1880s Ridgways Autumn Olive Green Transferware Earthenware Wash Basin Aesthetic

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A little history lesson first ...

The Ridgway family was one of the important dynasties manufacturing Staffordshire pottery in England, … Read more A little history lesson first ...

The Ridgway family was one of the important dynasties manufacturing Staffordshire pottery in England, with a large number of family members and business names, over a period from the 1790s to the late 20th century. In their heyday in the mid-19th century, there were several different potteries run by different branches of the family. Most of their wares were earthenware, often of very high quality, but stoneware and bone china were also made. Typical of Staffordshire, the various businesses, initially set up as partnerships, changed their official names rather frequently, and often used different trading names, so there are a variety of names that can be found.

"Ridgways" was a mark used by the Ridgway family during their period of manufacturing at the Bedford Works, Shelton, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, England. The Bedford Works was founded in 1866 by Edward John Ridgway. From 1873, the partners were his sons John and Edward Ackroyd Ridgway, along with Joseph Sparks. From late 1879, the business traded as "Ridgways". In 1920, the business was incorporated under the name "Ridgways (Bedford Works) Ltd."

And now on to this listing . . .

Offered here is a stunningly beautiful large and heavy wash basin, backstamped "Ridgways", in their extremely rare Aesthetic Movement AUTUMN pattern. Only two pieces have been found on the web: this one offered here (see below for explanation of its color), and another BROWN piece in this pattern, which can be found in a private collection displayed on Art Work Archive.

ThePotteries.org is the go-to authority for information on old England potteries. When I reached out to the administrator for further information about my piece, here is the response I received: "The problem, as with all these transfer ware pieces, is that there is a limited amount of surviving factory records, many items have been broken or consigned to the loft, and the only ones that appear on-line are generally those being offered for sale. So there is a dearth of reliable information." In his opinion, this piece was made at the Bedford Works factory. That website says, "Bow and quiver mark without any place name is generally circa 1880-1885. However, this is not a hard and fast rule[.]"

The knowledgeable administrator of the Ridgway Pattern Book website had a similar opinion on this piece when I contacted her: "There are virtually no records on the Bedford Works at all, which is why people easily claimed some of the production as being of their favourite factory rather than the Bedford Works, and that is unfortunately still going on. Your piece does not have ENGLAND on it so I would limit the dating to pre 1891. I would be inclined to think the date of manufacture as some time in the 1880s. I had not come across the AUTUMN print before in any colour .... Factories of that period issued many printed designs and, I dare say, some have only survived in a few pieces as these pieces were regarded up to recently as little more than rubbish items and sadly disposed of accordingly."

The bottom line is, this is an extremely rare earthenware survivor from the Ridgway family dynasty, manufactured at the Bedford Works factory, most likely between 1880 and 1885.

As for the color of the transferware print, it is a very dark olive GREEN. At first glance, it looks sort of like a charcoal color. But when you turn this piece over and look at the bottom, close to the base rim, you can see where the potter's fingers touched the print before it was dry and smeared it a wee bit into the white background area. Those smears, having been much more thinly applied than the actual pattern, clearly demonstrate that the color used to make the transfer design is a dark olive green.

This basin has a repair to the rim. It appears to have been an amateur repair done with some kind of epoxy material. It is extremely strong and smooth, but no effort was made to make it cosmetically pleasing. I have included close up photos of the area, both on the interior side and the exterior side. There is no crack extending from the repair. Other than that, no chips, cracks, or unusual wear. Crazing consistent with age. There is some staining in the bottom of the basin consistent with use.

This bowl measures a whopping 16" in diameter and stands about 5 1/4" tall. Please understand this bowl weighs more than SEVEN POUNDS, which will affect both the shipping charge as well as where and how you choose to display it.

BTW, just for fun, I have included a photo of the Bedford Works taken in 1958, as well as a drawn map showing where the factory was located. These images are for informational purposes only - you will not receive hard copies of these images when this piece is shipped.

If you are a collector of Ridgway pottery pieces, or you're just looking for a striking English earthenware antique piece to add to your home, this is a must-have for you. Will be packed with care and shipped with GOBS of packing material. See less