Fantastic 7" Clarke flower/candle holder

I'm wondering if any of us won the UK auction that just ended http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200384595884#ht_923wt_1014

I tried to win it , unsuccessfully, but I hope one of our members did win it so we can learn more about it. Has anyone seen anything like this before?

Aprile

This is one in a series of 12 known as "Tapestry Ware" as the outside surface has a tapestry weave in the detail. Some of the other ones are listed as R-473, R-474, R-475, R-476, R0477, R-478, R-479, R-480, R-481 and R-482. This is the only time I have seen it without painted decoration. I wonder if it was never painted or if the paint was removed. This style of base is not in the Ruf book, but is shown in the Undocumented lamps as U-317. The last two from the set of twelve are shown as U-168 and U-318. I hope this clears up any of your questions.

I suspect we were all watching this base. I have never seen one undecorated either and wondered if it was intended to be plain or, as Cadking suggested, the paint was removed. I would suspect, however, that the paint would be fired on and difficult to remove.

It is interesting that Christian Revi showed a photo of this base in the Spinning Wheel, March 1973, Samuel Clarke's Designs for Fairy Lamps, Albert Christian Revi, pgs. 29-30. This example was also undecorated. Could it be that the earlier versions were offered undecorated?

For comparison, I put the decorated and undecorated version side-by-side.


Hopefully, the new owner of this base is a member of our club and can share their assessment of it. Had I won the base I would have been perplexed to know what to do with it Leave it the way it is? Or, have a china painter decorate it is the correct colors? Sadly, I won't have to make that decision.

Jim.

P.S. For reference, there are three Newsletter articles related to the Doulton Burslem bases. They are:

• Doulton Burslem Fairy Lamp Bases Located, All.......Issue XLI.......November 2006

• Doulton Burslem Tapestry Ware...........................Issue IX........November 1998

• Doulton Burslem Tapestry Ware...........................Issue XIV......February 2000