Welcome

News From The Museum

TEMPORARY CLOSURE

The museum will be closed from Thursday 23^rd February and will reopen on Monday 27^th February.

Important Notice

If you’re travelling some distance to visit the museum please contact us to ensure we are open on 02 6036 3464 or

Introduction

The National Museum of Australian Pottery is the only Museum dedicated to 19th and early 20th century Australian pottery and is the culmination of many years of collecting and research throughout Australia.

On display are close to 1,500 pieces of domestic pottery from over 120 Australian pottery companies established between European settlement and the end of World War I, (1918).

Amongst the extensive range of pottery wares, such as simple preserving jars, jugs, colourful cheese covers, beautiful bread plates and elegantly decorated water filters are a few rare examples of pottery made by the convict potter Jonathan Leak, who’s few surviving pieces are the earliest marked pottery produced in Australia.

Also on display are over 100 original photographs, showing the interior and exterior of many potteries, exhibition displays and portraits of the potters along with catalogues, price lists and numerous old advertisements.

The Collection represents in many ways the struggle, courage and determination of many of our early potters who, often under difficult circumstances, produced basic and decorative domestic pottery, frequently with spectacular results.

Visitors have a unique opportunity to further their knowledge and appreciation of our early Australian pottery heritage.

So come and spend some quality time at Holbrook in the National Museum of Australian Pottery with Geoff and Kerrie Ford.

ABC Collectors visit the Museum

To see this episode click on this link

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/collectors/segments/s3064857.htm

then click on the ˃ button to the left under the screen

Rediscovering Jonathan Leak, a short term exhibition.

On Sunday the 19^th of June, Dr. Michael Pickering Assistant Director; Collections, Content and Exhibitions, from the National Museum of Australia in Canberra, officially opened our exhibition ‘Rediscovering Jonathan Leak.’

The exhibition has been put together from shards that Archaeologists recovered in 2007 from a clay pit tip on the original site of Jonathan Leak’s Pottery off Elizabeth Street in Sydney. Leak had dug clay from the pit and then used it as a tip for broken pottery.

Over 250,000 shards were found covering a wide variety of articles previously unknown to have been made by Leak.

The exhibition of 45 pieces includes: clay smoking pipes, bung jars, a colander, blacking, water and brewers bottles, jugs, bowls, a pickling crock, mixing bowls, a wash basin, a salting pan, a demijohn, cream separating pans, an oven pie dish, a lidded jar, a flower pot stand, a jam pot and a pudding bowl, made in stoneware, earthenware and terracotta, many of which are lead glazed in a variety of colours some with red-brown oxide decorative bands.

With the variety of impressed ‘LEAK’ stamps found on the different articles it was concluded that this tip was in use from 1822 to at least 1825 and may be even longer. Making Leak’s few surviving pieces the earliest marked pottery produced in Australia.

The exhibition will continue until 24^th February 2012.

To listen to an ABC radio interview click on this link

www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2011/07/07/3263544.htm

then click on the ˃ button to the right under the photos

Unique Piece in the Collection

In 1883, William Holford and his son Thomas established the ‘Phoenix Pottery’ at Lane Cove in Sydney. They produced a wide range of decorative plaster moulds to manufacture domestic pottery, amongst which was this very rare Cane ware glazed cheese cover and plate. Decorated around the edge of the plate and the top of the cover with a figure eight rope pattern and four cows, it is impressed under the plate: ‘Phoenix Pottery Company NSW.’

By mid 1884, William and Thomas had left the works, which was then managed by John Stevenson. In 1885, Robert and Samuel Leiper arrived in Australia and began working at the pottery. In 1890, William Munro, the owner of a pottery across the road, entered into partnership with Robert and Samuel who now owned the ‘Phoenix Pottery’. Now under the name of the ‘Sydney Pottery Co.’ the ‘Phoenix Pottery’ name disappeared.

Reference: Geoff Ford, ‘Australian Pottery : The First 100 Years.’ Salt Glaze Press, Wodonga, 1995.

Water Filters in the National Museum of Australian Pottery.

We have just released a new booklet. The booklet’s 30 A4 wire spine bound pages features a large true colour photograph of each of the 51 water filters in the Museum’s collection which were made by 16 different potters covering the period from 1866 to 1930.

Many potteries around Australia made water filters during this period that they sold to the public themselves, or for other firms such as ironmongers and filter sellers who sold them through their own stores or agents. Each filter is accompanied by detailed information about the filter and the ironmonger or filter seller for whom it was made, along with advertisements from the period, which makes interesting reading. If you would like a copy they are available in ‘Books’ on this web page, or at the Museum. The cost is $38.00, post free in Australia.

Why not come and visit the Museum

The reputation of the Museum is spreading wide and far so why not come and visit the museum. Over the past couple of months there have been a number of very important pieces added to the collection, which are all on display. We also have a small number of selected pieces for sale.

We can cater for large and small groups with homemade morning tea, afternoon tea or supper, introduction talk and a guided tour. We also serve a delicious homemade Devonshire tea.

So if you would like us to tailor a visit for your group or club please contact us.

We look forward to seeing you soon at the Museum

Friends of NMAP Inc.

The Friends of NMAP Inc. is celebrating its fourth year of get togethers at the Museum, all the meetings have been well attended by members from far and wide who have all enjoyed themselves and taken away a greater knowledge of collecting Australian pottery. If you would like to become a member you can find a membership form in the ‘NMAP FRIENDS’ section.

Newsletter Reminder

Potting About in its electronic format is now e-mailed direct to subscribers. It includes information on the latest acquisition to the collection, details of the latest auctions and e-bay results, articles on 19th & 20th Century potters plus much more.

DON'T MISS OUT SUBSCRIBE NOW

Two Sample Pages

This edition also included Letters to the Editor, an article on Australian Made Money Boxes, an article published in 1949 on Stones Pottery in Brisbane, Around the Auctions, Items on E-Bay, Notice about a Pottery Seminar, an article on Darbyshire Pottery from Western Australia and a report from the Friends of NMAP Inc.