European Imari Ware

Made mostly for export to the West, Imari ware was also imitated by Chinese and European potters. By the 18th century there was so much Chinese Imari ware available in the export market that Japanese Imari became prohibitively expensive. 

European imitations of the oriental Imari Ware were quickly produced by the major European factories of Meissen and Vincennes and in the early 1800s the Worcester factory produced the first British ware copying the palette and design of the Japanese and Chinese ware. 

Other British manufacturers followed and in modern times the term ‘Imari’, has been applied to any porcelain decorated with the striking deep blue, red, green and gold colour palette and figurative motifs of the original Arita Wares. 

English factories such as Spode, Minton, and Worcester produced their own versions of Imari. With Royal Crown Derby becoming the best known European manufacturer of Imari-styled wares and a 2005 catalogue of theirs features ‘Japan (Old Imari) solid gold band giftware’.

A deep saucer decorated in the ‘Imari’ style and colour palette of cobalt blue, iron red and gold.

Typical Royal Crown Derby Imari Ware. This is pattern 2451 in the tableware range

While many English pottery continued to produce quality, well decorated Imari-style ware the demand for low-cost ware resulted in decoration which was quickly executed. 

This example by Charles Hobson & Son is crudely decorated with heavy and imprecisely painted blue and orange areas and thick, varying gold lines.  

Over time, the term “Imari” came to mean any densely decorated, gilded porcelain featuring Oriental style motifs in vivid shades of gold, green, red, and underglaze blue.

1897-1937 

photos courtesy: Paul Bonas

This mass produced Imari style ware has a printed pattern with hand painted colouring and gilding. 

The often crudely applied transparent colour allows the print to show through. 

Cobalt blue is applied in some of the panels and as accents. 

The Jewel pattern was introduced by Joseph Clementson (1839-64) and incorporates the Phoenix mark which was used on other ware in conjunction with the Clementson name.   

Little is documented about Morfenix Ware. The name is likely a creative form of “More + Phoenix” - effectively branding this ware as a superior or renewed phoenix line. In 1857 the townships of Hanley and Shelton were incorporated to constitute the municipal borough of Hanley.  

Morfenix Ware has the town name HANLEY and so is likely to have been produced post 1857.  

The pattern is European Imari in style - it is transferware with hand painted colouring and has some distinctive characteristics:

• The decoration consists of a repeating geometric border pattern made up of alternating panels of diamond and lozenge shapes.

• The diamond shape is hand coloured in green and outlined in cobalt blue, inside each diamond are small stylised rosettes or starburst flowers.

• In the lozenge panel are oval reserves containing hand-painted floral sprays in iron-red, orange, yellow and soft green, framed by fine gilt outlines.

• The ground between motifs has a fine reddish-brown stipple background.

• Additional floral sprays and garlands decorate the area beneath the panels.

• Thin gold bands outline some features (rim, handle edges, lid ridges) - this was applied over-glaze and some of the gilding often wears away with age.

A number of other, later potters produced very similar patterns.

c. 1857-1864 

- Beresford Bros -

1900-1925 
 

- John Shaw & Sons -

1920-1963 

- Colclough China -

1937-1948