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"Italian" series (William Ridgway)

Henrywood's Highlights
Transferware from a British Perspective

Number Six of an Ongoing Series by Dick Henrywood

My previous outing for this regular feature concentrated on Samuel Alcock’s trade name “Florentine China” but for this issue I am returning to another of the series of named scenes, this time an attractive set of views in Italy:

“Italian” series

This series, by William Ridgway of Hanley, is another which does not appear in The Dictionary of Blue & White Printed Pottery. As with much Staffordshire output in the 1830s, the American market was much more significant than the home market in England, and wares are much more common in the U.S., particularly in the colours other than blue. In this case all recorded examples are dinner wares found in black, blue, brown, green purple and shades of red. The printed mark consists of a rather ornate scrolled panel containing the individual title in script letters, with the maker’s initials WR at the base and a further draped ribbon bearing the series title in capitals beneath.

As far as I am aware the source of the scenes has never been published but I can reveal that they mostly seem to be taken from illustrations by Samuel Prout, published in The Tourist in Switzerland and Italy (The Landscape Annual for 1830) or The Tourist in Italy (The Landscape Annual for 1831).

I have managed to assemble the following list of eight scenes to date:Note that there are two different views of Rome, and also, of course, the bridge at St. Maurice is in Switzerland and not in Italy! I have confirmed all eight of these titles but as usual I feel certain there will be others. (See images below the list.) Can anyone out there provide any other images or information?

“A View in Venice”
Dinner plate 10.4in.
Illustrations: Snyder 5 (plate and mark)

“Bay of Naples”
Soup tureen
Vegetable dish

"Bridge St. Maurice”
Plate 7.7in

“Lausanne”
Platter 19in
Well-and-tree platter 19in

“Rimini"
Platter 15in

“Rome" (1)
Soup plate 10.3in
Illustrations: Williams 2/231-2 (plate and mark)

“Rome" (2)
Cover for soup tureen
Cover for vegetable dish

“Sibyl’s Temple, Tivoli”
Dessert plate 9.3in
Illustrations: FOB128 (plate)

Venice Plate Venice Mark

“A View in Venice”,
plum-coloured dinner plate

“A View in Venice”,
mark from dinner plate

Bay of Naples Lausanne Platter

“Bay of Naples”,
mark from a brown vegetable dish

“Lausanne”,
brown 19” platter

Lausanne Detail Lausanne Mark

“Lausanne”,
detail of platter center scene

“Lausanne”,
mark from platter

Note that there are two different views of Rome, and also, of course, the bridge at St. Maurice is in Switzerland and not in Italy! I have confirmed all eight of these titles but as usual I feel certain there will be others. Can anyone out there provide any other images or information?

All contributions would be gratefully received and will be reported in future Bulletins. They should be sent to Dick Henrywood by e-mail: henrywoodshighlights@transferwarecollectorsclub.org.

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