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Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Rob Atkinson on June 29, 2013, 10:34 am Hello fellow transferware collectors, I acquired this transferware plate a while back, because I love and collect antique examples of Greek revival design. My attempts to identify the mark since have been in vain, though it looks 19th century to me, perhaps early Victorian c. 1840? The vogue for the formal Greek revival style in domestic furnishings was at its height from c. 1810-1840 so that might make sense. I assume the piece is English, perhaps by one of the Staffordshire potteries. The transfer is finely executed with no blurring or distortion, and its replete with very fine detail, executed in black on a white ground. The plate edge is slightly scalloped, and it measures about 7 3/4" in diameter. I include shots of the front and back of the plate, as well as a close-up of the mark "G H" Which flanks a lion passant atop a crown, with a scroll beneath reading "GRECIAN" (which I imagine is the pattern name?) Do any of the TCC's members recognize the pattern or the maker? I'd appreciate knowing the pottery, the date of manufacture, relatuive rarity of the piece, etc. Thanks for having a look, and thanks in advance for any help in identifying the plate! Best, Rob Atkinson

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by webmaster on June 29, 2013, 10:37 am, in reply to "Greek revival design transferware?" Here are the images:

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Rob Atkinson on June 29, 2013, 11:10 am, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" Thanks, I hope one of your readers can help solve the mystery!

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Web Administrator on June 29, 2013, 10:00 pm, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" Rob, this is a really nice looking piece. However, one of our extremely knowledgable members sent me the following note providing her opinion, which I quote: "There is no such Staffordshire pottery with G H initials. I have looked through Godden, Henrywood’s Potters book, etc. including Kovels, thinking it might be a foreign mark. The closer I look at it, the more I think it is a repro. There have been a lot of willow platters, nicely potted with a similar looking lion on the mark. The back of the piece looks new."

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Rob Atkinson on June 30, 2013, 1:33 pm, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" It's possible, I too sought a pottery to fit the mark with no success, and started to think it might be a 'pseudo-mark' on a fake/repro. My investment wasn't large, so I'm not all that devastated if that's so. The only thing that gave me pause was the quality of the piece, the new stuff I've seen out of China generally isn't as finely executed. If it IS a reproduction of an older piece, I'd still be curious to know on what it is modelled/based, so I might keep an eye out! Rob Atkinson

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Len on July 2, 2013, 12:17 am, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" I was able to find a blue printed teabowl and saucer in this pattern online (through Google images) with almost the same mark, only with "No. 18" added. That set seems to me clearly 19th century, and I agree that the quality of your plate is much better than you usually see with the stuff out of Asia. GH could, perhaps, be the initials of a retailer or importer, at least not necessarily those of the potter.

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Rob Atkinson on July 2, 2013, 12:54 am, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" I found this tea bowl and saucer myself on Pinterest, markedly similar in style, but unmarked. I don't know if the dealer is knowledgeable enough to make an accurate attribution/dating, though they thought it was Staffordshire, early 19th c. Is it really possible that the 'GH/Grecian' mark is an importer or retailer's mark? Anyone know of a candidate that might be represented by those initials? It'd probably have to be a large and prominent outfit I expect. I've seen that kind of mark with porcelain pieces commissioned for Tiffany etc., but generally not until the late 19th c.

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Rob Atkinson on July 2, 2013, 1:00 am, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" Having issues trying to post the image, here's the Pinterest link mentioned in the previous post: http://pinterest.com/pin/183873597259050370 Perhaps the same one you spotted, Len? Thanks Rob

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Len on July 2, 2013, 7:44 am, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" Nope, I hadn't found this one! The one I saw was a blue transfer, after putting Grecian transferware G.H. into Google images. If they're reproducing transferware to this standard in Asia we should all be very afraid!

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Len on July 2, 2013, 7:47 am, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" I guess it would be easier just to include the link: http://www.seekersantiques.com/products/1239?color=Blue

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Len on July 2, 2013, 7:51 am, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" If you have access to the database, Rob, look at a green and red bi-color platter with the pattern name Venetian. It also has unknown G.H. initials in the mark.

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Rob Atkinson on July 2, 2013, 12:13 pm, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" Very interesting. The tea bowl and saucer Len posted the link to are apparently an identical match (other than the color employed), and they look 'right' to me. I was resigned to the plate's being a Chinese copy or fake, but now I'm heartened a bit. The mystery remains. I respect the opinion of the first expert cited by the editors, but isn't it also possible that "GH" is simply an undocumented maker? How many of those are there?

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Connie Rogers on July 2, 2013, 2:49 pm, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" Hi Rob, You have presented us with an interesting pattern and mark. I am the general editor of the TCC database (the "expert" referred to above). At first I thought this was a discussion to be moved to the Facebook page, and I don't do Facebook, so I just wrote down some thoughts for the web administrator. My reasons for calling it a repro: 1) It looks new 2) The mark: Initials of the maker and/or importer-retailer are NOT found on either side of the mark in the 19th century. The initials or name will be found above, within, or below the mark. 3) There is no known potter or importer that used those initials -- British, European, or US. 4) The motifs of the pattern are loosely based on the Greek pattern series of Spode; however, none of them are authentic. I don't know the name or maker of that brown cup and saucer you found on your link, but there is a motif on the cup that is titled "Attack of the Griffin" and can be found in the database as P906-14 in the Greek pattern by Spode a motif on the rim of the saucer is a scene titled, "Polydeuces and the King's Daughter". From looking at that cup and saucer and identifying those two motifs, I think that pattern has a better chance of being made in the 19th century than your Grecian plate.

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Rob Atkinson on July 2, 2013, 3:23 pm, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" A compelling argument. Do you think it might be a repro of the pattern Len shared? That piece, though in blue, shares my mark and looks 'right', though I suppose it too could be a repro/fake.

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Connie Rogers on July 2, 2013, 3:43 pm, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" Hi Rob, Surely with the same mark, even with the added no. the blue cup and saucer Len linked us too would also be a repro. We are just dealing with photos here, but it is surprising the good quality of some of these pieces. The main question to me at this point is about the GH on the "Venetian" two-color pattern in the database. The editor who entered it knows it is 19th century for sure, and of course, it is a different mark from your Grecian plate. I may have to contact some British experts for more input.

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Tim on July 3, 2013, 9:24 am, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" For what it's worth, thepotteries.org website lists a manufacturer named Gater Hall & Co that utilized the initials G H & Co. No idea if this is related to the GH on your plate. The site lists them as operating from c. 1895-1943. Another similar one is listed, Godwin & Hewitt as using the initials G & H H (not sure what the other H is for) with operation dates of c. 1889-1910.

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Andrew J Pye on July 3, 2013, 10:25 am, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" I am grateful to Connie Rogers for drawing my attention to this debate. The initials GH can be attributed to George Hawley of Low Pottery, Rawmarsh (1840-1863) and Northfield Pottery, Rotherham (1855-1863) in Yorkshire, although not much of his productions seems to have been marked. We have seen a pattern named Duoro on a treacle jar and in my opinion the pattern Venetian with a fancy cartouch backstamp, which is in the Database as Unknown Maker is by Hawley. However, the plate that started this debate is clearly a quality piece made in Staffordshire in the 1830s. It is by Goodwins and Harris of Crown Works, Lane End active 1831 to 1838, with both predecessor and successor partnerships. They used the lion over crown backstamp regularly, with variant initials, sometimes G H and sometimes G & H, sometimes a pattern number appears and sometimes a pattern name or both. We have notes so far of these patterns: No 3 British (a flower a basket design), No 10 Imperial Filigree, No 12 a floral design, No 13 a parakeet and foliage design, No 18 Grecian, No 19 Lace Flowers and No 38 Grecian Vase - the last a Goodwins & Ellis pattern. Plate 1617 on page 270 of A Directory of British Teapots by Berthoud and Maskell illustrates a teapot in Grecian pattern with a printed mark of lion and crown and the letters G and H, plus to remove any doubt, the impressed mark Goodwins & Harris.

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Christine Waterworth on June 19, 2020, 3:13 pm, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" I have a rare George Hawley jug in the Douro pattern in blue and white. The jug has the GH mark on the underneath.

George Hawley Posted by Nicky Frost on November 28, 2020, 3:31 am, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" Hello Christine, Apologies if I've already asked you this question, I have a really bad memory due to illness. I'm distantly related to the Hawley's (my grandmother being a Hawley) and I'm looking for Hawley pottery. Is your piece for sale, please?

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Connie Rogers on July 3, 2013, 2:52 pm, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" And I am grateful to Andrew Pye who has come to my rescue once again! He has pointed us to a lovely teapot in the Grecian pattern with the printed mark we have debated, and the impressed name mark for good measure to confirm the attribution. The caption reads that the pattern is a mauve printed pattern although it is very close to the blue cup and saucer that Len found online. I had forgotten that the partners produced china from 1834-37 with their names reversed (Harris & Goodwin)and used the lion over crown printed mark with the initials H and G on either side. It is pictured in my book The Illustrated Encyclopedia of British Willow Ware, p. 162. Thanks, Andrew for giving us a list of more G H patterns to look for -- as well as identifying George Hawley as the GH in The Venetian pattern in the database.

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Connie Rogers on July 5, 2013, 1:57 pm, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" Hi Rob, Now that we have identified this Grecian pattern, I would like to enter it in the TCC database. I wonder if you have another photo that has less shadows and is not cropped so tight at the edges? You could send them to me at the email address above. If not, I can use the photos you have posted here with your permission. Thanks!

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Sarah Eigen on July 20, 2013, 1:10 pm, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" It was a delight to read all the messages, the vast knowledge of the responders, and the general sharing of among the transferware detectives! It added to my education!

Re: Greek revival design transferware? Posted by Web Administrator on June 30, 2013, 1:44 pm, in reply to "Re: Greek revival design transferware?" Have you looked through the TCC Database yet? With over 10,000 patterns, there is a good chance this or similar patterns is/are already documented. The DB access is free to members and $10/24 hours for non-members.

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