Shelley Library
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Title |
Collecting Shelley Pottery |
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Author |
Robert Prestcott Walker |
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Publisher |
Francis Joseph |
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5 Southbrook Mews
London
SE12 8LG
United Kingdom |
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Date |
March 2000 |
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ISBN |
0-9676925-0-4 |
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This 122 page book begins with a brief chronology and then gives an outline of the factory's history. It continues with chapters on the running of the business and the decline of the factory. The major part of the publication is taken up with colour pictures of the factory's production ranging from Intarsio pottery to nursery ware. The book's appeal is somewhat diminished by the reproduction of many of the photographs being reversed in the printing process.
The chapters continue with a guide to the illustrations, a nursery ware guide, restoration, fakes and backstamps. The book concludes with a look at buying on the internet, a list of collectors clubs around the world and bibliography.
Book Review
Collecting Shelley Pottery - A Review by Paddy Owens
(This review first appeared in The Shelley Group Magazine,
Issue 54, December 1999)
A new Shelley book-Collecting
Shelley Pottery-arrived without much of a fanfare on the
bookstalls in August. It is a very thorough book, and has
obviously taken considerable time to prepare-see the
comprehensive bibliography, so took me, at least, by
surprise! I was wandering around a small fair, saw the
one and only copy on a book stall, bought, read it that
afternoon, and the next day took it to Wembley [antique
fair]. There were no copies on sale there, so a small
crowd of Shelley fans gathered in some excitement round
my stall, peering over shoulders to see it.
Its author, as his advertisement at the back
states, is a specialist decorative arts consultant, 1851
- present, and works as an author, lecturer and
appraiser. And this indeed is the 'extra' that the book
has. He brings his own knowledge of contemporaneous
developments in other firms, and his interest in style
and design, into his consideration of the Shelley output.
This enable us to see Shelley as part of the continuing
development of ceramics.
He has also had the boldness to
estimate, in the mid-section of the book, in pounds
[Sterling] and dollars [US] the prices of most of the
items photographed. This is bound to be controversial.
The photography of the Intarsio is excellent, the colours
are good, but the photographs of tea ware do not often do
justice to colour or pattern, and this is not helped by
the negatives being printed back to front. [Many of you
will realise the three misplaced ladies, pages 79-81 are
in fact Carlton!].
The prices given are going to
provoke quite a bit of discussion. To my mind the solid
handle trios are under-priced, the Intarsio seems pretty
fair, and the trios priced between £30 and £60 are
sometimes well over and quite often under! And as for
Mabel Lucie Attwell-I'm never able to estimate that for
myself, it's risen so fast! So you will see dear reader,
that you, with your own interests, are probably going to
have as much fun as I've had pontificating on his
estimates. But, for a fairly new collector, it is a
reasonable stab at what he/she should expect to pay and
this is a considerable achievement. Indeed this book is
essentially 'user friendly'. It is small and light enough
to carry around, the cover is pleasing, and I imagine
stain and rain resistant, and there is a page at the back
for you to jot down your own notes. It looks sturdy and
the sections are clearly labelled.
In the first section the Chronology
takes us from the 'Foley Potteries' in 1827 to the 1971
Doulton Group take-over of the Works. The next three
chapters include all that we know from previous Shelley
books about the development of the Shelley firm and gives
us insight into the many external influences prevailing
at the different periods. The mid-section has a glorious
range of Shelley ware, such as is rarely seen these days.
The last third of the book contains information on
Restoration, Fakes, Backstamps and Shelley and the
Internet. These are indeed nowadays 'need to know'
topics! The advice and information given is thorough and
sound. I'm glad to have some help given to me on the
appearance and non-appearance of the Shelley ring-a
puzzling phenomenon in tea ware!
On page 121 there is a list of
Shelley groups world wide. The author is a self-confessed
lapsed member of the UK Shelley Group. He acknowledges
his debt to it: "Not to be forgotten is The Shelley
Group who kept me informed for a number of years about
various aspects of the Pottery. The open dissemination
and discussion which is the policy of the Group has been
of great benefit over the years."
It is a pity that there are some
proof reading errors, and jelly mould collectors, parian
ware collectors, miniature collectors and commemorative
and advertising ware specialist are not catered for. Also
the author, if he'd stayed a member, could have added
value to the book from contact at our Shelley Weekend s
with our expert and informed speakers! But any book goes
out as a marker for what is known at the time it is
written, viz. the out-of-date Godden's so many of us
still use!
This book is very good value for
money. It should increase the number of collectors and
raise knowledge generally. Buy it for yourself and you'll
have a tussle getting it back from friends who'll borrow
it! One for the bookshelf.