Posted by Seamus Nolan on December 5, 2017, 12:28 pm
Hi Im doing a paper on representations of Travellers in the National Museum of Ireland, there is a repaired Edwardian transferware platter printed with the SYRIA pattern in sepia, I am wondering if anyone can help me identify the illustrator or any information about the pattern.
The mark on the back is an anchor encircled with flora and the word SYRIA beneath, The only other SYRIA plates are attributed to Robert Cochran, so I am assuming this was a variation on the stamp but any help appreciated.
Re: SYRIA
Posted by Andrew J Pye on December 28, 2017, 1:12 pm, in reply to "SYRIA"
Hi Seamus Having personally recommended this website as the best place to find an answer to your query, I feel obliged to answer it as it appears you will otherwise go wanting! First of all, to be clear, you are working with a brown printed repaired platter in the National Museum of Ireland right? That platter has a backstamp of an anchor encircled with flora and the word Syria beneath. The image link you provided was to a blue platter in the same pattern in the National Museums Scotland collections, which is marked for Robert Cochran & Co. Let's start with the design, which is a generic romantic landscape scene, created after the Copyright Act 1842 made copying of published engravings illegal, so this is a scene created specifically as a pottery pattern. It is not a real place, although elements may have been inspired by one or more "real" engravings. It also has little if anything to do with Syria the country and it was simply the name it was given. The pattern is believed to be been introduced at the Verreville Pottery, Glasgow about 1845 by the Kidston partnership, which was succeeded shortly after by the Cochran partnerships, which continued to make Syria. It probably had a life from 1845 to 1880ish? Its roots seem to be firmly in Scotland. However, it is found with a printed backstamp for F Primavesi & Sons, Swansea and London, who were importers and wholesalers and this may point us in the direction of Wales? Well, one brown printed plate is known marked with an anchor and foliage and that has been attributed to the Llanelly or South Wales Pottery, so perhaps that was the source of the platter in the National Museum of Wales? Llanelly was producing from 1840 onwards and date of manufacture is still likely to fall within the 1845 to 1880 window, so rather earlier than Edwardian. Anchor and foliage is not a backstamp I have come across personally used at the Verreville Pottery or Lanelly for that matter. Middlesbrough Pottery did use a backstamp that matches that description, but without clear images of the various backstamps we are wandering into a world of pure imagination and conjecture, so let's stick with the Llanelly attribution! Trust that is of some help. Regards Andrew J Pye Lovers of Blue & White
Re: SYRIA
Posted by Seamus Nolan on December 29, 2017, 6:10 am, in reply to "Re: SYRIA"
I had thought the image was pretty generic alright, I have ordered a booklet from the Scottish Pottery society which I hope may go into moire details about illustrators working in the Verreville factory. One thing I was wondering, it possibly doesn't apply unless the piece was being exported to America but following the 1890 Tariff act would it have been necessary for all manufacturers to put the country of origin on the piece, even if exporting to Ireland etc? Just asking because I have also not seen the back stamp but I found a very good site to identify the marks the only two that are similar, that I could find was the Chelsea then Derby circle with anchor in the middle, or the American Anchor Pottery Co est. 1894 I will look into the Llanley link, (just noticed they are not even mentioned in the encyclopedia of British transfer-printed pottery patterns, I have been referencing)
Re: SYRIA
Posted by Andrew J Pye on December 28, 2017, 1:15 pm, in reply to "Re: SYRIA"
Oops! Noticed typo National Museum of Wales should read National Museum of Ireland in the middle of my post.
Re: SYRIA
Posted by Web Administrator on December 5, 2017, 12:52 pm, in reply to "SYRIA"
Hi Seamus, an interesting inquiry. First, if you have any images, front and reverse, please post (perhaps the museum has an image on-line of the platter???). If you have images but are unable to post them, follow the directions on the landing page of this message board. Also, assuming you are not a TCC member, you can purchase 24-hour access to our data base of patterns and sources by accessing our web site Database page. The cost for 24 hours is $10.00. Other than that, one of our members may be able to help out, it just depends on interest and availability.
Re: SYRIA
Posted by Seamus Nolan on December 18, 2017, 7:45 am, in reply to "Re: SYRIA"
Here is an image of the plate, unfortunately I have only a description of the back stamp which is : Printed in sepia at the back in a circular foliage design enclosing an anchor with “Syria” beneath.