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Sold for: £9
A collection of approximately 40 Torquay style motto ware pottery items, including examples by Watcombe Pottery. The lot is constructed from red earthenware and features hand-painted slip decoration under a clear glaze. The assortment comprises various domestic forms including water jugs, creamers, tankards, mugs, handled cups, egg cups, sugar bowls, and a strainer-spout vessel. Notable pieces include oval and apple-shaped jam dishes and two serving bowls. Most items are decorated in the Cottage pattern, featuring a thatched dwelling amongst trees, finished with blue and brown banded rims. The pieces include sgraffito and brush-script mottos such as be scarce o me, Take a little salt, Take a little jam, and Waste not want not, alongside regional place names including Lands End, Torquay, and St Ives. One piece bears a hand-painted mark to the base reading 1095 / Watcombe / Torquay / ENGLAND in black script, accompanied by an incised circular mark (photo 5).
Condition report:
The collection displays extensive fine crazing to the glaze across most items, which is a characteristic feature of this earthenware type. A salt shaker has a visible chip to the foot rim (photo 3). Minor flea-bite chips and surface wear are present on the rims of several jugs and bowls (photo 1). One small jug appears to have a hairline crack near the handle join (photo 2). The slip-decorated patterns and mottos remain clear and vibrant throughout the collection.
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