William Moorcroft Furniture
William Moorcroft (1872–1945), the founder of the celebrated British art-pottery company that shares his last name, was both an aesthete and a technical innovator. Along with William de Morgan, he is regarded as one of the greatest ceramists of the Arts and Crafts movement, yet Moorcroft’s singular style is heavily inflected with the lush naturalism of the Art Nouveau school of art and design.
The son of a decorative pottery painter, Moorcroft was born in Staffordshire, the center of English ceramics-making, studied at the Wedgwood Institute and in 1897 joined the local pottery manufacturer James Macintyre & Co. as a designer. After a year, he was put in charge of the company’s art-pottery studio, and there he developed a new style of wares named “Florian,” made with a technique called tube-lining, or slip-trailing. In this method, decorative motifs are outlined with a thin, raised border produced by piping a thread of clay onto the body of a vessel — much like squeezing toothpaste from a tube.
Moorcroft, who took the unusual step of signing his ceramics, would go on to win numerous international awards. In 1913, backed by the London department store Liberty & Co., he left Macintyre to open his own workshop. Queen Mary, wife of King George V, gave Moorcroft her Royal Warrant in 1928. Shortly before he died in 1945, his son, Walter Moorcroft (1917–2002), took over as head of the firm. The pottery company is still in business in Staffordshire, with a design department headed by Rachel Bishop.
William Moorcroft’s ceramics are noted for their colorful, ebullient (and often slightly surreal) decorations depicting stylized natural forms — flowers, toadstools, fruit (pomegranate is a favorite among collectors), insects and landscapes. Most Moorcroft wares are finished with a glossy overglaze. Blue-and-white and pastel shades were generally used as underglazes on early Moorcroft pieces, and he later developed a rich, ruddy background glaze he called “flambé.”
Moorcroft art pottery has a rich, warm and inviting look — a comforting aesthetic that explains their enduring appeal.
Find antique and vintage William Moorcroft pottery, vases, serveware and more on 1stDibs.
1910s English Art Deco Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
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Early 1900s English Art Nouveau Antique William Moorcroft Furniture
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1920s English Art Deco Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
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1910s English Art Deco Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
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1910s English Art Deco Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
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1950s English Other Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
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1940s English Other Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
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1940s English Other Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
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20th Century English William Moorcroft Furniture
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1910s English Arts and Crafts Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
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1920s British Adam Style Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
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1920s British Art Nouveau Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
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1910s British Art Nouveau Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
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20th Century English William Moorcroft Furniture
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Early 20th Century English Art Deco William Moorcroft Furniture
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20th Century English William Moorcroft Furniture
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20th Century English William Moorcroft Furniture
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Early 1900s English Art Nouveau Antique William Moorcroft Furniture
Ceramic
Early 20th Century English Art Deco William Moorcroft Furniture
Pottery
Early 1900s English Art Nouveau Antique William Moorcroft Furniture
Ceramic
Early 1900s English Art Nouveau Antique William Moorcroft Furniture
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Mid-20th Century English Art Deco William Moorcroft Furniture
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Early 20th Century English Art Nouveau William Moorcroft Furniture
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Early 1900s English Art Nouveau Antique William Moorcroft Furniture
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Early 20th Century English Art Deco William Moorcroft Furniture
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1890s English Late Victorian Antique William Moorcroft Furniture
Earthenware
2010s Italian Modern William Moorcroft Furniture
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2010s Italian Modern William Moorcroft Furniture
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20th Century English William Moorcroft Furniture
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Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern William Moorcroft Furniture
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Late 19th Century Danish Antique William Moorcroft Furniture
1930s French Art Deco Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
Metal, Silver Plate
20th Century English Art Nouveau William Moorcroft Furniture
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Late 19th Century French Antique William Moorcroft Furniture
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Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern William Moorcroft Furniture
Stoneware
1940s Danish Art Deco Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century Art Deco William Moorcroft Furniture
Ceramic
1940s English Other Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
Pottery
20th Century English Art Nouveau William Moorcroft Furniture
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1920s British Art Nouveau Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
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1930s British Art Nouveau Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
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1940s British Art Nouveau Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
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1930s British Art Nouveau Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
Pottery
Mid-20th Century English Art Deco William Moorcroft Furniture
Pottery
1910s British Arts and Crafts Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
Ceramic
1910s British Arts and Crafts Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
Pottery
1930s British Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
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1930s British Art Nouveau Vintage William Moorcroft Furniture
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Early 1900s British Art Nouveau Antique William Moorcroft Furniture
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William Moorcroft furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
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- 1stDibs ExpertOctober 24, 2024To tell how old Moorcroft pottery is, turn it upside down and look at the maker's mark. The wording, size and font of the marking can help you determine the rough age of a piece, as Moorcroft has changed its backstamps many times over the years. In 1990, Moorcroft also started adding a symbol called a cipher to its pottery. Each year has its own cipher, making it easy to determine the age of these newer pieces. For example, an arrow indicates a production year of 1990, while a pineapple stands for 2005. You can find a full listing of ciphers for each year and images of Moorcroft's various maker's marks on trusted online resources. Should you need any assistance with the dating process, enlist the help of a certified appraiser or experienced antique dealer. Explore a variety of Moorcroft pottery on 1stDibs.