Old Tupton Ware

The name Old Tupton Ware was only attributed to the range of exquisite ceramics in 2002, so much of the earlier designs were generic to tubelining and were sold unbranded. The name was originated from the lovely village of Old Tupton, just south of Chesterfield in Derbyshire, England. The brief behind the company's objectives was to achieve excellence in British design using the ever increasing quality of manufacture from the Far East to produce affordable ceramics that are a pleasure to own and admire. [see History]

In the years since conception, Old Tupton Ware has improved with new designs and designers, refined methods of manufacture and skills of production, packaging and product presentation. Innovative ideas has also continued to broaden the range of Old Tupton Ware, notably the night lights and honey pots have evolved into separate collections in their own right.

Today, Old Tupton Ware is synonymous with ceramic designs using tubelining or sliptrailing, a process by which the raised outline is squeezed onto the pot in the form of a fine extrusion of liquified clay or slip squeezed through a glass tube from a bag held in the hand. The process is best envisaged as that used in icing a cake. To achieve consistency and accuracy, the technique requires many months of training and every piece is hand made. Besides the tubelining, the whole process from design to the finished article requires many other steps, most steps are familar to other established manufacturing techniques but the specifics are always unique to each brand. [see Design].

From about 2004, Jeanne McDougall has collaborated to produce many Old Tupton Ware ranges. These have continued to flourish and many collectors now wait in anticipation for her latest designs. With Jeanne's focus devoted to Old Tupton Ware, she has been able to develop her designs with increasing complexity and inspire the general range and open the debate for further innovations to follow. Looking forward to future developments, although the details are always a little vague due to plagiarism concerns, appear to favour new designs on short runs and ultimately leading to limited editions without compromising affordability. Improvements in all areas will be sought as technological advances will be utilised to enhance the final products.

Collectors will undoubtedly be aware of the changes from the early years from when Old Tupton Ware were originally packaged in plain white cartons and gradually the satin lined, lidded hard boxes were introduced and phased in. Earlier collectors will also be aware that the familar Old Tupton Ware crown logo was only introduced later and consequently some early pieces were not stamped with the logo at all.

Besides the more familar vases, trinkets and figurines, other products have also been produced including lighting, light or drape pull handles and even door knobs! Spectacle holders and more unusual products have been successfully launched in recent times.

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Old Tupton Ware Brand

Old Tupton Ware is the brand given to the collection of ceramics, usually tubelined, designed in the UK and produced in the Far East under strict quality control and supervision. The name originates from the village of Old Tupton in Derbyshire and was chosen to reflect the peace, tranquility and beauty of the collection as observed in the idyllic village setting. Most of the design work are produced in the UK but Far Eastern designers have also been used, thus oriental influences may be observed in some patterns. Some may recognise similar designs as other tubelined ceramics exist but Old Tupton Ware remain independent and immitations are not uncommon so collectors should beware. Jeanne McDougall's designs may also look familar as she has designed for other reputable ceramic companies in the past.

Old Tupton Ware History

The technique to 'tube-line' pottery dates back centuries to skilled craftsmanship seeking expression through art and design. As part of a certain UK importer's portfolio to bring in new and innovative fine art, they imported the first shipments of these tubelined merchandise to the UK from about 2002.

After a very successful launch, the company decided to brand the product and sign exclusive rights in the UK - whereupon Old Tupton Ware was born. Initially, there was only a small selection consisting of very few patterns. The products were packed in plain white cartons and none of the products were marked for branding identification purposes. As the demand for the product exploded the packaging was improved and satin lined hard board boxes were introduced to make the product more appealing to the gift trade and protect the item at the same time. The success of the product also meant that the brand needed protection and the crown logo was chosen and backstamped on all subsequent merchandise.

More and more patterns emerged with ever increasing complexity and collectors from all corners of the globe began to take note. Since 2004, Jeanne Mcdougall has been associated with the designs of many new patterns and products. The company continues to produce new and exciting patterns and products.

Consequently, as some older patterns are phased out, more collectors will undoubtedly seek to add these to their collection increasing demand for some early examples.

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Old Tupton Ware Design

Casting - The majority of Old Tupton Ware is made by the casting method. Plaster molds are handmade for each shape which are filled with slip (liquid clay) and are left to start the drying process. Since the plaster is very absorbent, it will start to draw the moisture from the slip. Therefore, the slip will dry from the outside edge inwardly so the longer that the mold is left full, the thicker the body will be. Surplus slip is then poured from the center, leaving a clay lining inside the mold. Once dried, excess clay is removed from around the top edge of the piece before removing the piece from the mold.

Turning - After spending the night in the drying room, the clay is now firmer and ready to be turned. At this stage there is a basic shape, but the side seams need eliminating along with the surplus clay. The turner does not use any measuring devices, but relies on his skill and experience to judge the size of a piece, which is one of the reasons that each piece is so individual. The lathe direction is then reversed and a burnishing tool is used to "polish" the outside of the piece. This causes the clay to change color and take on a more refined shape.

Sponging - The clay now needs to be sponged until it is completely smooth. The sponger (fettler) will ensure that each piece is made ready for the decoration, checking that the shape is correct, that there are no flaws in the clay, and ensuring that the surface is completely smooth.

Tracing - Tracing is where the decorating process begins. The designer creates individual patterns, tailored for each shape and size within that range. The designs are traced on to the clay by hand using single or multiple drawings where necessary.

Tubelining - The tube liner uses a rubber bag filled with liquid clay (slip) to slip trail the outline of the design. The rubber bag is held in the palm of the hand, and by applying pressure to the bag the slip is forced through the glass tube. The more pressure applied, the heavier the tubing line will be. It is very important that the pressure be kept constant and even. The joins between two pieces of tubelining need to smooth and strong. The painting technique used is predominantly a flowing technique. Paint will be washed into those defined areas. If there are any gaps in the tubelining, the paint would escape into the surrounding area. Once the piece is complete it is placed in a controlled drying room overnight. By drying the clay body it is made very absorbent, allowing the paint to soak directly into the clay to achieve those deep rich colors.

Painting - The painter mixes powdered metal oxide paint with either gum arabic or benitite. This gives the paint its thick consistency. Water is added to achieve the strength of color needed. This illustrates how two pieces of the same design can be noticeably different. The designer puts all the colors down on paper and the painters have samples to refer to. They are allowed some leeway because many of the colors at this stage bear little resemblance to those seen on the finished piece.

The painting technique is known as "floating". As much paint as possible is loaded onto the paintbrush, then the brush is guided over the surface of the clay, allowing it to float within the tube-lined areas. By tilting the pot, the artist guides paint to flow in the direction wanted, using the brush to absorb any excess paint.

Although the paint is very watery, it is possible to see how quickly it is absorbed into the body of the clay, drying almost immediately. An important part of the painting is how the artists use their hands and fingertips to blend the colors, producing the shade and tone. The artist can build up layers of paint to create the desired depth of color. Often, two or three different paints are blended to make a specific color. During the firing, the lower colors put on first will burn through to the surface. So the painter is actually mixing the paint on the pot.

Firing & Glazing - Biscuit firing takes approximately 8 hours with the kiln reaching temperatures of up to 1100 degrees centigrade. When the biscuit firing is complete, the shapes of the pieces are now rigid and set. Once the piece has been biscuit fired, it needs a coating of glaze. A glaze is the raw ingredient of glass, ground to a powder and then held in a liquid suspension. The dipper relies on his experience to make sure the glaze is of the right consistency by dipping his hands into the glaze. Each piece is lowered into the glaze. Because the body is very porous, it immediately starts to absorb moisture, leaving the glaze on the surface of the pot. The longer the piece is left in the glaze the more it will take on, so each piece will be dipped for only a few seconds. The dipped pieces are then placed on to a board to dry overnight.

Once each piece has been checked it is ready to be glost fired. During the firing, the coating of glaze, which has now hidden all of those colors, will melt and set again as clear glass, a process known as vitrifying. As it does so, it has a tendency to expand, therefore if two pieces were a little too close they could easily fuse together. It will again take approximately 8 hrs reaching roughly the same temperature as the biscuit firing. During the firing there is chemical reaction between the clay, the paint and the glaze transforming the pieces to their final deeply coloured finished Old Tupton Ware product.

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Old Tupton Ware Tubelining

Perhaps the most significant attribute to the success of Old Tupton Ware is the result of the skillfully applied tubelining observed in the products. The technique is exclusively hand crafted and therefore a skilled tubeliner requires many months training before being able to successfully complete an Old Tupton Ware piece. It is this skill acumen that has in the past been restricting tube lining products to high-priced items. The success of Old Tupton Ware has been to be able to produce equally skilled tubeliners and equally skilled designers to make a commercially viable range at an affordable price.

The technique itself is best described as 'icing on the cake' where the tubeliner uses a rubber bag filled with liquid clay line the previously traced outline of the design. Just like a skilled cake decorator, it is very important that the pressure be kept constant and even to avoid varying thickness of the tubeline. The joins between two pieces of tubelining need to smooth and strong as paint will be washed into those defined areas. If there are any gaps in the tubelining, the paint would overflow into the surrounding areas.

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Old Tupton Ware Jeanne McDougall Designs

Jeanne McDougall is a successful designer of ceramic, glass, textile and enamel. Graduating with a Masters in Ceramic Design from Stoke-on-Trent, England she has since worked with and commissioned by various ceramic manufacturers. In collaboration with Old Tupton Ware, Jeanne has produced some stunning designs extending her creations based on influences of Art Nouveau, flora, and fashion. Her previous work has, over time, gained understanding in the art world and collectors are only now appreciative of her individual abilities.

Old Tupton Ware will offer a channel for her to express her understanding of form, pattern and the colour palette to a wider audience. Drawing from her knowledge and experience, she has been able to create more ambitious designs and experiment with new patterns more readily than ever before. It is an exciting time for Old Tupton Ware to be able produce ever more complex and innovative patterns both designed by Jeanne and those influenced and inspired by Jeanne's creations. Undoubtedly, limited edition pieces by Jeanne will not be too far away - meanwhile, collectors the world over wait in great anticipation.

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Old Tupton Ware Other Products

Old Tupton Ware was initially associated with the various tubelined designs featuring flora and fauna. Traditionally, these would be depicted on plates, vases, jars and trinket boxes. However, the ceramic medium has proven to be so flexible that the whole concept has taken on new dimensions from night lights to figurative designs to honey pots and even light and drape pulls. With so many patterns available, and new designs being added all the time, invariably some older patterns will be retired. Collectors note, these are probably the rarer pieces of the future.

Night Lights by Old Tupton Ware feature both tubelined and decal finished lamp shades. These lights plug directly into any UK standard socket and uses a 5 or 7 Watt bulb. They have proven to be particularly useful in household hallways, landings and in the kitchen area. Patterns match tubelined products in general, but the decal versions offer new designs and many novelty ideas have been adopted and proved very popular.

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