Robert Jefferson Dagger Plaque

This wall plaque is from a range of decorative plaques and trays that Robert Jefferson designed in 1964.  There is a hole in the middle of the grip for hanging.  The plaques are more colourful, stylish and  impracticable than the trays.

Extra XP Pattern Pot

This pattern is one of mine, and many peoples, favourites.  It's one of the few that has a nickname -Sweet Pea, and has lovely Art Deco motifs. The vase is shape number 199, about six inches tall, marked as TY pattern, ( I cant distinguish this from XP) and was painted by Miriam Jones.  I found it on Ebay last week. 

The Jam pot was one of the first Traditional pots that I collected.  It's shape number 288, XP pattern painted by Marjorie Batt.  Both the vase and jam pot date to about 1935.

I also have a shape 117 XP pattern vase- the same shape as the 199 vase, but 3 inches shorter in height. I know somewhere there must be a 115 shape in this pattern (that would be a middle-size) which I've yet to find.  There would be some satisfaction in showing an appearance of rationality to my collection, even if the actual shape numbers, and pattern names don't quite make sense.  To fund my search the jam pot was put up on eBay last night. 

More photos on on eBay here.

Jean Millership Delphis Sweet Dish no 81

I've always liked this dish with is bold brush marks, yet really quite subtle colouring and lace-like pattern where the glazes mix.  It's been in my display cabinet for a few years, but for some reason never found its way onto my website.  Anyway it's found a new home and I thought I'd better give it a last outing before it goes, and having said all that, I rather wish now that I'd kept it.

Little Ray of Sunshine

This was one of my favourite finds from the Lincoln Antiques Fair at the beginning of the month.  It's a Helios lamp designed by Robert Jefferson in 1964.  The base is chipped underneath and it not my favourite colour, but it's nice to find an original plastic shade in perfect condition. 

Hilda Trim Jam Pot

Classic Poole Pottery shape preserve jar with tear drop finial in DD pattern signed by Hilda Trim, a recent buy from eBay.

Poole Freeform Vase PRB

This is a wonderfully tactile (egg) shape vase was painted by Gwen Haskins between 1955 and 1959.  I saw it on eBay recently and couldn't help buying it.  I also couldn't afford it. So to make amends, its been posted on my website - on the sales page.  At least I can enjoy looking at it until a buyer turns up.

http://www.poolepottery.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Poole_Pottery_shop.htm

Janet Laird 8" Delphis Plate

This plate arrived from eBay the same week that I found the no. 49 pin dish painted by Janet Laird at Newark.  I'd been trying to find more examples of Janet's work for a while, without much success, and then these two turn up within days of each other.  I thought this one was quite an unusual design for Delphis and what I like most is the sense of depth and movement with the overlapping triangles.

Delphis Shape No. 41 Pin Dishes Janet Laird

These too little pin dishes were the first Delphis plates that Janet Laird painted when she joined Poole Pottery in 1969.  Janet kindly sent me the photos.   Janet bought these first two dishes herself and gave them to her very proud parents, who must have treasured them ever since.  It had been Janet's ambition to join Poole Pottery even as a school girl, after been inspired by the elder sister of one of her class mates who worked as a Poole paintress.  

Delphis 49er Janet Laird

There's a lot of detail here for a small 5" diameter dish.  It was painted by Janet Laird who joined Poole Pottery in 1969 and was Delphis supervisor for 3 years from 1970 until 1974.  A lot of Janet's work was sold overseas but this one I found in the UK on a trip last weeks to the Newark fair.  

I've become friends with Janet since starting this blog and over the past few months she's shared some lovely stories about her life at Poole Pottery and wonderful examples of her work since then.  Janet still makes beautiful pottery at her studio in Dorset under her married name Janet Parker Laird and there's a link to Janet's own blog on the left.  I have some other images of Janet's early work at Poole Pottery that I'll post soon.

Poole Delphis No.34 Vase Signed CK

I sold this vase on Ebay last week.  It's one of the first vases I brought about 6 years ago.  I remember been really pleased with  it and it stayed on display since then (never in storage) but also never made it onto my website for some reason.  So even though its no longer with me, I thought I should give it one last outing on here.  The shape number is 34, I think will date to the early 1970's, it's hand thrown, about 5 inches tall and signed with CK.  This CK mark crops up quite a bit on Delphis, but as yet there's not a name identified to go with it, so any ideas would be welcome.

A Rare Find on eBay

I went to the Lincoln Antiques fair on Tuesday this week, where I found a few Poole pots that I'm sure will appear here soon.  I'm off again on Friday to the Newark fair, where they'll be more, and if I'm lucky I might find something as rare as the pot above.   This vase is about 5" tall and was painted by Nellie Bishton between 1927 and '34.  It's shape number 112 which is quite common, but the pattern, GTY, is more rare and I've not seen many like this before.  At some point, probably when new, it was exported to the USA, but finally came back to Britain from Illinois a few months ago.  I love it when pots come home (Sheffield isn't so far from Poole!), although there are just as many that depart these shores, and that's nice too.  In the recent past, I've sent quite a few abroad myself, to Australia and the US and others to South Africa, and Spain.  Lincoln and Newark are both giant fairs and attract a fair few international buyers and sellers, but still they don't quite have the global reach of eBay. 

Ship Plate

This is likely to be the only golf trophy I'll ever own, which isn't so surprising, given that I've never played the game and find the thought of it very boring.  But if I had won this trophy, and the words changed to "best allotment 2011, Sheffield Allotment Society" (just as unlikely to happen), I'd have been very proud of it, as I'm sure the original owner was.  

There was larger Beckford Bowl winner's plate on sale on eBay this week also, though I didn't bid on that as clearly I don't deserve to own it.  Anyway, I liked this because its hand painted and in the manner of the earlier Poole Ship plates, but a fraction of the cost.  It's signed by Sue Pottinger, and dates from 1986!

Poole Delphis Patricia Wells 8" Plate

I'm gradually expanding my collection of these Shape no. 3 plates. They seem to crop up a bit more often than the larger plates but are still a nice decent size to display.  this one dates from the late 1960's