700’s - black Jackfield glaze .

Not a factory but a type of pottery ‘Jackfield Black’. Jackfield ware would have competed against majolica for the Victorian table.



Note:

This China Manufacturers G to M 2008 snippet was written and researched by Peter Holland © 2007 as part of the "Talking points for quick connoisseurs" segment of his website Figurines-Sculpture.com. Any corrections or additions please go to the CONTACT page.

Jean Louis Coquet

see Limoges (below)

Johnson Bros

Kirkham, Roy

see bone china manufacturers section.

Knowles, Taylor, Knowles

see antique bone china section.

K.P.M. Berlin (Royal Porcelain Manufactory)

see under "B" for Berlin above.

Lenox

see Lenox Tableware page.

Limoges Porcelain

Porcelain has been made in Limoges, France since the mid 1800’s. Kaolin was discovered in c.1760, close to Limoges and gave rise to the industry. See the porcelain china section for more information.

The first porcelain factory in Limoges was in 1765. Within a few years, the Limoges porcelain became a branch of the royal manufacturer at Sevres producing porcelain blanks for final decoration at Sevres (for more information on Sevres see listed under "S" below).

Famous factories (now vintage Limoge)emerged including Haviland , Ahrenfeldt, Guerin, Pouyat, Elite, and others.

Bernardaud, Jean Louis Coquet, Gien, Raynaud and Philippe Deshoulieres are all high quality makers of today. Whilst English makers perfected fine bone china, the French and other Europeans concentrated on hard-paste or ‘real’ porcelain.

Porcelain is grayer in appearance, more prone to chipping and less translucent than fine bone china. For more information see the bone china ware page.

If you want a price guide to the value of a specific Limoge maker you can just conveniently click on one of the Limoges manufacturer auction links below (which will be specific to your area if you are in the US, UK, CA or Aus. Otherwise, you will get US Dollar prices).

Limoges Manufacturers Online Auction Value Price Guide Links

Note:

This China Manufacturers G to M 2008 snippet was written and researched by Peter Holland © 2007 as part of the "Talking points for quick connoisseurs" segment of his website Figurines-Sculpture.com. Any corrections or additions please go to the CONTACT page.

LLadro

In 1953 three brothers Juan, José and Vicente Lladró made their first ceramic creations in their home in Almàssera (Valencia) Spain.

They had acquired a Moorish furnace and, while their day job was at a local crockery factory, at home they developed their artistic interests. With the use of their furnace they began to produce figurines influenced by Meissen, Sèvres and Capodimonte.

By 1958 they had given up the day job and moved to an old nearby warehouse. With much experimentation they developed innovative techniques such as the one-layer firing process which created their distinctive crystalline finish and pastel tones.

Like Franz (see above) a modern model of ingenuity, artistry and acumen. Top marks to the Lladro brothers - to thrive and succeed in a time period where so many other china manufacturers have failed.

Note:

This China Manufacturers G to M 2008 snippet was written and researched by Peter Holland © 2007 as part of the "Talking points for quick connoisseurs" segment of his website Figurines-Sculpture.com. Any corrections or additions please go to the CONTACT page.

Ludwigsburg or Kronenburg or Wurtemburg

In 1947 the factory was revived and still manufactures to this day.

The town was also known as Kronenburg (Crown-town), referring to the burg or town of the Duke.





In some references the name of Louisburg is also mentioned, simply because Louis is the English translation of the name Ludwig and 'burg' simply means 'town'. The Louisburg porcelain mark was used between 1806 and 1816.

Wurtenburg refers to the coat of arms of Wurtenburg - the 3 'stag antlers' later used by the Ludswigburg factory (also incidentally the same motive as used on the badge of the famous Porsche sports cars).




The patron on the factory was Duke Charles Eugene, but the site of choice was a bad one because of the lack of readily available clay and fuel which had to be imported from quite some distance at great expense.

The early clay body is characterized by a gray color and coarse texture.

However, the sculptural beauty of the early work is almost unsurpassed in the history of the ceramics industry. They were known for the fineness of their figural groups and very fine painting.

Ludwigsburg Marks

The reversed 'C' cyphers were replaced in 1806 with the letters TR beneath the crown (looks either like an odd shaped cursive R rather than a T.R. or otherwise the cursive T could be mistaken for a J R).

In 1818 they started to use the letters W.R. under the crown.

Occasionally, the heraldry of the Wurtenburg arms were used - the three stag horns (exactly the same as later used by motor car manufacturers Porsche). The stag antlers were used both with and without the letter L. Later a single antler was used.

So how can you tell of you have a priceless figural Ludwigsburg ceramic sculpture, or you have a rip-off with a copy-cat pottery mark?

Look for these signs:-

Apart from the the obvious coarse grayness of the clay body, the exquisite early sculpture shows an immaculate attention to detail.

For example, look for the signs of detail so precise you can see fingernails. For example, on the detail above above you can see the care and skill taken in the sculpting.

Being a professional sculptor myself, I know how difficult achieving this type of detail is.

Sculpting fingernails is one thing (the only living sculptor I know who can achieve this type of detail in ceramic clay on such a small scale is my colleague John Bromley with whom I have recently formed a company - The Figurine Collective a new bone china figurine making company with one foot firmly rooted in the production values of the past).

However to have a factory skilled enough to reproduce the fingernail detail within the rigors of a production run is quite another thing.

Look also with early Ludwigsburg at the fantastically fine painting skills.

Sometimes just to look at something carefully is enough to become aware of the production values on display - so the biggest tip is to simply open your eyes.

porcelainmarksandmore.com have a very comprehensive guide to Ludwigsburg, in fact the best I have seen online. There is also a very good a book first published in the late 1800 called Pottery and Porcelain: A Guide to Collectors By Frederick Litchfield which also has a good section on Ludwigsburg.

Masons Ironstone

see antique bone china section

J & G Meakin

Founded by James Meakin in 1845, Staffordshire, England, Meakins were predominantly earthenware manufacturers of domestic tableware. They were not luxury producers, but set their stall out to be utilitarian makers of strong durable products.

Meakin had three sons. James and George took over the business in 1852 when their father died (the firm was renamed J & G Meakin).


The third son, Alfred started a break away business around 1874. Collectors need to be aware of these two different trade-marks. From 1908 Alfed Meakin was amalgamated into family off-shoot business Johnson Brothers (click here for more information) and were most known for producing tea-leaf design for the export market.

In the 19th century the J & G Meakin was well-known for its white granite (undecorated ironstone) – a take on European, particularly French porcelain of the period.

Prior to 1945 they specialized in competitively priced export tablewares, particularly for the American market, and South America. A family off-shoot resulted in the formation of Johnson Brothers Johnson Brothers China.

By the 1950s about 80% of production was for export markets which by now also included Australia, New Zealand, the Far East and Scandinavia.

Post war expansion in the home market for domestic tableware resulted in a wide range of traditional and fashionable shapes and patterns being produced between the boom years of 1945-1975. For example, there was the Habitant Studio Ware in raspberry red, daffodil yellow, bottle green and grey.

Meakins merged with Midwinters in 1968. Midwinter, a now defunct name (see below) has subsequently become very collectible. Midwinter had bought A J Wilkinsons in the mid 60's - the firm often using the trade name 'Royal Staffordshire' and inexorably linked with Clarice Cliff - see listed under 'R' below. In 1970 Midwinter/Meakin were taken over by Wedgwood Group and corralled into their 'Creative Tableware' stable.

Note:

This China Manufacturers G to M 2008 snippet was written and researched by Peter Holland © 2007 as part of the "Talking points for quick connoisseurs" segment of his website Figurines-Sculpture.com. Any corrections or additions please go to the CONTACT page.

Meissen

The earliest deposits of the mineral required to make porcelain were discovered near Meissen, Germany during the 1600’s.

With the skill of alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger, Meissen won the race to emulate Chinese hard-paste or ‘real’ porcelain in 1710.

Meissen still produce today, for example the stunning and original White Waves tableware.




It strikes me as a blessing, particularly considering the devastation wreaked on Dresden during WW11, that the originators of European Porcelain, and makers of stunning figurines like the figure of the girl shown opposite (made nearly 200 years ago), are still able to show such fine china to the world.




Note:

This China Manufacturers G to M snippet was written and researched by Peter Holland © 2007 as part of the "Talking points for quick connoisseurs" segment of his website Figurines-Sculpture.com. Any corrections or additions please go to the CONTACT page.

Midwinter

Midwinter Pottery - founded 1910 in Burslem , Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire by the Midwinter family. By the 1930's it had become one of the leading of the pottery firms employing nearly 800 staff. The 1950's was their design heyday under the stewardship of Roy Midwinter. Roy had gone to the US and been influenced by the contemporary designs shown in the collections of firms such as Franciscan Pottery under the brilliant leadership of Frederic and Mary Grant. It must have made him think "We can do that too" (see Franciscan Pottery page).



The Festival of Britain in 1951 had originally set the contemporary UK design scene which Midwinter then took the lead in implementing into industrial ceramic design.

The secret was to use the services of talented young designers. One such designer went on to become an iconic leader of British and European design - Terence Conran, no less. Conran went onto open his own shops and national retail chain, Habitat.

The 'Spanish Garden design' was one of Midwinter's most successful designs. It was also integrated into kitchen items such as chopping boards and bread bins.





Midwinter were rocked in the late 1960's when a major new collection was shunned by buyers. To add insult to injury, the company was weakened further by a second unsuccessful range shortly after. A merger with J. & G. Meakin ensued in 1968. Two years later Meakins itself was taken over by the Wedgwood Group. Midwinter kept producing wares under their own name and from their own factory until 1987.

Midwinter is now a highly collectible pottery. They were committed to design innovation, something they kept to for more than 30 years.

You may see the Midwinter name associated with the Clarice Cliff name. This came about because of a merger with A. J. Wilkinson (aka 'Royal Staffordshire' - see under 'R' below) in 1964. Wilkinson was the firm that Clarice Cliff was associated with for many years and the maker of her wares. They then merged with 'Sol' makers J & G Meakin in 1968.

The 'Astral' pattern shown above seems to be influenced by American firm Franciscan 1950's 'Starburst' pattern. See Franciscan Pottery.



Note:

This China Manufacturers G to M snippet was written and researched by Peter Holland © 2007 as part of the "Talking points for quick connoisseurs" segment of his website Figurines-Sculpture.com. Any corrections or additions please go to the CONTACT page.

Minton

see Minton Bone China page.

Moorcroft

See the Moorcroft Vases section of this site.