EXAMPLE YEAR:

1904

EXAMPLE GLAZE COLOR(S):

Turquoise blue on top, with clearly defined boundary of dark blue on bottom.

EXAMPLE CATALOG NUMBER:

First number obscured - Possibly #209 or #609

GLAZE PRODUCED FROM / TO:

Presumed by clemhull.com to be limited to1905. See the editorial comment in "Detail" below.

DETAIL:

6 1/4" tall 6 1/2" wide Note 6 points on bottom where 2 ceramic tripods left marks, indicating this piece may have been fired twice during the glazing process. Roman numberal V indicates clay type #5, which is a less commonly found clay formulation. Clay type III (roman numeral 3) is much more common, and became the base for future Van Briggle clays. Stamped letter "B" is a common mark on stamped pieces, and is likely a designation for an alteration of some pre-designated kind on the original design. Some reports cite such letters as indicating a design alteration, and others cite it as a graduated size guide within the design ("A" being a large example of the design and "E" being a small example of the design). It is not plausible that all - or even many - designs had 5 different sizes available, however, so the later explanation is not as plausible as the former. The answer may be somewhere in-between. Possibly any piece with ANY design alteration - be it size or any other characteristic - was assigned letter designators. EDITORIAL COMMENT: Characteristics on the example at right are not the typical early Ming blue glaze, or typical variants of it, which exhibit a much smoother finish, and were not fired twice. Possibly an experimental glaze formula that produced a finish good enough for sale on the items produced, but not a formula they wished to pursue in the long run. Also See Bottom Markings Page.

PHOTOS BY:

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