The earliest Worcester productions were based entirely on Chinese models. Small cups, without handles, of Oriental design were decorated under the glaze in blue. All the characteristics of the Nankin ware became those of Worcester. Slowly and surely they attempted with complete success some of the more brilliant colours of Eastern ceramic ware, notably from the Japanese.
PAIR OF WORCESTER VASES.
(Dr. Wall period with square mark.)
Finely painted exotic birds in colour.
The early ware of Worcester may be known by a peculiar greenness of hue in the body of the china. The first mark used was the letter W in some form or another. This letter may stand either for Wall or for Worcester, as D marked on Derby china may stand either for Duesbury, the founder, or for Derby. We reproduce several of the earliest Worcester marks. About the same time a crescent was used, which is believed to have been adopted from the arms of the Warmstrey family, in whose ancient mansion the factory was first started.
The first two letters,
, in script, were used when the factory was under the direction of Dr. Wall, who died in 1776. The capital W was marked in blue on early printed china. The crescent in outline was one of the earliest marks, while the second crescent filled in with blue, under the glaze, occurs on blue-printed china, which was invented about 1755.
Among other early Worcester marks are assimilations and variations of certain Chinese characters, probably from the models which the Worcester potters copied. Of the square marks, it may be observed that they do not always occur on Chinese patterns. Occasionally, too, a crescent in red is found with one of these squares in blue. Of the other ornate and curiously Eastern adaptations, it may be that they were workmen’s signatures, but they are only found on old Worcester. The love for Oriental flourishes is shown by a series of numbers. Examples from 1 to 9 are known. We reproduce the numbers 1, 4, 5, 7.