Misleading Pieces
Copies
Popular styles, shapes, and prints, in the days before copyrighting became as tight as it is now, inevitably gave rise to copies by other factories. Ridgway themselves were not above copying patterns produced by other factories, especially in the early days. All this copying, also inevitably, gives rise to confusion amongst modern collectors.
Teawares
Ridgway 487 & Herculaneum 1078
Jugs
Teawares
The Yellow Shell pattern
A number of manufacturers used this pattern. So many that it is not at all clear who was copying who. There are examples of five manufactures on this site: Job Ridgway & Sons, Hicks & Meigh, Machin, Minton, and New Hall. If anyone has suitable photographs of other examples, or of further shapes of these manufacturers, I would be grateful for them.
Job Ridgway & Sons Pattern 418: The colours used, particularly on the shell itself, tend to be lighter and more pastel shades than with other manufacturers. The only shape so far noted is New Oval with 'Bute' cups & cans, but there may be others. For further pictures see the page in the Cauldon Place area.
Photos © Angela Grant 2018
Hicks & Meigh Pattern 29: The only shape so far noted is New Oval with Bute cups & cans, but there may be others. For further pictures see the page in the Broad Street Works area.
Photos © Christopher Paris 2020
Machin Pattern 208: The only shape so far noted is New Oval with Bute cups & cans, but there may be others. For further pictures see the Machin teaware page in the Other Manufacturers area.
Photos © Maple Lane Arts 2022
Minton Pattern 811:x: Only Bute cups so far noted, but there may be others. For further pictures see the Minton page in the Other Manufacturers area.
Photos © Paul Mooney 2023
New Hall Pattern 1045: The only shape so far noted is New Oval with Bute cups & cans, but there may be others. For further pictures see the New Hall page in the Other Manufacturers area.
Photos © Willa Latham ~ Gentle Rattle of China 2022
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The Doll's House pattern
A number of manufacturers also used this pattern. And again it is not clear who was copying who, though the original was probably Chinese. Ridgway, Machin, New Hall, and Spode versions are on the website.
Job Ridgway & Sons Pattern 399: Only New Oval shape so far noted. For further pictures see the page in the Cauldon Place area.
Photos © Jonathan Dutton 2019
Machin Pattern 222: Only New Oval shape so far noted. For further pictures see the Machin teaware page in the Other Manufacturers area.
Photos © Bonnie Jean Seiwell ~ Lady in Decadence 2021
New Hall Pattern 1084: Only London shape so far noted. For further pictures see the New Hall page in the Other Manufacturers area.
Photos © Gay Jungemann ~ Ruby Lane 2023
Spode Pattern 488 Only a round dessert plate so far noted. For further pictures see the Spode page in the Other Manufacturers area.
Photos © Bonnie Jean Seiwell ~ Lady in Decadence 2023
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The Proposal print
This print was used by a number of factories. Ridgway and Machin versions are on the website.
Job Ridgway & Sons Pattern 330: Only New Oval/'Bute' shape so far noted. For further pictures see the page in the Cauldon Place area.
Photos © Bonnie Jean Seiwell ~ Lady in Decadence 2023
Machin Pattern 140: Only New Oval/Bute shape so far noted. For further pictures see the Machin teaware page in the Other Manufacturers area.
Photos © Gay Jungemann ~ Ruby Lane 2023
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Ridgway 487 & Herculaneum 1078
It is by no means clear who is copying who here. They are not exact copies of one another, but individual expressions of the same design.
For further photos of Ridgway examples see the second early tea wares page.
For further photos of the Herculaneum pattern see the Herculaneum page in the Other Manufacturers section.
Ridgway ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Herculaneum
The Herculaneum example does not have the border strip repeated in the centre of the saucer like the Ridgway example.
The Herculaneum handle has feathery gilding similar to that found on Machin cups, whereas the gilding is solid on the Ridgway.
The Herculaneum saucer has a 'double turned' foot similar to Hicks & Meigh examples.
Ridgway ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Herculaneum
Photos © Manel Rico 2022
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Jugs
Pan jugs 1
The Pan mask jugs originally produced by William Ridgway & Co. at the Church Works were extremely popular and the factory continued to produce them throughout its existence. One of the most commonly met with copies is shown below alongside a genuine pale blue jug for comparison. The copies are found in stone coloured earthenware with smear glaze and in standard earthenware with various colours of glaze including cream (shown here) and white. There may be other bodies though I have not seen them. These copies are often found in shops and sale rooms labelled as genuine Ridgway jugs, so it pays to be able to recognise the differences. The neck is generally narrower than the equivalent size genuine jug, and the lip above tends to be disproportionately larger. The Pan figure on the handle is always bearded on the copy whereas on the genuine he is clean shaven. The crook held in his left hand is held alongside the right arm and curls upwards on the genuine; on the copy it is held below the arm and curls downward. The foliage below the waist of the figure on the copy is much more accentuated and stands out from his body; on the genuine piece it stands out much less and is little larger than the figure's waist. There are only four double whorl panels round the body of the copy, whereas there are five on the genuine jugs. This is not the only known type of copy, but one of the most commonly found.
Photos © Angela Grant 2019
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Pan jugs 2
A further unmistakable copy is one known as the Doccia version. I understand it was originally referred to as such by Kathy Hughes, but a more recent expert, Bonnie Jean Seiwell, has cast doubt on that attribution and considers the mark is wrong for Doccia Ginori, and that it is more likely to be by one of the German copyists, most likely Ernst Bohne Söhne of Rudolstadt c.1880-1920. I say the copy is unmistakable because it is in hard paste porcelain and covered with polychrome enamels. Although it is fantastical in its colouring and body, the moulding is much closer to the original than many of the less exuberant copies.
Photos © K D Duquet 2021
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Octagonal pinch-handled jugs
Dillwyn & Co. copied both the "Whampoa" print used by the Church Works and the octagonal pinch-handled jugs used by both the Church/Bedford Works and the Broad Street Works. Here are some comparison photos. The most easily noticed difference, though not the only one, is the pinch on the handle.
Dillwyn ~~~~~~~~ Ridgway
Dillwyn ~~~~~~~~ Ridgway
Detailed photos of the Dillwyn "Whampoa" jug may be found on the Dillwyn page and of the Ridgway & Morley "Cashmere" jug on the octagonal pinch-handled shape jug page.
Photos © Jackie Casey 2022
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