When
I got my first apartment and needed to outfit my cupboards with cups and
saucers, plates and serving dishes, I ventured into the local Goodwill shop
looking for a bargain that was both bright and cheery to liven up the drab
kitchen of student housing. That first
foray into shopping for kitchen goods started me on a lifelong love affair with
antique transferware which has found me searching for it world-wide!
Found most often in blue & white pastoral patterns, transferware comes in a
variety of patterns and colors including red, brown, black, green or
purple. The pattern on transferware is
made by inking a metal plate with a design and then transferring that design to
paper. The paper is then applied to the dish and when the ink is set the paper
is removed. The design is then fixed by
firing with an over or under glaze.
At first, the transferware patterns were copied from the blue and white Chinese designs found on the hand-painted porcelain that was popular in the 18th century. But by the turn of the 19th century, potters began incorporating European features into these designs and creating new designs to tempt any potential buyer. In fact, England may have lost the Revolutionary War, but pottery makers in England weren't opposed to profiting from their defeat. As early as 1800, English (and other European) potters began making "American" designs to appeal to clients abroad, featuring important American buildings, landscapes and war heroes!
While the
patterns on transferware even to this day still often mimic higher quality
china or porcelain, transferware is typically made from baked clay or pottery
making it essentially every day dinner ware. This is a stronger material (often
stoneware, earthenware or iron stone) which can live up to day-to-day use.
In my book, transferware's durability alongside its inherent style makes it an
ideal collector's item - a functional antique to both collect and use!
To read more exciting articles written by The Antiques Diva visit www.antiquesdiva.blogspot.com or to book a European Antiques Shopping Tour at www.antiquesdiva.com)