15 Pieces of Superb Rare Antique (1920s) English Thomas Forester & Sons "Darby" Phoenix China Ware.
Lovely Imari pattern and all in almost perfect condition. The gold gilding is intact and all pieces are free from damage without chips, cracks or crazing.
Thomas Forester started business at a small works in the High Street, Longton and he soon took additional premises in Church Street. He demolished the Church Street Works and built the Phoenix works which he completed in 1879. In the beginning of 1883 he took his sons Herbert and Victor into partnership.
Thomas Forester & Sons was a pottery manufacturer based in Longton, Staffordshire, United Kingdom. The company started as Thomas Forester in the 1870s and appeared in the Pottery Gazette regularly during the 1880s. They specialised in the manufacturing of majolica and earthenware.
The business was incorporated as a Limited Company in 1891 and by 1893 it was recorded as employing 520 people at the "Imperial and Phoenix Works"
In 1900, the company employed over 700 people in the Staffordshire area and was seen as one of the largest producers of majolica in England in the late 1800s. In their prime, the company had showrooms in London, Paris, Berlin and Vienna
Due to a decline in the pottery industry in Staffordshire during the mid-20th century, Thomas Forester & Sons ceased as a manufacturer in 1959. This was due to a combination of World War II when production was very limited and by the Clean Air Act that was introduced in 1956. This move stopped the use of bottle ovens and the business finally closed in June 1959.
The work of Thomas Forester & Sons is still present today in the form of antiques. Pre-1900 the company was known for producing a vast range of Majolica. Techniques were later improved, which led to the production of many elaborate art pottery designs including Trogon Ware during the 1920s and 1930s.