MASON’S ENGLISH IMARI VINTAGE VEGETABLE DISH C. 1920-40

This Gorgeous Imari Vegetable was made by the Mason factories, which in essence is the Ashworths factories of Staffordshire, England. It is marked on the back: “MASON’S PATENT IRONSTONE ENGLAND “Mandarin”.

The central theme is that of a peony basket. This attractive vegetable bowl is partially transfer print with hand painted polychrome imari colors of deep rich cobalt, orange, pink, yellow and celadon green. It is oval in shape, fluted with an embossed edge that is toped off with a thin band of gold gilding.

It is an open vegetable dish that is polychrome with the imari colors on an earthenware medium. It measures 11 1/4" Length and 9 1/2” Width. We approximate the date of this to be about 1920-1940.

COMMENT: Makes a great gift and gives that special bounce to your dinner table!

The Masons had been in business for years and around 1862 sold out to G. L. Ashworth & Bros. (LTD.), who carried on with similar marks and produced excellent quality china. Their products are treasured for their quality as well. However their ingredients have changed over the years and cannot surmount the former product of the early Charles Mason factory.

The only problem I have with many dealers is that they will try to sell this product as the real early Mason’s Patent Ironstone…of which this is not. Early pieces of George and Charles Mason are highly prized and are in top notch private collections and museums. These newer pieces are but a fraction of the cost of the 1813-1829 period pieces.

Many pieces found today are not the early original pieces but rather copies of the earlier pieces. The various Mason’s printed marks of various colors have been carried on throughout the 1960’s and even more current. So getting to know the early authentic examples is the key to knowing whether or not you are buying the real or a copy of.

The early pieces are highly sought after and prized. The look and feel is entirely different.

Unfortunately many dealers are misleading when they sell these Mason’s wares.

Here, I am selling to you not the original but rather that of the Ashworths factory production which is still quality but not that of the early Masons production. Of course it is for the fraction of the cost of the original.

HISTORY OF MASONS FACTORY

Originally, this factory was started by G.M. & C.J. Mason, Lane Delph in the Staffordshire District of England in 1813 and existed up to 1829. This would have been one of the top founding “fathers” of British potteries at the time. This is the first potter who founded “PATENT IRONSTONE CHINA” in 1813 and “impressed” his pieces; “MASON’S PATENT IRONSTONE CHINA”. After 1820, they used the painted mark until 1829.

This factory was credited for the discovery of the ingredients to produce this very durable ironstone china that could withstand temperature changes in the coal driven kilns of the time and hold up for the firings that were required after each different color was applied. Each different color required a different firing temperature, which meant that ,one piece may have required a number of firings depending on how many colors were applied to the subject. This also meant that the pottery could sag and become warped and could split during the repeated firings. We must remember that in those years, it could take up to three or four weeks to attain the proper firing temperature in the kilns before putting the pottery into them. The pottery (ironstone in this case) if it was not created properly or aged enough with the proper ingredients, could end up becoming a disaster in the firing. Masons had mastered this problem and at the time attained prominence in their field. They were now at the zenith and were competing with Spode and his “Felspar Porcelain” product, as well as John Ridgway with his “Imperial New Stone China”, and Thomas Mayer, with his “Opaque Stone China”. All these types of Ironstone China were fabulous in quality and each boast of how wonderful his product was. They were all arriving at the same goal almost simultaneously, however Mason seems to have to followed Spode with his Felspar product, and preceded Ridgway, Mayer and some others.

CONDITION: Excellent!