For the lovers of maroon

Last week's post on the colour puce was popular (as were the pieces offered), so this week I was struck by how many beautiful maroon pieces I found in the boxes I am unpacking from the Murray Pollinger Collection... so here's a post on maroon!

For many years, potters struggled to produce maroon as a ground colour. Worcester managed it in the 18th Century, but it was very challenging and therefore prohibitively expensive, as so many pieces would fail. The reason is manyfold; maroon can be created with various chemical ingredients, all of which have their own problems. Nowadays, cadmium is often used (although not for foodware), but that was not available in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Red iron oxide was an option, however it is unstable and unpredictable in the kiln, and can influence other colours. Copper works, but is very fluid, so it can easily run all over the place. Problems, problems!

I still have a few early 19th Century teacups from Barr Flight & Barr available, and they show how difficult this was, creating a rather uneven effect that has its own charm. However, by the mid-19th Century, potters started to get a handle on how to create a realiable maroon ground, although every firing could give a slightly different result. The improvement mostly had to do with improved kiln technology and a more efficient production line.

Samuel Alcock quickly made maroon a feature. In the opulent Victorian interiors, this deep yet bright colour became very fashionable, as it combined well with the heavy furnishings and curtains in other deep colours that people filled their drawing rooms with.

So today, I grouped together the many maroon Samuel Alcock pieces I have on offer - have a look if you like any of them! They mostly come from the Murray Pollinger Collection of Samuel Alcock, which you can read more about here - this is a wonderful opportunity to be the next owner of some of the pieces he painstakingly assembled to unlock the mysteries of the Samuel Alcock factory (read the story if you want to know more).

Where to find things

You can find the full Murray Pollinger Collection here, and you can find all my available stock here. If you always want to see the latest additions, follow me on Instagram... I post pictures and a story several times a week.

Happy weekend everyone!

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Maroon treasures for the week:

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