184 Staten Island Association of Arts and Sciences 



The clay was brought from China and decorated in England? 

 The clay was baked and decorated in Lowestoft? The East 

 India Company took earthenware patterns from England to China 

 and had the designs copied, often adding monograms or coats 

 of arms? 



These are the three prepositions ; all are answerable. 



If the clay was brought to England why have we not sample? 

 of such porcelains unpainted, which we have not. 



If the china was purely a product of Lowestoft then there must 

 be evidence that the Lowestoft factories used such hard paste, 

 which there is not. 



If the East India Company took patterns to China they were 

 not the common pieces of English make. But they undoubtedly 

 did take designs and pictures, and the ingenious mind of the 

 Oriental copied them faithfully, only occasionally indulging his 

 originality in a queer knob or spout. 



Certainly it was a favorite ware with our grandparents, and 

 the merchants who dealt with the East imported it in quantities 

 for the tasteful people of the day. 



Since this little paper was written and the loan collection in- 

 stalled in the museum, the reason for the confusion as to the 

 origin has been made clear to us. Years ago, Mr. Chaffers, who 

 is quoted above, visiting the town of Lowestoft, ran across 

 several pieces of the frail bluish porcelain decorated with the 

 coats of arms of neighboring families. The owner assured him 

 that these pieces had been made in the old factory, and he there- 

 fore gave the name of " Lowestoft " to the ware. 



It is also a matter of great interest to learn that not long ago 

 under a portion of a brewery in Lowestoft there were found 

 several moulds and many fragments of the real English ware. 



