English ceramics encompasses the pottery and porcelain produced in England, from medieval earthenware jugs to the products of the great industrial factories of Staffordshire, Worcester and Derby. It is one of the most extensively studied and collected fields of ceramics, prized for its technical innovation and its wide range of decorative styles.
Early English pottery includes slipware, salt-glazed stoneware and tin-glazed delftware. In the mid-eighteenth century porcelain factories were established at Chelsea, Bow, Derby, Worcester and elsewhere, while Josiah Wedgwood transformed the industry with creamware, black basalt and jasperware. English potters developed bone china around the end of the eighteenth century, and Spode, Minton and others built international businesses on transfer-printed and decorated wares. The Victorian period brought majolica, Parian figures and art pottery, and the twentieth century added Moorcroft, Clarice Cliff and studio pottery. Collectors look at factory marks, pattern numbers, quality of painting and gilding, and condition, examining pieces for chips, cracks and restoration. Early porcelain, named painters and rare shapes command premium prices, while blue and white transfer ware remains accessible and attractive for everyday display.
