KERAMIC STUDIO 
4' 
LEEDS CREAMWARE. 
Candlestick in the collection of Butter Boat in the collection of 
Miss Prances C. Morse, Worcester, Mass, Mrs. Emma de E. Morse, Worcester, Mass. 
cast, not to be found in the Queen's ware of Wedgwood and 
others. It is in this group that will be found the finest speci- 
mens of old Leeds. We give here illustrations of two very 
interesting pieces, a candlestick and a butter boat in the collec- 
tions of Miss Frances C. Morse and Mrs. Emma de F. Morse, 
of Worcester, Mass. The tureen with twisted handles be- 
longs to the same group ; twisted and braided handles are quite 
characteristic of Leeds, although they have been used else- 
where. Basket-work, that is, open work on plates, dishes, 
fruit baskets, &c, is frequently found on Leeds creamware, 
and is especially interesting, as the perforations were cut out 
of the paste by hand, not cast in a mould, as is generally 
believed. 
To this group of creamware belongs the Castleford ware, 
tea sets or ornamental pieces, generally with raised decoration, 
and no touch of color except bands of blue or brown on edges. 
Castleford is only a few miles from Leeds and the paste has 
the lightness and general characteristics of the Leeds district, 
but the glaze on its creamware is not as fine as the glaze on 
the best Leeds cream, being generally quite thin. 
The bulk of the Leeds ware found in this country is of 
course the ordinary white earthenware, the fabrication of 
which succeeded that of cream and constituted a large part of 
the Leeds exports in the beginning of the Nineteenth Cen- 
tury. It is not always very white, sometimes a very pale 
cream. It is usually simply decorated in colors, sometimes 
only with gold, which is found more or less worn out by age. 
The tea sets with swan knobs are quite characteristic Leeds 
pieces, so are the pepper boxes entirely white or with ragged 
blue or green bands, also the five-neck flower holders of 
the Leeds old Pottery. Tea caddies, steins, pitchers, and 
ornamental pieces are common. The frog mugs, with a raised 
frog inside, generally found in Sunderland ware, were also 
made at Leeds. 
Lustre decoration, both silver and copper, was much used, 
and pieces are generally easy to identify, as the lustre seldom 
covers the whole piece, but is used only as a part of the general 
ORDINARY LEEDS/WARE. 
TUREEN-LEEDS CREAMWARE. 
By courtesy of Mrs. Ada M. Roberts, Chicago. 
scheme of decoration, many parts being left in white. On the 
top row of our group illustration will be found six specimens 
of Leeds lustres. The teapot has simple decoration of copper 
lustre over white ground. The pitcher below it is copper 
lustre with raised decoration in white. The lower pitcher on 
left side is silver lustre with the leaf decoration left in white. 
The other three pitchers are in raised work, parts of the deco- 
ration being in copper lustre combined with colors in which 
pink and green predominate. 
All the pieces in the group illustration are of the white 
or slightly creamy ware, with the exception of the two 
plates which are of pronounced cream color; also the teapot 
on right of lower row, with center medallion and bands on 
edge in brown, which also is cream and may be of Castleford 
make. 
Historical subjects were only occasionally used by York- 
shire potters. They are rather rare. However, we remember 
seeing a Washington pitcher which was unquestionably of 
Leeds manufacture. The Goddess of Liberty and American 
Eagle are frequently found on Castleford tea sets and other 
subjects of the same kind may occasionally turn up. 
