Waechtersbach Germany - mark

Waechtersbach Beehive mark and triangle with 

“REGISTERED / GESCHUETZT / DEPOSE”

This back stamp belongs to a German manufacturer called Waechtersbach (in Germany: Wächtersbacher Keramik).  The triangle mark was in use between c. 1893 and c.1911 (according to Ludwig Rinn 2002, Markentafel Waechtersbacher Keramik).

The Waechtersbacher Steingutfabrik  was established in 1832 and is still in business (now owned by Koenitz Porcelain). The official site of the company is here: http://www.waechtersbach.com/

The impressed beehive mark appears first in 1882 and was used for over 100 years, until the early 1980s.

The company had a good reputation for quality stoneware and a large output of domestic pottery, such as the container above. You will find their products all over the world. I live in Australia and I am surprised how many pieces from the early 20^th century until the 1960s you can find here in op shops and at the flea market.

The tray below is an example of the collectable art nouveau / art deco ceramics by this company.

The Wikepedia entry is short: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waechtersbach_ceramics

Literature:

• Exhibition catalogue 2007, Wächtersbacher Steingut Figuren und Figuerliches, Ausstellungskatalog herausgegeben vom Museums- und Geschichtsverein Brachttal e.v., 116 pages
• Ludwig Rinn (2002), Markentafel Wächtersbacher Keramik, Michael Imhof Verlag, 30 pages
• Exhibition catalogue 2002, Wächtersbacher Steingut, Die Sammlung der Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung Hessen-Thueringen.
• Heinz und Lilo Frensch 1979, Wächtersbacher Steingut, publisher Karl Robert Germany, 143 pages

Australian Potter's Marks - New site on the 'block'

There is a fantastic new site for collectors of Australian Studio Pottery.

Have a look at

AUSTRALIAN POTTER'S MARKS

This site uses flickr and is maintained by Judith from Australian pottery at Bemboka

Back stamp - Longwy France - Somme battlefield shard

I received the image above from a party who was interested in finding out more about this piece, with the following information: "Attached is a photograph of a piece of pottery that I found on the Somme battlefield, it shows a partial crest on it and I'm trying to identify if this was a family crest or a manufacturers emblem."

I suspect that this is a French shard and eventually found information about faiences made in Longwy .The French ebay site shows plenty of pieces by this manufacturer and one included the same mark.

The company was founded in 1798 and is famous for the production of 

émail cloisonné (introduced by Amédée de Caranza in 1875), see: INFO FAIENCE 

and a good website with many marks

LIBERTY'S

NCP mark - New Chelsea Porcelain Co. England

The lovely teapot below was made by a company called 
New Chelsea Porcelain Co. (LTD).

The back stamp was used around 1912, according to Geoffrey A. Godden (Encyclopaedia of British Pottery and Porcelain Marks 1964, p.464). The manufacture was located in Longton and founded in 1912 (renamed in 1951 to New Chelsea China Co. Ltd.).

See also an article on POTTERY histories

Plain Sunrise / Sunset Mark - Gebrueder Heubach

I received an enquiry in regards to a plain printed green circle mark, displaying a sunset or sunrise, on the base of a dog figurine.

This back stamp belongs to a company called “Gebrueder Heubach”. Their porcelain manufacture operated in Lichte, Thuringia, Germany and was founded in 1820. Heubach is mainly known for its famous dolls, which are highly collectable.

A similar mark (including SCHUTZ – MARKE, = Trade mark, meaning basically copyright)  was registered in Berlin in 1895. They used another sunrise mark with DEP underneath from 1882-c1905. Source: Zuehlsdorff  (1994), Keramik-Marken Lexikon, Arnoldsche, Stuttgart / Germany, p.  (Mark number 1/15.18).

The company used a different mark after the war, see http://bodenmarken.porzellan-selb.de/porzellanmarken.php?page=3

I think its save to say the dog was made in the early 20^th century.

Does anyone know in which time frame this particular mark was used?

New site including Fuerstenberg Porcelain Marks

Still under construction, but already worthwhile visiting is a new German site in regards to Fuerstenberg  (Fürstenberg) porcelain from Germany. The company was founded in 1747 – and is still operating - by Karl I Duke of Braunschweig.  Follow the link to the excellent back stamp site, which includes many examples:

http://www.18jahrhundert-porzellan.de/marken/

The site is an ambitious project by a private collector, specialising in early 18^th century pieces – well done.

Different types of back stamps – 4 marks on one 'George and Jones' cup

The following cup is a great example of the difficulties you face in interpreting backstamps.

The owner asked for information in regards to the company using the impressed mark.

The impressed mark is hard to see, but I am certain its George and Jones (& Sons Ltd), at Stoke, England - reproduced in Geoffrey Gooden’s New Handbook of British Pottery & Porcelain Marks (London 1999, p.92). The company was founded in 1861 and closed in 1951, they produced porcelain from 1872 onwards. The particular mark was used from 1874 to 1924. There are also impressed shape numbers.

The owner was able to deceiver and read the printed British registration mark: “The diamond registration mark depicts IV, 20, 8, V and E which would lead me to believe this pattern/design was first registered in 1876, batch 8, May 20^th”. Every decorative art design could be registered with the British patent office from 1842 onwards. 

The real mystery is the hand painted mark: “M.E.B. '85”. This is the painters mark, maybe a skilful ‘hoppy’ artist, who liked to decorate porcelain.

See also:

http://www.thepotteries.org/mark/j/jonesgeo.html