Monday 20 January 2014

Charlotte Rhead's design sources for Aztec (2800) and Stitch (3274)

It will come as no surprise to collectors of Charlotte Rhead pottery that it is easy to identify the inspiration for so many of her designs. Coming from a family of artists and a home full of art there would be no shortage of ideas.

It has been fascinating to follow the Rhead Cronin Collection sales at Bearnes Hampton and Littlewood where some tube-lined tiles are accompanied by pictures of the same subject painted by her father. It is wonderful to see the association of these artworks.

With regard to her Crown Ducal tube-lined portfolio there are several patterns where one can be reasonably confident of her inspiration source. Here are a few:

Primroses drawn by George Woolliscroft Rhead
  • Primula could have been modelled so easily on her grandfather’s work at Copeland. Search with Google images for CF Hurten Copeland primroses and you should find what I mean. Or perhaps from George Woolliscroft Rhead's  "Studies in Plant Form" drawings.
  • Manchu, the dragon was previously interpreted by her father when he was at Woods & Sons, but of course the Chinese version is yet much older still.
  • Blossom uses a floral style crafted in slip clay very similar to a pattern that her father Frederick designed for Liberty & Co whilst he was working at Wardles.
  • Omar, I’ll wager would have been inspired by her uncles George Woolliscroft and Louis who worked together on a project to illustrate the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.

In the first tranche of the Rhead Cronin Collection sale on 17/12/2013, there were two lots that provided me with new insight into the design origins of Charlotte’s Crown Ducal designs, Stitch, (3274) and Aztec, 2800).

Stitch, (3274), design influence

 

Crown Ducal Stitch (3274) and Ditmar Urbach ewers.




Picture reproduced with kind permission of Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood

Lot 2 comprised of two Stitch, (3274), items and two ewers in a similar pattern by the Czech company, Ditmar Urbach. Bernard Bumpus notes the design connection between the two in the 1987 edition of his book and I have tried in vain to get definitive evidence of which design is the older. But with the Ditmar Urbach ewers in the possession of the Rhead family I feel that Charlotte probably based her design on the Czech pattern. 

Ditmar Urbach ceased to exist in its pre-war form after Germany took over the factory in 1938. This is well after 1933 when Stitch was designed, but I have been unable to determine the design date for their “version” of Stitch. Although this is all rather inconclusive the decider for me is that after Charlotte adapted the design for Crown Ducal she then adapted the shape of the ewer for her patterns at HJ Woods Bursleyware after WW2. The coincidences are too extraordinary to ignore.

If someone does have design date information for Ditmar Urbach patterns please let me know.

It should be emphasised that there is no mistaking the two productions. The glazes, shapes, backstamps, design details are obviously different when viewed side by side. Also the Czech version is not tube-lined, the stitches are thickly applied brown paint.

Ditmar Urbach style, left and Crown Ducal, right

Aztec, (2800), design influence 

 

Watercolours by Charlotte Rhead

Picture reproduced with kind permission of Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood

Lot 38 in the same sale were two watercolours by Charlotte Rhead of native North American women. One of the women’s clothes incorporates the stepped pyramid symbol similar to that used in her Aztec pattern pottery.

I do not know of any period references to Crown Ducal pattern 2800 and the design predates the start of the numbered surviving pattern books. Collectors prefer names rather than pattern numbers, and so the descriptions in the Bumpus books of the contemporary interest in Aztec architecture have lent the name Aztec to the design. 

Although the name Aztec is quite appropriate for the familiar design motif from the Latin American pyramids, I now believe that Charlotte was looking at North American culture and symbols rather than those from further south. Not only does Charlotte use the stepped pyramid for “Aztec”, but there is also the rare, unnumbered design with wavy lines in exactly the same colour palette and from around the same time as pattern 2800. My amateurish, quick look research on the internet finds that the stepped pyramid means “snow cloud” and the wavy line symbol means “running water”. 

Charlotte Rhead Crown Ducal 12" charger Aztec, (2800) with Snow Cloud motif

Charlotte Rhead Crown Ducal shape 148 unnumbered design with Running Water motif

If further evidence is required that Charlotte was thinking about native North American culture. Then study of the Crown Ducal pattern books reveals that pattern 3594 is a 17” Cotswold shape supper tray, (17” charger), enamelled with the profile of a native North American  chief. And there’s that stepped pyramid symbol again in the feathered headdress band.



Central design for Crown Ducal pattern 3594