May, 1907 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



193 



LOWESTOFT ARMORIAL CHINA 



By N. HUDSON MOORE. 



Lowestoft China with Blue and Gold Decoration 



HERE are few chapters in the history of 

 pottery and porcelain more interesting than 

 that which deals with the ware once known 

 as Lowestoft. It is safe to say that no one 

 subject of interest to collectors has ever 

 produced such acrimonious discussion, nor 

 caused such lengthy disputes. The misty character of the 

 information at hand caused a glamour to surround this ware, 

 which is pretty enough in itself to make it popular, and 

 which, under the title of "Armorial China," is having quite 

 a revived vogue. This present interest is derived from a 

 new source, but of that later; the early history should have 

 the precedence. 



In and near Boston, at Salem and the surrounding towns, 

 and up the valley of the Connecticut, for more than fifty 

 years the "best china" of notable housekeepers was of a 

 bluish gray, ha'-d paste, with a pitted glaze and uneven sur- 

 face quite Oriental in character, though the decoration was 

 of an English type. What our great grandmothers called 

 this china I have never heard — "Best Chaney," most likely. 



1 — Bowls and Tea-Caddy 



or "sprigged pattern" for some styles of it, for the various 

 patterns can be classed under three heads: first, that having 

 armorial devices in one or more colors; second, that having 

 bunches of flowers in bright colors, with borders of lines, 

 dots, or bands; and, third, that which has bands of dark 

 blue with stars, dots, or small patterns in gold upon them. 



It is only within recent years that the name "Lowestoft" 

 has been applied to this china, and the whole theory was 

 built up by Mr. William Chaffers, the gifted author of 

 "Marks and Monograms," who took this style of china 

 under his particular protection. For nearly fifty years his 

 cleverly woven patch-work of fact and fiction remained com- 

 paratively undisputed. According to facts there was a 

 pottery at Lowestoft in operation from 1756 till 1803. But 

 to this factory, which was a small one, Mr. Chaffers ascribed 

 an output greater than that of almost all the other English 

 factories put together. The situation of Lowestoft, its near- 

 ness to other potteries, all of which were making soft-paste 

 porcelain with blue and white decoration, would seem to 

 indicate that the ware made there would be of similar char- 

 acter. So late discoveries 

 have proved, for within the 

 past two years molds and 

 specimens of porcelain have 

 been discovered which are 

 exactly what might have 

 been expected. Simple 

 shapes, soft-paste porcelain, 

 polychrome or plain blue 

 decoration. 



In this article, however, 

 we are dealing with that 

 ware which for so many 

 years d e 1 i g h t ed the col- 

 lector's heart under the name 

 of Lowestoft, and w h i c h 

 was hard porcelain. Oriental 

 in character, but charmingly 

 decorated. It is the variety 



