National Antiques Week 2011

National Antiques Week 2011 takes place from 14-21 November and as always the main focus it to raise awareness of the antiques trade and to encourage a younger audience to visit antiques shops. BBC Homes and Antiques have joined this year and are working together to promote the event with an easy to enter Britain's Best Antiques awards scheme for the trade in five categories:

* Best Antiques Shop
* Best Specialist Antiques Shop
* Best Antiques Centre
* Best Mid-century / vintage Shop
* Best Auction House

...which will be voted for by the public at either BBC Homes and Antiques or National Antiques Week.

Nominators can win one of 10 great prizes, each with a value of at least £200, but the prizes for the winning venues are far greater. Not only will they be able to claim to be ‘Britain’s best’ (with all the media opportunities that presents); they will also receive a feature in the May issue of Homes & Antiques and further publicity via from us at Antiques News and Fairs and National Antiques Week.

Here is a link http://www.antiquesnews.co.uk/page_5.php

Pottery and porcelain marks in Sweden 1725 - 1860

A fayence manufactory was established at Rorstrand about 1725. Until 1760 the products were similar to Oriental and Delft ware. After that time the products were styled after the continental factories. A modern mark of Rorstrand is composed of the Royal Crown over the initials M. S. & Co.

At Marieberg a fayence and porcelain factory was founded in 1760 and prospered until about 1788.

The fayence works at Stralsund were started in the early 18th century and continued until 1792.

1, 2 Rorstrand. About 1725-1758.
3 Rorstrand About 1780.
4-8 Rorstrand After 1758.
9 Marieberg. Dated Nov. 24, 1764.
Ehrenreich, Director; Frantzen, painter.
10 Marieberg. About 1766-69. Berthevin, director.
11 Marieberg. Dated Oct. 14, 1768.
12-15 Marieberg. After 1769.
16-18 Stralsund. After 1766. "E" for Ehrenreich.
19 Gustafsberg. Fayence. 1820-1860.

Fruit design Royal Worcester porcelaine

In 1751, the first Worcester Porcelaine factory was founded by a group of 15 men, headed by Dr. John Wall, an eminent physician. Dr. Wall and his partners developed their method for producing porcelain and then persuaded a group of 13 local businessmen to back their discovery with an investment in a new factory at Warmstry House. The secret of porcelain production was to be the property of the shareholders and each agreed to a penalty of  £ 4000 should they disclose knowledge of the secret to anyone. The original partnership deeds are still housed in the Worcester Museum.

Hard paste porcelain is made of 2 ingredients-kaolin(clay) and petuntse (decomposed granite). European countries were unable to unlock the secret to the formula so they made their first porcelains by substituting different materials. Kaolin instead of soapstone, for instance.The soapstone made the porcelain withstand the heat of boiling water and produced tea services that were very much in demand.

How to date a quilt

One important part of appraising a quilt or any textile is accurate dating. Sometimes there is no doubt of the date, because the maker embriodered it onto the quilt or wrote it somewhereon the back in indelible ink. Sometimes a quilt was so obviously designed for a special occasions – such as the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago – that its date can be easily ascertained.

Most of the quilts that are available for collecting were made in the 19th and 20th centuries, although it is possible to find an earlier treasure for sale or maybe even in your own attic. However, unless there is a direct connection to the maker, the dating of quilts is not precise science. It is more like a mixture of detective work and educated guessing.

Balloon-backed chairs

When the balloon-backed chair began in the 1830s, however, as illustrated in J.C. Loudon’s Encyclopaedia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture (London, 1833-39), the front legs were straight, although the back ones curved out (below). No stretchers were felt to be necessary. Typical of the Regency style, the turnings of the front legs often incorporated an octagonal section with a bulbous knob at the top.

Seats were upholstered in horsehair and might use a few buttons, which will in. crease in numbers as the Victorian style develops. The term balloon refers to the rounded shoulders of the back with its nipped-in waist and curved crosspiece. In Loudon’s design, the crest or upper rail is characteristic of the first stage due to its dipped effect.