Rye Pottery and other Potteries of Rye

A list of the commonly found thrower's marks impressed on Rye Pottery from 1947. The practice seems to have stopped by the early 1960s.

D - David Sharp

DDD - Dennis Townsend

DL - David Smeed

J - Jimmy Elliott

P - Pam Goddard

S - Stephen Russell

V - Wally (Vivian) Cole

Rye beaker

An uncommon terracotta piece from 1956 Naomi.

Gorgeous Milk Jug....inscribed "Milk"....just in case ! David Sharp

A David sharp lampbase with unusually slapdash decoration.

I think he had his off days

He did but usually his work was decorated by paintresses in the "Potteries tradition".

This Bloke seemed to have a very wide range

So this beaker is similar to N's beaker and eshearm's tankard. When I picked it up I thought it was the decoration was a  little weak - pastels etc, but it's odd how a few marks on a base can make you go back and re-appraise something - or is that just me ? Does it seem different when you see the base? Does it go from weak to sweet?

Just looking back to see who's D mark it is -

denbydump wrote:Its by Dennis Townsend.
Yes, The mark was used 1947-52

At the Leach Pottery and other studio potteries where teams of people worked, individual potters where only allowed to put their personal seal on work after being there a considerable time and it being deemed that their work was of the required standard. However, at Rye the marks like the ones above were more of a quality control mechanism that required the apprentices to mark their work.

At this period I think the vast majority of work if not all of it would have been thrown and decorated by the same person. I do think the decoration is weak too, although not unpleasant, but it is to be expected on work by someone, who is just learning the trade.

Not sure about "weak", I have seen this pattern loads of times, always the same
colours, on vases, beakers, beakers squashed into fan-vases and wall-pockets.
It's a bit floral, (wonder if it actually had a name), rather than abstract, so never as
populr as the other designs.

I can't recall seeing this actual floral pattern before, similar ones but not this one. They tended to name them Floral A, Floral B etc. but it doesn't look like any of the patterns Floral A to Floral G. I think it might pre-date that nomenclature.

I've seen a few pin dishes with it on. Not my favourite pattern. I thought it was one of their early ones. May be one of Wally Cole's?

OK Jerry I will be impressed if you can answer this; Why is there a female symbol in the base mark?

22 Crawford St. wrote:OK Jerry I will be impressed if you can answer this; Why is there a female symbol in the base mark?

I'va always called it the lightship mark, but the book says it represents Earth and Water.

brin mcardle wrote:This Bloke seemed to have a very wide range

Love the colours on this piece Brin although I am not too keen on the shape. Even so a very nice piece.
It's not one of the shapes I have in my Rye collection but I have seen similar on that auction site

Elliptical bowl c1950s, with stamped rim.
Rye Made In Englabd ink mark plus an impressed I or J mark.

J - Jimmy Elliott

This one is a Whopper...13 inches long and 6 inches high and Heavy







It was a £5....but my mate who had a stall at the fair told the stall holder it was worth more..so she charged £15..which i think is a bargain

Lovely little bowl...David Sharp 1947-52 ??

The date's correct, Brin.

As far as I am concerned, he did his best stuff at the Rye and Cinque Port potteries before he branched out on his own in 1964.

Hi
Did david sharp do a gorilla ???

Ok I brought a brown gorilla at weekend and trying to find out information about it found one on worth point exactly the same and says by david sharp
Will try and upload pictures of item and marks on bottom and hopefully someone can give me little more information
Thanks