Worcester Royal Porcelain Co.

English, est. 1862

Urn-shaped vase, c. 1907

bone china

14.8 x 7.4 x 7.2 cm

Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; The Frank Evison Collection; Gift of The City of Winnipeg

1999-54 ab

Categories:

Ceramic, Decorative Arts Ceramic

The city of Worcester has been the site of several leading English ceramic factories that merged and intertwined over 250 years of production history. The Worcester Royal Porcelain Co. Ltd. emerged in 1862. Known as Royal Worcester, the pottery has maintained high acclaim and a strong international reputation into the twenty-first century. The reknowned skill of George Owen for reticulated or pierced designs is obvious in this piece. Though quite diminutive—just less than 15 cm in height—the intricacy of the design and the fragility of the openwork is extremely impressive. Owen’s technique involved placing a leather-hard, unfired cast vessel on a turntable. As it slowly revolved, he would carve the design entirely freehand, row by row from the upper to lower levels of the vessel.