Ironstone china, ironstone ware or most commonly just ironstone, is a type of vitreous

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...

first made in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Nor ...

in the early 19th century. It is often classed as

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ...

although in appearance and properties it is similar to fine

stoneware Stoneware is a rather broad term for pottery or other ceramics fired at a relatively high temperature. A modern technical definition is a vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic made primarily from stoneware clay or non-refractory fire clay. Whether ...

. It was developed in the 19th century by potters in Staffordshire, England, as a cheaper, mass-produced alternative for

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainl ...

. There is no

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in fr ...

in ironstone; its name is derived from its notable strength and durability. Ironstone in Britain's

Staffordshire potteries The Staffordshire Potteries is the industrial area encompassing the six towns Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, Stoke and Tunstall, which is now the city of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. North Staffordshire became a centre of ...

was closely associated with the company founded by Charles James Mason following his patent of 1813, with the name subsequently becoming generic. The strength of Mason's ironstone body enabled the company to produce ornamental objects of considerable size"Mason ware". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 05 Nov. 201

including vestibule vases 1.5 metres high John Fleming (art historian), Fleming, John &

Hugh Honour Hugh Honour FRSL (26 September 1927 – 19 May 2016) was a British art historian, known for his writing partnership with John Fleming. Their ''A World History of Art'' (a.k.a. ''The Visual Arts: A History''), is now in its seventh edition and H ...

. (1977) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Decorative Arts. '' London: Allen Lane, p. 399. and mantelpieces assembled from several large sections. Antique ironstone wares are collectable, and in particular items made by Mason's.

History

Ironstone was patented by the British potter Charles James Mason in 1813. His father, Miles Mason (1752–1822) married the daughter of Richard Farrar, who had a business selling imported Oriental porcelain in London. Subsequently, Mason continued this business, but after the East India Company ceased the bulk importation of Oriental porcelain in 1791 he began to manufacture his own wares. His first manufacturing venture was a partnership with Thomas Wolfe and John Lucock in Liverpool, and he later formed a partnership with George Wolfe to manufacture pottery in Staffordshire. T&R BOOTE 10x13 Ironstone Platter c1870

Subsequently other manufacturers produced ironstone, with James Edwards (1805–1867) of the Dalehall Pottery in Staffordshire also credited as its pioneer. Other sources also attribute the invention of ironstone to William Turner of Longton,"Ironstone china". ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 05 Nov. 201

and

Josiah Spode Josiah Spode (23 March 1733 – 18 August 1797) was an English potter and the founder of the English Spode pottery works which became famous for the high quality of its wares. He is often credited with the establishment of blue underglaze tran ...

who is known to have been producing ironstone ware by 1805, "which he exported in immense quantities to France and other countries". The popularity of Spode's ironstone surpassed the traditional

faience Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major a ...

pottery in France. A variety of ironstone types was being produced by the mid-19th century. "

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District, Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennines, Pennine range of hills and part of the The National Forest (England), Nat ...

ironstone" became a particularly popular variety in the 19th century, as well as "yellow ironstone". Patterns with raised edges became popular in the mid-19th century, including "cane-coloured" Derbyshire ironstone. Some of the most well-known and collectable British ironstone manufacturers of the 19th century include: * Church Gresley Pottery *Edge, Malkin, Burslem, Staffordshire * Hartshorne Pottery (founded by James Onions around 1790) * Hartshorne Potteries (founded in 1818 by Joseph Thompson) * Hill Top Works * Old Midway Pottery * Rawdon Pottery * Sharpe Brothers *

Spode Spode is an English brand of pottery and homewares produced by the company of the same name, which is based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Spode was founded by Josiah Spode (1733–1797) in 1770, and was responsible for perfecting two extremel ...

* Spode and Copeland * Swadlincote Potteries * T&R BOOTE * Waterloo Pottery * Wooden Box Pottery * Woodville Pottery (founded in 1833 by Thomas Hall and William Davenport) * Woodville Potteries (founded in 1810 by Mr Watts)

United States

In the United States, ironstone ware was being manufactured from the 1850s onward. The earliest American ironstone potters were in operation around

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784. Notable 19th-century ironstone manufacturers in the United States include: * Empire Pottery * Onondaga Pottery, Syracuse China * Walter Scott Lenox * Homer Laughlin

Types of ironstone ware

Transferware

Transfer-printed Transfer printing is a method of decorating pottery or other materials using an engraved copper or steel plate from which a monochrome print on paper is taken which is then transferred by pressing onto the ceramic piece. Fleming, John & Hugh Hon ...

designs were applied to ironstone by Mason's in an attempt to copy Chinese porcelain cheaply. Transferware is most often in one colour against a white background, such as blue, red, green or brown. Some patterns included detail colours that were added on top of the main transfer after the glaze had been applied. Transferware designs range from dense patterns that cover the piece, to small motifs applied sparingly to give a delicate appearance, as with floral motifs.

References

External links

The Raven Mason Collection
at Keele University, a significant collection of Mason's Ironstone
Website for Collectors of Mason's Ironstone
{{decorative arts Stoneware American pottery British pottery