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Martin Brothers Gnarly Olive Jug

Presenting an exceptional, historic gnarly-designed Martin Brothers art pottery jug, measuring approx. 22.5cm in height and 12.5cm in diameter. This piece from a highly sought-after potter features a robust baluster form jug, resting securely on a flared circular foot. Its gnarly silhouette is defined by a bulbous lower body that tapers into a cylindrical neck, culminating in a sweeping pouring lip and an applied, sturdy strap handle.

The jug is characterized by its tactile, heavily ribbed texture, a testament to its hand-thrown origins by eccentric brothers. A rich, dark olive-brown salt glaze dominates the meticulously textured body and handle. This deep, lustrous finish contrasts strikingly against the lighter, biscuit-toned clay left exposed at the rim, the interior, a thin defining band at the shoulder, and the foot. This earthy, two-tone palette masterfully accentuates the horizontal throwing lines that encircle the entire vessel.

Beneath the foot, the unglazed natural clay base proudly bears the authentic, hand-incised cursive signature reading “Martin” and “London”, securing its prestigious provenance. Preserved impeccably, this remarkable piece presents in excellent, original, and entirely undamaged condition, making it a museum-quality acquisition for discerning collectors of late 19th and early 20th-century British studio pottery.

Martin Brothers Gnarly Olive Jug

Presenting an exceptional, historic gnarly-designed Martin Brothers art pottery jug, measuring approx. 22.5cm in height and 12.5cm in diameter. This piece from a highly sought-after potter features a robust baluster form jug, resting securely on a flared circular foot. Its gnarly silhouette is defined by a bulbous lower body that tapers into a cylindrical neck, culminating in a sweeping pouring lip and an applied, sturdy strap handle.

The jug is characterized by its tactile, heavily ribbed texture, a testament to its hand-thrown origins by eccentric brothers. A rich, dark olive-brown salt glaze dominates the meticulously textured body and handle. This deep, lustrous finish contrasts strikingly against the lighter, biscuit-toned clay left exposed at the rim, the interior, a thin defining band at the shoulder, and the foot. This earthy, two-tone palette masterfully accentuates the horizontal throwing lines that encircle the entire vessel.

Beneath the foot, the unglazed natural clay base proudly bears the authentic, hand-incised cursive signature reading “Martin” and “London”, securing its prestigious provenance. Preserved impeccably, this remarkable piece presents in excellent, original, and entirely undamaged condition, making it a museum-quality acquisition for discerning collectors of late 19th and early 20th-century British studio pottery.

For sale is this stunning, early Spanish pattern trumpet vase by William Moorcroft. Decorated with an abundance of flowers and foliage using reds, oranges and greens to fantastic effect, this small vase is truly something to behold. The decoration begins from the vases hip, with flowers arranged around the vase. The inside of the top rim is similarly decorated with flower buds to really make the vase pop with colour and elegance.

The vase presents superbly throughout. To note is an area of invisible restoration beneath the hip and also a very fine small hairline to the top rim. Close examination reveals the hairline occurred whilst the vase was new and before age crazing occurred. This is not visible on display and has to be carefully looked for. The

For sale is a wonderful, early Martin Brothers aquatic jug dated January 1884.

Aquatic Jug – Robert Wallace Martin

The Martin Brothers were renowned for their extraordinary skill in ceramics, known for their unique and imaginative designs. This jug, likely crafted by Robert Wallace Martin, embodies these characteristics. Robert, the eldest of the Martin brothers, was celebrated for his detailed and creative work. His pieces often drew inspiration from nature, as seen in the lifelike representations of marine life on this jug.

Condition and authenticity depiction of the skate, mackerel, and eels adds a dynamic and captivating element to the piece. These features are typical of Robert Wallace Martin’s work, known for infusing personality

In summary, this piece is beautiful, highly original  and its condition is immaculate, with no damage or restoration. The detailed skate, mackerel, and eels, set against a naturalistic background, showcase the remarkable skill and creativity of the Martin Brothers. Signed and dated January 1884, this jug is a valuable and collectible example of their early work, sure to be cherished by the discerning collector.

Robert Wallace Martin Early Gentlemens’ Cigar Lamp

For sale is this incredibly rare Robert Wallace Martin Gentlemen’s cigar lamp. I have only ever seen this example from the Martin Brothers, so I am confident these are rarer than hen’s teeth.

Presenting as a central oil burner with wick, it has been fitted with finely worked white metal (a silver plate metal) of excellent quality. No wear to the metal to the base layer is evident and it polishes beautifully. Any dullness is a light tarnish that removes easily. Three identical “wands” rest in the protruding wand sections, and each wand and wand seat has matching numbers 1-3 for the wands to know their position.

The way the lamp worked was each of three gentlemen took a wand, and using papers from their vespa cases, would wedge the paper into their wand and be able to light their cigars from the comfort of their leather chair, whilst the lamp remained in the centre of the table. Lighting the cigar from a “clean” paper prevented the cigar’s flavour from being contaminated by the oil flame from the lamp.

Decorated with blue floral designs with a subtle green and blue banding between, the stems rise with a lovely natural green glaze to the silver tops. Set on three bulbous feet, with three layers of small shapes banding each foot, this delightful piece is quintessential late 1870s to early 1880s Martin Brothers! Whilst approximately 14.5cm tall and 9cm across, it is very solid and weighs 710g!

Beneath  the cigar lamp is the signature of Robert Wallace Martin (R.W. Martin), the figure “8” and then “Southall”.

This piece is in wonderful orginal condition that is ready to brace any serious collectors collection. Even better if you and the friends enjoy an occasional cigar, as it is a novelty that can be safely and robustly used without fear of damage as it is so well made.

For sale we have this utterly georgous and unusual Doulton Lambeth vase by George Tinworth. It is an early piece made during his most inspired period, dating to 1877.

Unlike his most common “signature Seaweed Scroll” design, George has opted to do something different here. He has used the same base design as the seaweed, but made upright frond spears. This is unusual and a far rarer vase for it. Large frilled fronds rise from the base, whilst large straight-edged fronds drop from the neck. Each set of fronds is dissected by a white diamond pattern border, which very unusually have their own foliate edging. The colourway really makes this vase stunning. The spears are in Doulton’s gorgeous green, whilst the background is a terrific bold blue. The high shine glaze of the piece sets the colours off as you expect in a high quality piece like this. To finish things off, George has very boldly placed his “GT” monogram at the lower end of the vase between the frond spears.

Presented in superb original condition, the vase is stamped correctly beneath with the Doulton Lambeth stamp and dated 1877. It further has the marks of the assistant “E.L.H”, all typical of George’s work in this period. We cannot iterate enough what a gem this vase is and it will absolutely thrill its new owner!

Martin Brothers Early Stamped Small Jug

For sale is this truly delightful early Martin Brothers jug, dated 23-06-1880. Rare to find, this jug is stamped with the early “R.W. Martin Southall” stamp which dates it authentically to 1880.

To the top half, the jug has been coloured with a mix of rich brown and light metallic oxides to give the brown an additional sheen to it. Beneath, bandings of small circles and lines separate the brown top section from the framing of the zig-zag simple foliate and flower desgned motifs. A subtle olive-green presents in the centre bandng and onto the jug handle for further contrast to this wonderful early piece.

Beneath, the R.W. Martin Southall” stamp is clear as well as the hand-inscribed date of 23-06-1880.

This piece is in wonderful orginal condition and is free from any chips, cracks or repairs. It measures 14cm tall by approximately 10.5cm wide including the handle.

This is Martin Brothers in its simple authenticity, in wonderful condition. Adding it to your collection will not disappoint and it is a lovely size for a cabinet.

For sale is what can only be described as an “uber-rare” Doulton Lambeth bowl by renowned artist Florence Barlow. It dates to 1877 – a lovely early piece. With birds in relief scrolling down to form feet, this is the only piece of its kind I have seen by Florence Barlow, or even remotely similar! Florence focussed on birds – yes – but she painted remarkably realistic birds in the pate-sur-pate technique onto the facia of her pieces. On this earlier piece, Florence has executed beautiful and bold aesthetic design to the main body, of which I have seen examples before. She has then opted to add three birds gracing the sides and footing of the bowl, which take its quality to the next level.

The bowl stands 13.5cm high but significantly wider at 23cm. It therefore has a lovely presence and its moderate size would suit a collectors cabinet or be a centre piece on a hall table, sideboard or mantle.

Presented in outstanding original condition, there are no chips, cracks or restoration. The bowl beneath shows the round Doulton Lambeth stamp and date 1877. It further shows the signature of Florence Barlow “FEB” together with assistant marks and code numbers.

Extremely Rare William Moorcroft Flambé Bowl – Spanish Pattern (c. 1910–1916)

This exceptionally rare flambé bowl is a remarkable example of William Moorcroft’s artistry and experimental mastery during the early Burslem period. Measuring 23cm in diameter and 7cm in height, the bowl is decorated in the highly desirable Spanish pattern, one of Moorcroft’s most striking floral designs, introduced around 1910 and produced only for a short period.

The interior reveals the hallmark tubelined decoration, with three large Spanish flowers at the centre and four medium blooms gracefully arranged around the upper edges. The exterior continues this flowing design, displaying three further large flowers evenly distributed around the circumference. The entire piece glows with a rich, iridescent pinkish-red flambé glaze, a finish Moorcroft frequently undertook personally in his kiln experiments. On this example, subtle overfiring to one side provides both visual depth and a tangible reminder of its experimental origins.

The underside is especially striking, showing intense iridescence with oily rainbow hues, reminiscent of a delicate film of light across a surface—an effect unique to flambé glazes of this period. Beneath, the bowl bears no painted signature, though its authenticity is undisputed, confirmed by its important provenance as part of the Moorcroft Museum Collection, where it was catalogued and retains its original label: “Moorcroft Museum, 00461.”

The Spanish pattern itself is historically significant, reflecting William Moorcroft’s early exploration of bold, stylised floral motifs, influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement and Art Nouveau aesthetics. Produced only in the early 1910s and in relatively small numbers, Spanish pattern pieces are today exceptionally rare, with flambé-fired examples being among the most coveted of all early Moorcroft works.

This superb and rare bowl, with its museum provenance, flambé glaze, and iconic Spanish design, represents a true collector’s piece—an opportunity to acquire an object of both aesthetic beauty and considerable historical importance within the oeuvre of William Moorcroft.