An Interview With Gouda Pottery Collector Stuart Lonsdale
January 15th, 2009By Dave Margulius, Collectors Weekly Staff (Copyright 2009)
In this interview, Stuart Lonsdale talks about Gouda pottery, focusing especially on the designs and the artists’ markings. Based in England, Stuart can be contacted via his website, Gouda Design, which is a member of our Hall of Fame.
I think it all started with a small pottery vase my mother obtained from the art pottery shop where she worked in the early 1920s and ‘30s. After she died in 1988, I didn’t initially didn’t take much notice of the vase, but then one day I just happened to look underneath and wondered what all the marks meant. I started trying to research it, but it was very difficult because we didn’t have the Internet then. I came across a book by Phyllis Ritvo, The World of Gouda Pottery, and it started from there. Then we got a computer and started to investigate on the Internet.
We started the website, and since then it’s just snowballed. We started getting e-mails from collectors in Holland who were amazed to find that someone in England was writing about Gouda. We’ve made lots of really good Dutch friends who we go visit two or three times a year. And it all started from this very small vase.
I was attracted to the vase because there were so many different colors on such a small piece. The colors weren’t complimentary and it had a black background. I hadn’t seen anything like that before. I wasn’t interested in pottery; my only interest was the fact that the vase was in the house. It just went from there. It’s difficult to say why.
Collectors Weekly: Can you tell us a bit about the history of Gouda pottery?
Linote – 1929 From the glass & china shop Stuart's mother worked in during the late 1920's and 1930's.
Lonsdale: There isn’t a factory called Gouda pottery; the pottery is called that because the main factories were in Gouda. Gouda (pronounced ‘how-da’) is the generic term we use for all the pottery factories in Holland – all Dutch pottery other than Delftware, that is.
The area around Gouda had clay to make pots, which is why most of the factories settled there. A lot of the clay also came from England. The Dutch started producing clay pipes about 1740, and some of the factories that produced clay pipes turned to making pottery because there was demand. They didn’t do it for love; they did it for profit. People wanted pottery for their home.
This style of pottery was pioneered in about 1898 by a company called Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland, or PZH, but they didn’t produce the type of pottery that you see on our website. That wasn’t made until about 1910 when they discovered a new process to produce matte glazed pottery. It was known as the Rhodian process, which is actually the name of one of the most popular decors. It was known as matte glazed pottery.
Collectors Weekly: What characterizes the Gouda pottery that you have showcased on your website?
Lonsdale: The flowery and curvaceous designs. Whereas Holland started with Art Nouveau. Mainly you concentrate on the matte glaze, which for us is the mixture of abstract and floral designs. You can mix the two together and it makes a lot of bright colors. The use of bright colors and the mixture of floral, abstract, and geometric designs all on the same piece is a lot more attractive to us.
Collectors Weekly: Was there a strong differentiation between the Art Nouveau movement and Art Deco in terms of Gouda designs?
Lonsdale: Not necessarily between the periods… the designs, shapes, forms, and patterns blend together. Holland also produced simple abstract designs which are definitely Art Deco, not Art Nouveau. Whichever design you like, that is the most attractive part of it. They produced abstract floral – not just the Art Nouveau floral, but abstract floral, which sounds a bit silly. It wasn’t floral and it wasn’t abstract; it was a mixture of both. Of course, they also produced a lot of geometric designs, which a lot of Art Deco pottery did.
Collectors Weekly: Were there any particularly influential designers or pottery schools?
Carna, Zenith Factory - c.1923 to 1930 Painted by Thomas Johannes Luiten
Lonsdale: I’d have to say just the Amsterdam school. There were quite a lot of designers who worked for other factories and moved to Zuid-Holland when the PZH factories started. A lot of really good designers started working for PZH and carried on the designs from the Art Nouveau period into the Art Deco period. That’s what attracted us to them – the mixture of abstract forms with floral forms, which were highly unusual. No other pottery factory has done that. It’s not just one form; it’s a mixture of all different forms. I think what most people find attractive is the mixture of different bright colors.
Gouda pottery was exported by the millions all over the world. You name a country and it was exported to it; all over England, America, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand. Millions of pieces were exported – vases, plates, you name it. They’re not hand-thrown, they’re all molded from liquid clay, but every one is hand-painted. That’s why there were so many different artists that worked for all the different factories.
They’re signed on the bottom, mostly by the person that painted them. It’s not really their signature in full but their initials, because when they were making them, they had to know which particular person made which pot. They were paid by the number of pots they produced, so the initial was used by the factories to determine how many pieces were made.
We collect all sorts, all designers, all painters, all years, from 1900 up to the 1950s and the 1960s. We collect everything.
Collectors Weekly: Was Gouda made in sets?
Lonsdale: Yes, there were some sets. There were lots of tea sets. There were smoking sets. There were drinking sets with trays and cups. There were individual pieces with pairs of vases. You can think of anything and it was made. A lot have survived in sets, but mainly you will find individual pieces, because sets tend to get broken up. One piece tends to get broken. You can still find sets, but most pieces you’ll find were part of a set or produced individually.
Collectors Weekly: Was there a certain period of time when people really started to get interested in collecting Gouda pottery?
Jugendstil, GeWi Factory - circa 1980 Painted by Paul A. Daelmans
Lonsdale: I don’t know when people started collecting Gouda pottery. We have some friends in Holland who’ve been collecting it for many years, a lot longer than we have. If I would guess when people first started collecting, it would be mainly after World War II.
You have to remember, pottery wasn’t made for collecting; it was made to be used. It would have been found in a lot of homes in Holland, and the people who owned it wouldn’t have thought twice about it. For them, it was everyday household pottery that just happened to be bright and colorful. After World War II when the factories started to close is probably when people started to take an interest in it.
I suppose you could say the heyday of Gouda pottery ended in the mid-1930s with the recession, which was all over the world. After that, a lot of the factories, not just Gouda factories but factories all around the world, just simply didn’t recover. During World War II, when the Germans invaded Holland, they took over the Zuid-Holland factory, and the employees were forced to make pottery for the German market. There were still some pieces made, but mainly they were forced to make pottery for the domestic German market.
Collectors Weekly: Are there certain Gouda pottery items that are particularly sought after?
Isolde, Arnhem Factory - c.1925
Lonsdale: We never use the word “rare.” I don’t think there’s such a thing.” Names such as Chris van de Hoef are highly sought after by collectors, and some of their pieces can command very high prices.
Most people start collecting Gouda pottery because they like the look of it. They probably even didn’t know what it was when they started out. Maybe they looked at a piece, thought it was nice, turned it over and saw it said “Gouda” on the underneath.
We get that in e-mails. People say, “We went to an antique shop and we picked up this piece because we liked it. Then we discovered that it was Gouda, and we went on the Internet and typed in the word ‘Gouda,’ and it brought us to your website.” They send us a picture and they want to know more about it. When we tell them information about it, they say “Well, perhaps we should collect some more.” It’s so colorful; it’s so bright. It does stand out.
Like I said, pottery wasn’t made for people to collect; it was made for people to buy. If the Arts and Crafts movement was what people liked, then that’s what the pottery factories would make. It’s the same reason why the pottery factory declined after the war: people’s tastes changed, so the factories had to start making items that people wanted. The trouble was that there were lots of other countries that started making it a lot cheaper.
Collectors Weekly: You have pages from other collectors on your website. How did you start doing that?
Lonsdale: They just contacted us by email and said, “We have a collection. Would you like to put it on the website?” So we did. I think most people collect like we do, which is a varied selection, not necessarily themed. Mostly what I can see on our website are the very varied collections. We have lots of wall plates, lots of vases, lots of figurines. We also have a lot which will never be on the website because it’s a private collection.
Collectors Weekly: Tell us a little bit about the figurines.
Rhodian - 1924
Lonsdale: In Dutch it’s “plastiek,” which means “figurine.” We have quite a lot of figurines in our collection, mainly the plain cream ones or plain white ones. They were not necessarily for use in the home; they were more decorative.
Think of a shape and that’s it; all types of shapes, not necessarily one particular one. Animals are very popular. Shapes of people are very popular. Naked ladies are very popular. Figurines of all sorts are quite collectible, particularly by the designer Chris van de Hoef. His figurines are very collectible, mainly from the 1920s and 1930s.
I think the figurines were all sold individually, although there may have been a theme. We particularly like bears and elephants. We have quite a few in the collection.
Collectors Weekly: What are the best places to look for Gouda pottery?
Lonsdale: Nowadays, you can find it on eBay, but we don’t tend to buy off eBay anymore. We tend to buy mainly from antique shops and antique fairs or on our travels to Holland. Our friends will often buy pieces for us or tell us of pieces available in Holland that we buy when we visit.
There are no Gouda collectors clubs. A lot of our friends in Holland do get together and travel to collectors’ fairs, but they don’t actually sit down and discuss the pottery. Occasionally the museum in Gouda has an appraisal where people can bring in their pieces of Gouda pottery and the collectors give information on them, but they don’t do that on a regular basis.
Collectors Weekly: Thank you so much for your time Stuart.
(All images in this article courtesy Stuart Lonsdale of Gouda Design)
i recently inherited two gouda vases of which i know little about. one of the vases is in the shape of a pitcher. on the bottom of the vase are the numbers 976, below that is the word caprice. below the word caprice is the drawing of a windmill. to the right of the windmill are the numbers 845. to the left is what seems to be two diamond shapes, one above the other divided by a straight line. any info you might have in this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Charles. Your vases were made in Gouda by Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland (PZH).
The decor name is ‘Caprice’. Date is 1924. If you contact us by the email address on our website and send pictures we can tell you more information. Stuart at Gouda-Design. http://www.goudadesign.co.uk.
I recently found a vase at a yard sale that had the words, and numbers centered under the bottom, from top to bottom: “1106″, “westland.”,…now this is where it gets a bit tricky; there is a ‘little house’, and on the left of it is, what appears to be either an “F” or some sort of symbol (the ‘F’ has 2 marks on the opposite side than expected; it almost looks like a tiny antenna), with what appears to be a “6″ directly beneath it; on the right, there are two letters which appear to be “P.A.”, then “GOUDA” and “HOLLAND”. It is 12in. tall, 8in. wide, approx. 24.5in in dia. at its broadest point, and is in excellent condition. (I have pics available.) I was able to find one other piece on-line, at a site called rubylane.com that was a ‘compote’ in the same “Westland” design. Could you give me any info on the age of this vase? I would appreciate any help that you could provide. Thank You!
Hi Emily. Your vase was made in Gouda by Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland (PZH). The decor is a matte glaze called ‘Westland’. From your description the date would appear to be June 1919. The painter ‘PA’ can be one of two people. If you contact us by the email address on our website and send pictures we can tell you more information. Regards. Stuart at Gouda-Design. http://www.goudadesign.co.uk
I have a small vase, black fluted top and black round the bottom. I think the number on the bottom is 703 or it could be 701, then the name Clara and the surname is not clear. It could be Been, Beon or B–n, then Holland. Any ideas? Cherry
I just aquired an inkwell and on the back it says REVAIA 10’s a crown Daria then W D Gouda Holland, can you tell me about it? Thank you, I live in Massachusetts, USA
Hello Cheryl. The decor name of your vase is ‘Clara’. However, that decor name was used by about three factories. I really need to see a picture of the markings. If you contact us by the email address on our website and send pictures we can tell you more information. Please tell us on your email that your query came from ‘The Collectors Weekly’. Regards. Stuart at Gouda-Design. http://www.goudadesign.co.uk
Hello Joyce. Your inkwell was made in Gouda by the Regina factory. The decor name is probably ‘Darla’. This decor was made from the mid 1920’s until after WW2. So I need to see a picture of the marks to tell you the date. If you contact us by the email address on our website and send pictures we can tell you more information. Please tell us on your email that your query came from ‘The Collectors Weekly’. Regards. Stuart at Gouda-Design. http://www.goudadesign.co.uk
I bought a cache pot in a second-hand store last weekend – I liked the look of it. Spent most of the weekend on the net, including your site, trying to discover more about it.
The mark on the bottom reads: 2810/26, frieda, koninklijk, Gouda, then there’s a crown which I believe dates it to 1957, Royal, little house(PZH), made in holland, R
A similar cache pot with the name ‘Verinique’ exists.
I found nothing on the net for frieda.
Hello Michael. Your cachepot was made in Gouda by Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland (PZH). The decor is called ‘Frieda’. This decor was produced between 1957 – 1964. The painter (R) was probably Marinus Aart Snelleman. The number 2810/26 is the model shape and size. Several sizes of cachepot were made in model number 2810. The number after the ‘/’ relates to the different sizes. The higher the number, the larger the pot. Koninklijk means ‘Royal’. I trust this information was helpful to you? Regards. Stuart. http://www.goudadesign.co.uk
Do the numbers on my Gouda Holland jar mean anything? They are above what I believe is the design name (Anjer) 1152
Hello Marilyn. There are usually two numbers on Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland (PZH) items. One is the model (shape) number and the other just relates to a batch number or retailers code, etc. In your case the 1152 is the model number. This is for a small rounded lidded vase/tobacco jar. The decor name is ‘Anjer’ which is Dutch for ‘Carnation’. Hope that helps. Regards. Stuart. http://www.goudadesign.co.uk
Hi Stuart,
I wouldlike to send you an email for identification of a piece I just bought. But I cannot find your email address. Would you please be so kind to let me know?
Thanks and Kind regards,
Jaap
Hello Jaap. Our email address can be found on our website at http://www.goudadesign.co.uk. Just enter the site and scroll down to the bottom of the page. You will see it there. Regards. Stuart.
We have a bowl/dish with the following marks.
5079 Kuala Royal “Zuid Holland” Tite Gouda Grateful if you can identify.
Kind Regards
Shirley
Hello Shirley. Your bowl was made in Gouda by Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland (PZH). The decor name is ‘Kuala’. 5079 is the model (shape) number. The word you say is ‘Tite’ is probably the painters mark (it just looks like the word ‘Tite’) but without actually seeing a picture of the base marks I cannot tell you the painter or the exact date. The date will be sometime in the 1950’s to 1960’s. If you go to our website at http://www.goudadesign.co.uk and contact us by email you can send pictures. Regards. Stuart.
I have a small black flower pattern vase #241 on the bottom with the wb crown it also says regina on it. Can you please tell me more
Hello Ralph. Your vase was made in Gouda by Kunstaardewerkfabriek (Art Pottery Factory) Regina. The number 241 refers to the model/shape. The ‘WB’ is for the founders Want & Barras. Regina made several decors with black backgrounds and floral designs so it will be impossible to tell you the name of the decor and the date without seeing a picture of the marks. If you contact us by email and send pictures we can help. Go to the website at http://www.goudadesign.co.uk and you will find the email address there. Regards. Stuart.
I have a Gouda Vase about 12.5 inches tall and 7 inches diameter with the markings H etched into base
1814
RAJU with a house with 2 lines thru it and a sideways 7 with a line.
Below that, gouda plazuid Holland with a triangle/cross under triangle, all this in olive green writing and 4379 in blue at top to right of 1814.
At the bottom of all this is what looks like a “T” , two brackets, a 1 and a 4. It is a beautiful vase, floral with black around base and inside lip. I would appreciate any info, thank you.
Hello Lisa. Your vase was made in Gouda by Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland (PZH). The decor is called ‘Raju’. From your description the date is circa 1930. The word ‘Plazuid’ is a contraction of ‘Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland’ and was introduced after 1928. The 1814 is the model/shape number. The other number in blue 4379 and the incised marks are just in-house batch, retailers codes, etc. Without seeing the base marks I cannot possibly tell you the painter as there were hundreds! Many had the same initials and it is only by seeing the ’style’ of their mark one can tell who was who! If you contact us by email and send pictures we can help. Go to the website at http://www.goudadesign.co.uk and you will find the email address there. Regards. Stuart.
This is a fascinating interview.
I do have a question. About 40 years ago, I walked into an antique store and immediately spotted theree small pieces of Gouda (each only about 3-inches tall) so I got all excited. But then discovered that they were marked “Japan” on the bottoms. I still have them. Do you know anything about these look-a-likes? Thanks
Hello Jarrett. Thank you for your question. I can understand you mistaking the Japanese ‘look-a-likes’ for the real thing. At first glance they are very similar. Interestingly the Japanese had a big influence on the early designs of Gouda pottery. Japanese Imari porcelain work and the woodcuts of stylised flowers and bird designs, etc. all these elements were incorporated into the decor and design of Dutch pottery in the late 19th C. and early 20th C. When Dutch pottery was shown at the World Fairs in the 1900 – 1920’s period the Japanese bought many of the items and in one case purchased a complete display! The ‘Gouda style’ of pottery, which we are all familiar with, became so popular that it was inevitable that others would copy it. Here is where the Japanese ‘look-a-likes’ would come in – the 1920’s and 1930’s. If you look on our website at http://www.goudadesign.co.uk and go to the Gouda Copies pages you will see many items of Japanese Gouda ‘look-a-likes’ from people who collect them. Kind regards. Stuart.
Regarding the Japanese ‘look-a-likes’. I forgot to mention that they were not only produced during the 1920’s and 1930’s but continued to be made after WW2. Examples of this would be the copies of some Flora pottery decors. The Flora pottery factory in Gouda was not founded until 1945 and one can see Japanese copies of ‘Rumba’ and other decors. Stuart.
Hi, I have 2 beautiful Regina Rood bud vases that I would like to send you a picture & get your opinion on, but I my link to your email address is not working! Would you please type out your email address & I’ll manually enter it? Thank you
Erin
Hello Erin. I will spell it out so the nasty ’spam spiders’ don’t get at it. You can work it out! It is – deco (at) goudadesign (dot) co (dot) uk. Regards. Stuart.
Hi, I recently bought a little pink jug in mottled design with pink and gold. It has a very Art Deco look about it. Markings underneath is “Made in Gouda, Holland” and the numbers 533 impressed in it’s base. Can you tell me anything about this jug? Thanks, Michelle
Hello Michelle. Thank you for your question. From your description the jug was probably made by Plateelbakkerij Jumbo. Jumbo was founded in Gouda in 1953 and it closed in 1997. The marbled effect decors with the gold highlights on the handle and rim can be seen mainly in pink or grey-green. Sometimes the marbled effect can look like trees. Often the decor name on small items was omitted from the base marks but one of the pink decors is called ‘Rosette’. The date will be from circa 1955 to 1965. The number 533 is the model/shape. Regards. Stuart.