Pates posey vases

Pates posey vases,
made in Sydney, Australia c.1940-1950s

These posey vases were made by Pates Pottery, which operated out of Belmore, Sydney from 1946 -1990. As you may have noticed, given the tenor of the posts of this blog, being a Sydneyite I have an affinity for the potteries that were producing domestic ware in the 40s, 50s and 60s.

Pates’ pottery glazes were influenced by domestic 1950s furnishing and interior colour trends; but the forms borrowed heavily from British and American designs. These posey vases comprise three ‘trough’ vases [foreground] and two ‘log’ vases [background]- the forms were copied from overseas but the colours are all about Australian interior decor of the 50s.

Posey vases are small and design to ‘float’ short-stemmed flowers. All the posey vases are stamped ‘Pates Australia’ on the base and all are in good condition with no cracks or crazing.

Five Pates posey vases for the discerning Pates/posey vase collector; for sale- $AUD100

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40s Australiana

Diana ‘Flannel Flower’ pie dish, made in Sydney, Australia 1940s

I collect Diana pottery- and as a landscape architect I am particularly fond of the Australiana series of flowers produced in the 40s. Here we have the flannel flower, hand-painted- in a pie dish. The Flannel Flower is the floral emblem of NSW [and has been associated with this State since Federation in 1901.] I wouldn’t say that this is a terribly accurate or particularly artistic rendering of the flannel flower but it represents an important milestone in Australian pottery- where the fashions and obsession with all things English were replaced with a nationalistic interest in Australian iconography.

I have posted several other Diana Flannel Flower pieces [see several posts, below] but this is the first pie dish I have come across. It’s in excellent condition and clearly stamped Diana on the back.

I’ve teamed the pie dish with a little whimsy- a 40s koala figurine smoking a pipe. Not so much Australian iconography as Australian kitsch at its best!

The pie dish is for sale: $AUD75 [and I’ll throw in the koala as well!]

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50s Diana

Diana coffee pot & vase
made in Sydney, Australia c.1950s

I have posted Diana pottery before…I am very partial to Diana as it was made in a pottery that operated in Marrickville, Sydney from 1940 to 1975- very close to where I now live. These two pieces are quintessentially 50s pieces – the vase has a lovely mottled grey outer colour and a beautiful yellow inner. The yellow is repeated in the coffee pot’s lid, the two-toned theme being popular in the 50s.

The shapes of the pieces are also very 50s- the funky asymmetric form of the vase and the tilted line of the coffee pot. You’ll notice that the vase still has its original Diana sticker – stickers tend to make a piece more valuable, and it’s in perfect condition. Likewise the coffee pot, which has never been used.

Regulars to my blog will know that I collect Diana- from the 40s in the colour marking of green and brown [this evidencing my nationalistic streak] and while I love these pieces, they are not part of my permanent collection.

For sale: $AUD125

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Martin Boyd ramekins

Martin Boyd ramekins made in Australia 1957 I have posted a set of Boyd ramekins previously, so look away now if you’ve read this before! The Boyds are a famous Australian family of artists. Martin Boyd pottery started in Cremorne, Sydney in 1946- but Martin doesn’t exist, instead it was Guy [Martin] Boyd who was the chief ceramicist. The pottery was in operation from 1946-1964, with 1957-58 being the peak production period. All Martin Boyd pottery is made [and signed by hand] so there is a slight variation between any pieces in a set. The pottery is instantly recognisable from the edge band of clear glaze that always separates the two toned pieces. The colours are quintessentially 50s. This set of six ramekins have matching saucers – which can be mixed and matched to suit your mood. For sale: $AUD285 Buy Now

40s Australiana

Pates baskets,
made in Sydney, Australia 1940s

Pates Pottery operated out of Belmore, Sydney from 1946 -1990; so a similar period to Diana pottery. Pates was slower to develop an Australian response to the design and colouring of its pieces and was still producing baskets and swans well into the 50s. These baskets, with their twisted handles, seemed to have been produced all over the world.

Pates used a ‘drip-glaze’ method on most of their pieces and indeed one way to spot a Pates piece is by its mottled colouring. I have collected many Pates pieces- and some of these pieces have made it onto this blog.

The three baskets look great together as an ensemble: here they are showcasing wattle- another Australian iconic flower. They are for sale: $AUD55

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40s Australiana

Diana ‘Flannel Flower’ pie dish, made in Sydney, Australia 1940s

I collect Diana pottery- and as a landscape architect I am particularly fond of the Australiana series of flowers produced in the 40s. Here we have the flannel flower, hand-painted- in a pie dish. The Flannel Flower is the floral emblem of NSW [and has been associated with this State since Federation in 1901.] I wouldn’t say that this is a terribly accurate or particularly artistic rendering of the flannel flower but it represents an important milestone in Australian pottery- where the fashions and obsession with all things English were replaced with a nationalistic interest in Australian iconography.

I have posted several other Diana Flannel Flower pieces [see several posts, below] but this is the first pie dish I have come across. It’s in excellent condition and clearly stamped Diana on the back.

I’ve teamed the pie dish with a little whimsy- a 40s koala figurine smoking a pipe. Not so much Australian iconography as Australian kitsch at its best!

The pie dish is for sale: $AUD75 [and I’ll throw in the koala as well!]

Buy Now

60s pottery

60s pottery
made in Australia

A little collection of lovely 60s pottery- but with no maker’s marks or other means of identification. All in great condition – and identified as being 60s pottery due to the styling, pastel colourings and – spots. Nothing says the 60s like spots!

This collection came from a lovely old lady’s home- she could recollect buying the pieces in the 60s but not from whom or where she bought them. She had had them on display but was selling them to make room for some nice new pieces- contemporary pieces- from the 80s. That’s how long ago it was- but even now I can remember my heart sinking thinking how horrible it was swapping the 60s for the 80s. Only twenty years difference- but yowza!- light years away in terms of design. The 80s was the era that design forgot.

Now my 60s collection is burgeoning to over-full and I must reluctantly part with some of it. Not to buy contemporary pieces, like the lovely old lady- but to display and enjoy the small part of the collection that I can fit in my tiny inner-city house.

This collection- five 60s pieces in good condition- is for sale: $AUD75

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Lustreware

Pates lusterware plate
made in Sydney, Australia c. 1950s

Ah lusterware! Loved by me and…hardly anyone else –and….loathed by many. But it was such a quintessential expression of the 50s – and a world-wide phenomenon – in that it linked ideas of ‘modernity’ with ‘metal’ or machinery. In short, lustreware was all about the space-race.

Lustreware is a metallic glaze produced by using metal oxides in an overglaze, placed over an initial colour and re-fired in a kiln. Lustreware’s shininess and metallic-ness was very revolutionary in the 50s – so used to pastel pink and baby blues. It was all about the new ‘machine’ era.

This swan/peacock platter, though- is familiar in form. Pates produced this piece through the 40s in rather sedate glazed colours and then updated it using lusterware glazes in the 50s. The Pates catalogue actually describes this as a swan/peacock platter, as if it is an amalgam of the two. Either way, the bird’s head is the platter handle and the lusterware is – awesome!

The lusterware platter is for sale: $AUD75

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Pates posey vases

Pates posey vases,
made in Sydney, Australia c.1940-1950s

These posey vases were made by Pates Pottery, which operated out of Belmore, Sydney from 1946 -1990. As you may have noticed, given the tenor of the posts of this blog, being a Sydneyite I have an affinity for the potteries that were producing domestic ware in the 40s, 50s and 60s.

Pates’ pottery glazes were influenced by domestic 1950s furnishing and interior colour trends; but the forms borrowed heavily from British and American designs. These posey vases comprise three ‘trough’ vases [foreground] and two ‘log’ vases [background]- the forms were copied from overseas but the colours are all about Australian interior decor of the 50s.

Posey vases are small and design to ‘float’ short-stemmed flowers. All the posey vases are stamped ‘Pates Australia’ on the base and all are in good condition with no cracks or crazing.

Five Pates posey vases for the discerning Pates/posey vase collector; for sale- $AUD100

Buy Now

50s Diana

Diana coffee pot & vase
made in Sydney, Australia c.1950s

I have posted Diana pottery before…I am very partial to Diana as it was made in a pottery that operated in Marrickville, Sydney from 1940 to 1975- very close to where I now live. These two pieces are quintessentially 50s pieces – the vase has a lovely mottled grey outer colour and a beautiful yellow inner. The yellow is repeated in the coffee pot’s lid, the two-toned theme being popular in the 50s.

The shapes of the pieces are also very 50s- the funky asymmetric form of the vase and the tilted line of the coffee pot. You’ll notice that the vase still has its original Diana sticker – stickers tend to make a piece more valuable, and it’s in perfect condition. Likewise the coffee pot, which has never been used.

Regulars to my blog will know that I collect Diana- from the 40s in the colour marking of green and brown [this evidencing my nationalistic streak] and while I love these pieces, they are not part of my permanent collection.

For sale: $AUD125

Buy Now