Dear sklatt-ga;
Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question.
Bretby Art Pottery, was officially known as ?Tooth & Co. Ltd.?. Tooth
& Company began production in 1883 at Church Gresley, Derbyshire but
within 12 months had moved to the site in Woodville, Derbyshire. The
company produced both inexpensive pressed wares and more costly thrown
art pottery. Bretby stayed in the hands of the Tooth family until
1933, and after the second World War became known as Tooth and Company
Limited Bretby Art Pottery. Without showing your piece to an appraiser
or someone with extensive knowledge about Bretby pieces it would be
impossible to tell you much about the particular vase you have. There
is however some extensive history about this company and the various
markings it has used over the years. Fortunately, one of the most
consistently used marks is the ?sun mark? which helps to establish the
authenticity of your vase:
?Bretby Art Pottery, more properly known as Tooth & Co. Ltd., was
started in 1883 by Henry Tooth and William Ault. Ault left after four
years to set up his own pottery at Swadlincote.
The company produced both inexpensive pressed wares and more costly
thrown art pottery. Bretby stayed in the hands of the Tooth family
until 1933, and after the second World War became known as Tooth and
Company Limited Bretby Art Pottery.
Marks include the familiar rising sun over the name BRETBY, a stylized
HT for Henry Tooth, and the brand names Clanta and Clanta Ware.?
BRETBY ART POTTERY
http://www.studiopottery.com/potteries/bretbyartpottery.html
As this example describes, the number you are referring to on the
bottom of your vase is known as the ?pattern number? and is indicative
of the particular design of the vase rather than a ?numbered? or
?limited edition? vase.
HAWKES ASIAN ART
?ART DECO BRETBY VASE, 1930?S?
http://www.trocadero.com/paha/items/288778/item288778store.html#item
The ?sun mark?, sometimes referred to as ?sunrise mark? was a means,
not unique to Bretby, that served to establish authenticity and is
little more than a factory trademark. It does however indicate that
the piece is real Bretby, unless of course it has been counterfeited,
which probably isn?t likely. At any rate, the Bretby trademark of the
Sun rising over the word Bretby is a very well known example of this
kind of trademark.
Because of the nature of this company?s products ? some much more
desirable than others and some of greater quality than others ? you
will only determine the value of your piece by having it examined by a
knowledgeable appraiser or collector. These vases are not entirely
uncommon and while it may have some significant collector value to an
interested party it is probably not an extraordinarily valuable or
rare item, but again, I recommend you have a professional determine
this for certain before you assume this is the case. Short of having a
professional appraisal you might take your vase to a local auctioneer
and have him or her examine it. Often these people can give you an
auction estimate free of charge based on past experiences and current
market trends. At the very least though, this is where your vase comes
from and these are the meanings of the images and numbers that appears
on its base.
I hope you find that my research exceeds your expectations. If you
have any questions about my research please post a clarification
request prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating
and your final comments and I look forward to working with you again
in the near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher
INFORMATION SOURCES
THE ART POTTERIES OF SOUTH DERBYSHIRE
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~brett/gresley/gresley_artpot.htm
BRETBY ART POTTERY
http://www.studiopottery.com/potteries/bretbyartpottery.html
HAWKES ASIAN ART
?ART DECO BRETBY VASE, 1930?S?
http://www.trocadero.com/paha/items/288778/item288778store.html#item
RECOMMENDED READING
?BRITISH CERAMIC ART, 1870-1940?
BY JOHN A. BARTLETT
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0887404561/thepotterystudio/202-0422059-6163021\
BRETBY ART POTTERY: A COLLECTORS GUIDE
http://www.bretbyartpottery.com/
SEARCH STRATEGY
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