Mariner's Compass – Sunderland
Newbottle Pottery
The Newbottle attribution for this transfer is convoluted, and relates to pottery items donated by descendants of the owners to the Victoria and Albert Museum. Read more here.
Distinguishing characteristics are: the male figure has three rows of buttons on his waistcoat (compare with the Seaham transfer which has two rows; the fur on the lion's cheek is shaded diagonally. There's also a horizontal scratch on the copper plate running over SW by S. See details below from plaque (left) and first jug below (right).
The brightly enamelled plaques below are attributed to Newbottle. Compare the similar decoration of the left plaque with the wash ewer above.
Moore's Pottery
Moore's Wear Pottery appears to have acquired the Newbottle-attributed transfer plate in the mid 1850s, when the Brodrick and Beckwith partnership dissolved. The Moore plaques are larger, have dark brown (rather than copper lustre) borders, and tend to be more crudely decorated. They were likely made right up until c1870.
Below, a Moore's frog mug, with typical zig-zag lustre decoration, c1860.
Seaham Pottery
Distinguishing characteristics are: the fur on the lion's cheek is shaded horizontally; the male figure has only two rows of buttons on his waistcoat (compare with the Newbottle transfer which has three rows); and there's a small nick I the copper plate to the left of SSW, likely made at the time of engraving.
The details above come from the jug below, which is decorated with coloured enamels. We know that the jug and mug below predate the 1847 jug above, because the transfer doesn't have some of the imperfections/scratches that appear on later imprints from the copper plate (see two details below).
The later imprints from the copper plate have a scratch over the lower right quadrant of the shield (indicated left below), and a scratch to the right of SSW (indicated right below). These details are from the 1847 jug.
The bowl below has both of those imperfections, and is contemporary with the Walker & Co, 1847 jug. The jug has fine traces of some of the faults, and is likely later. It is possible that the copper plate had passed to another pottery by this stage.
Mariner's Compass – Tyneside
Attributed to Thomas Fell, St Peters Pottery – 1
This version of the Mariner's Compass is a very fine and distinctive transfer. It is less cartoon-like than the variations above.
The jug, c1840, is attributed to Fell on the basis of the distinctive lustre decoration, elements of which are found on plaques with the Fell impress. Note the painted lustre sun on the first image of the jug. The over-glaze transfers of Fell items from this period have a sooty quality.
Attributed to Thomas Fell, St Peters Pottery – 2
This version of the Mariner's Compass appears on items with the Newcastle high Level Bridge transfer attributed to Thomas Fell.
It is similar to the Seaham version. The man's waistcoat has only two rows of buttons. However, the row to the left is larger than on the Seaham transfer. The lion's face is horizontally shaded. But the arrangement of the tufts of grass in the foreground is different.
The jug below (photo Mendip Auction Rooms) unites the two Fell groups. It combines the decorative lustre flourishes, typical of Fell items from the 1840s, with the later Mariner's Compass transfer on the jug above.
Unidentified Tyneside pottery
Unfortunately, this bowl is damaged, and a restorer has painted-in sections of the transfer making comparison difficult. A number of Tyneside potteries are known to have used the London impress.
Although Maling isn't currently on the list of potteries that used the London mark, the bowl above has similar decoration to the bowl below, firmly attributed to C T Maling.
