SCOTTISH POTTERY

COLLECTING WEMYSS WARE

Wemyss Ware

Wemyss Ware is a distinctive hand-painted underglazed earthenware pottery which was first made in Scotland in 1880. The word Wemyss comes from the Gaelic, meaning caves, and was named after the local Wemyss family who were early patrons.



Although Wemyss was originally produced as highly decorative everyday ware it tended to crack and break easily as it was fired at a low temperature to keep it white and absorbent. However, the high quality of the free-flowing and colourful style of painting makes it a favourite with collectors and it remains one of the most popular Scottish ceramics.


While its fragility has led to some early Wemyss becoming rare and expensive there are many pieces available to the collector starting at around $60-$120 for a small plate, with an average price of about $300 for preserve jars and covers, depending on condition, Wemyss models that command up to $20000 include animal shapes, in particular large cats and pigs.


 Standard cat models were produced in many colours with prices at auction ranging from $2000 to $15000, depending on the decoration or colour of the glaze. Cats decorated with hearts and rondels on a yellow background resemble those produced by the French designer Emile Galle and the originals, with glass eyes, are scarce.

Wemyss Ware

 Small sleeping pigs were used as paperweights while the larger Wemyss models were often damaged as a result of being used as doorstops. Last year, at Sotheby's sale at Gleneagles, a rare large pig dating from around 1900 made a world record, selling for $25000.


A largest single owner collection, built up over forty years, of over 200 lots belonging to Dr George Fraser totalled around $200,000 at Shapes Auctioneers in Edinburgh. A selection of pin trays varied in price from $500 to $1500 while an extremely rare model of a bulldog, c. 1880 and painted with roses, fetched over $18000.

Wemyss Ware

The three stages of WemyssRobert Heron - Fife production (1880-1930)Wemyss Ware was produced originally by Robert Heron & Son in Kirkaldv, Fife and was popular for its naturalistic style painted onto homely shapes. It was intended to be decorative as well as functional and the range included tableware, candlesticks, inkwells and chamber pots.



Karel Nekola, a gifted Bohemian girl, was employed by the innovative Heron. He trained local decorators in the intensive craft of hand-painting the flowers and fruits most associated with
Wemyss. A well-known pattern was bees, painted on to honey pots, and in production for nearly fifty years, but the pattern most associated with Wemyss is that of cabbage roses. Most shapes were decorated with roses and they accounted for a third of the production. A technique allowing the white glaze of the pot to show through the pink petals and the use of white highlights made the flowers look particularly realistic.






Fife production was prone to staining and crazing. It was almost always marked and many pieces were made for Thomas Goode & Co., their London agent and are marked as such. Bovey Tracey - Devon production (1930-1957)After the Fife pottery closed in 1930 Karel's son, Joe, moved to Devon taking many of the moulds with him. In the late 1930s the Wemyss rights passed to Jan Plichta who introduced new shapes and continued to employ Joe. Esther Weeks, who was trained by Joe,
became head decorator upon his death in 1952 until the factory closed in 1957.

Wemyss Ware

A large range of small animal models were produced which today cost upwards of $50-$100. Some collectors feel that the Bovey production lacks the subtlety of that made in Fife as the glaze tends to be harder with a shiny surface. However, the harder firing eliminated many of the crazing problems associated with Fife. Comparatively it is cheaper to collect than the Fife production.

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