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Saturday, October 1, 2011

Delightful dinnerware

I recently bought Michael Pratt's Mid-Century Modern Dinnerware: A Pictorial Guide, and it is truly a feast for the eyes. The book contains hundreds of images, most of which depict far more of the pieces from each line than I could find on the Internet.  For those of you who are regulars at modish.net, this is a must-have reference book, and for those of you who love mid-century dinnerware but haven't discovered the site yet, I urge you to put a visit to it on your to-do list.

Pratt, an avid collector who owns almost ten thousand pieces of mid-century dinnerware, has written an amazing overview of the tableware designs of the leading potteries from the 1940s through the 1960s. Here are a few of the patterns mentioned in the book.

Brock Desert Mist
modish.net
Canonsburg Pottery Americana
etsy.com - DeliaWach
Denwar Bantu
modish.net
Hollydale Malibu Modern
thecollectorsdream.net
Gracetone Orbit
fotolog.com
Harkerware White Clover by Russel Wright
moodindigo.com
Eva Zeisel for Western Stoneware
liveauctioneers.com

Additionally, here are some of the patterns that we have (or have had until recently) for sale in the store.

Paul McCobb for Jackson China
Plate and bowl are the Brown Matchsticks pattern.
I haven't identified the stripe.
Syracuse China Jackstraws
We have several pieces of this pattern in our Etsy store.
Canonsburg Pottery Temporama
We also have several pieces of this pattern for sale in our Etsy store.
A reader of the blog just bought a full set of this
Taylor Smith & Taylor Cathay from us on eBay! :)
(Thanks again for your purchase!)

19 comments:

  1. Whoever bought the Cathay is probably doing a happy dance. It's so adorable.

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  2. ooo love the "orbit"!!

    I have a few of those Cathay cups and saucers. Love those too. :)

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  3. What a fun book. I have 12 place settings of the Cathay but it doesn't include the cups, only the saucers. I had some cups that match pretty well but the originals are really sweet. I'll have to keep my eyes open for some cups.

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  4. @DearHelenHartman: Yes, I imagine she's pretty happy. I'm hoping she'll read this post and comment.

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  5. @1950sarh: Isn't that Orbit the cutest? Too bad your dining room isn't your space room. They'd be perfect!

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  6. @Midcenturymadam: The book is fantastic! This is just a tiny spattering of what's included. It ought to make buying dishes at estate sales a lot easier.

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  7. oh my..wonderful info Dana, i know what to look out for in a store now...i am clueless most of the time as i m researchin and learning only in the last two years :)..what would i do without u

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  8. @Sudha: Dinnerware is something I'm learning about too. I've been collecting Russel Wright for years and ignoring everything else, but when we opened the store, I needed to expand my knowledge. This book is great for that!

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  9. 10,000 pieces? WOW - how do some of these hardcore collectors store everything? I have so little in comparison and am running out of room. I pass by neat things all the time because of lack of space. What is their secret?!?

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  10. @Tanya: I think their secret must be a warehouse...or very narrow trails through their homes...:)

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  11. I visit modish quite often and have learned so much over there...it's almost intimidating how much they know!

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  12. @Jenny: I agree. That is one of the most informative sites I've found.

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  13. The brown pattern on the McCobb plate is called "Radiate Jubilee" as per p. 12 of the 1970 "Jackson Vitrified China complete catalogue of shapes and designs."

    This pattern is not a Paul McCobb design btw, only the plate itself is a Paul Mccobb design.

    The various stripe designs were just called "stripe" with a number afterwards which I anticipate is signifying the color and/or number of stripes

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  14. @Jonathan: I thought I was safe in calling it Brown Matchsticks, because it's referred to as such on p. 150 of Michael Pratt's Mid-Century Modern Dinnerware, but looks like we'll have to go with Jackson as the higher authority on this one.

    I don't have Radiant Jubilee cups, but I have Stripe cups, which bear McCobb's name. Did he design all the pieces of that pattern?

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  15. Funny thing is I got my copy of the Jackson Catalog from Mike Pratt. I am guessing he acquired it sometime after he wrote the book.

    McCobb designed a range of forms for Jackson China closely resembling the designs he did for Jackson Internationale. The main difference being that the decoration on the Jackson China pieces was not done by McCobb.

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  16. Oh wow! I have 3 lonely Temporama dinner plates, and one REALLY lonely Cathay dinner plate and a saucer. I am starting to have a bit of a china collecting problem (I am getting so much!), but these are the patterns that I really want full sets of. I will be visiting that Etsy store!

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    Replies
    1. We sold the full set of Cathay, but we still have a few pieces of Temporama left.

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  17. I admit, I have not been on this web page in a long time... however it was another joy to see It is such an important topic and ignored by so many, even professionals. professionals. I thank you to help making people more aware of possible issues. white porcelin dinnerware

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