Rare, 1934, William Moorcroft Pottery, Vase, "Freesia" Pattern, Flambe Glaze

This is a very rare ironstone vase, in the Chinese style, all hand painted in the coloured dragon pattern, made by the Mason's factory in the early 19th century. Both the vase shape and the pattern are very rare. The vase has a bottle shape with a fairly tall neck, having two dolphin head handles, with attached loops. (NOTES ON SHAPE This vase style is a copy of a much earlier Chinese bronze vase shape produced in the Ming, Hongwu period of 1368 - 1398, which had similar decorative animal head side handles with loops. ( See the book Chinese Ceramics by He Li, page 216, published by Thames & Hudson. ). Also On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 204; The square handles and rings illustrate the metal origins of the shape of the vase. Similar examples have been excavated in Chinese tombs dating to the fifteenth and sixteenth century, suggesting that the shape was particularly popular at that time.) This vase is beautifully hand decorated in a more complex variant of the Coloured Chinese Dragon pattern, with strong coloured enamels depicting a green dragon on one side and a pink dragon...

This is a superb very rare, fine quality ironstone Wine Cooler or a Two-Handled Pot, all beautifully hand painted, made by Mason's Patent Ironstone China Company, of Lane Delph, Staffordshire, England, circa 1820. This piece is substantial and heavily potted, weighing about 2.5 Kg un-packed. The handles are very strongly potted and this piece is quite suitable for use as a wine cooler as intended, or perhaps as a vase or display center piece...