William Moorcroft
Founder William Moorcroft first began work as a pottery designer when he joined James MacIntyre & Company in the c1890. Moorcroft made a statement with his nature-inspired motifs. His debut of one of these organically-inspired lines, the Florian pattern, at the 1904 Saint Louis World’s Fair, bringing his name and designs to the world stage, thanks to his hand-signed pieces, Moorcroft quickly became a widely recognized name.
Florian Ware which was decorated entirely by hand, with the design outlined in trailed slip using a technique known as tubelining. Which basically is as it sound a thine line of pottery holds in the glaze, which as a lead glaze a little like the Majolica made at the same time, was a skill to fix it the glaze in place and aided by the tube lines piped onto the unglazed pottery.
Fearing that Moorcroft’s work was starting to overshadow the other lines of MacIntyre products, the company pushed him out in 1912. W. Moorcroft Pottery production company in its own right founded in 1913. Moorcroft’s designs continued to compel collectors, with his reach extending as far as the British Royal Court. In 1928, Queen Mary awarded Moorcroft a royal warrant. Soon after, the Libertys of London, gave Moorcroft with funding to advance the development of special pattern lines.
Libertys was always quick to grab the best designers of the period to make unique designs for there shop, and often used to add pewter or silver to enhance pottery and glass.
The vase pictured is an early piece form 1922 a rare lot indeed, we do have a few examples of Moorcroft in the shop but as we sell it well it never stays around long.
Moorcoft is still made today and often newer items due to the skill in making them can still command and make high prices, Rachel Bishop joined as a young designer in the 1993 and now is head designer so the pottery still goes on and is producing consistently good investment items to this day.
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