A Tale From The Lakes
The Lake District's rolling hills and tranquil waters have seduced and inspired many writers, artists and nature lovers over the centuries. Even today, it remains one of the most rural, unspoilt areas of the British Isles - home to a huge variety of wildlife.
One writer and artist who was so inspired by her childhood holidays in the Lake District that she made it her home was Beatrix Potter. Her paintbrush gave birth to many memorable characters such as Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddleduck and Tabitha Twitchit, whose natural habitat was the Lakes and their surrounding hillsides.
The recent film "Miss Potter", starring Renee Zellweger, has undoubtedly helped to raise the profile of these wonderful children's stories, but as any collector of storybook figurines will know, Beswick's Beatrix Potter figurines have never lost their appeal - remaining in production for more than 40 years following their introduction in 1947.
The production process used to create these colourful earthenware figurines changed very little throughout those 40 years, and despite the figures being transferred to the Royal Albert brand in 1989, the quality and finish of these figurines remained unchanged.
Design
First, the designer will study the original illustrations and stories - to really understand the character he or she will be drawing.
This is followed by the initial design phase - the designer decides on a suitable pose for the new figure and produces initial drawings for the modeller to work with.
Modelling
The modeller takes the designer's drawings and constructs an initial prototype from modelling clay - at this stage no colour is involved. This initial model is used to produce a master mould made from plaster of Paris. It is quite common for a model to be moulded in several pieces, which are assembled afterwards.
The master mould is then used to produce several fully-decorated prototypes for approval by the copyright holder - in Beatrix Potter's case by her original publishers, F. Warne & Co. Ltd.
Production
When the figure goes into production, the master mould is used to produce several working moulds. Each of these is filled with slip (liquid clay) and then left for a time. The moisture from the slip is gradually absorbed into the mould, resulting in the model body starting to harden from the outside inwards.
Once the slip has hardened to a suitable thickness (remember that storybook figurines are hollow), the remaining slip is poured out of the mould, which is then carefully removed from the model body.
Note the publisher's name, F Warne & Co Ltd, on the base of these hollow figurines.If the figure is being made in more than one part, the parts are now assembled, using slip as an adhesive. The resultant piece is carefully wiped with a sponge to remove any signs of joins and is left to dry out.
Firing & Decoration
The figurine's first firing is in the biscuit kiln - producing a hardened but undecorated figurine, ready for decoration.
Each figure is handpainted, using colours that are carefully chosen to stay true to the original illustrations. A second firing follows to fix the colour before a final coat of glaze is applied and the figure is fired in the glost kiln.
The finished result has the rich, varied colours and hard, clear glazed finish that is so characteristic of these Beswick (and Royal Albert) figurines and so beloved of collectors around the world.
Best Wishes,
Perfect Pieces
Newsletters
Here you'll find a list of our past newsletters. They feature information on different potteries, some of our featured stock and information on antique fairs and general news from the antique and collectors world!
Happy reading!
- Happy Christmas from Perfect Pieces!
- Christmas Offers & New Stock!
- Late Summer Offers & New Stock Updates...
- A Visit To York & More Special Offers!
- Summer Is Here! Summer Antique Fairs, Special Offers & More!
- Summer Is Approaching - Antique Fairs, New Stock & A Special Offer!
- Springtime & Bunnies - Antique Fairs & New Stock!
- Special Offers, Antique Fairs & New Stock!
- Spring Antique Fairs & Rabbits Galore!
- Happy New Year!
- Merry Christmas From Perfect Pieces!
- Unique & Collectable Christmas Gift Ideas!
- Will The Sunshine Hold For September?! Antique Fairs & PenDelfin Rabbits
- Summer Continues...Retired PenDelfin & Troika Pottery Galore
- Summer Sunshine At A Norfolk Antique Fair
- Summer Sunshine & Cornish Treats!
- PenDelfin Rabbits Galore!
- Troika Pottery, PenDelfin Rabbits & Puzzling Pottery Marks!
- Are We Going To Have Snow This Easter?!
- Happy Valentine's Day!
- Welcome To 2013!
- Happy Christmas From Perfect Pieces!
- Countdown To Christmas!
- Troika Pottery - A Popular Cornish Collectable!
- Denby Pottery
- Antique Fairs, New Stock & More Rain!
- Antique Fairs, Diamond Jubilee Celebrations, New Stock & Lots Of Rain!
- Summertime News & More Pottery Marks!
- Happy Easter from Perfect Pieces!
- Spring Fairs & Mothering Sunday - It's March!
- February News - Antique Fairs, New Stock & PenDelfin Rabbits!
- Happy New Year - Welcome To 2012!
- Merry Christmas From Perfect Pieces!
- Make This Year A Collectable Christmas With Perfect Pieces!
- Happy Halloween - Halloween Treats From Perfect Pieces!
- Perfect Pieces On The TV!
- Summer Holiday Reads - Antique & Collectable Book Reviews!
- Antiques Worldwide This Summer!
- Sunshine & Gales Calls For Blustery Antique Fairs!
- Royal Weddings & Easter Eggs!
- Steaming Around York
- Bruges: Chocolates & Curiosities
- Welcome to 2011. Doesn’t time seem to fly?!
- Merry Christmas From Perfect Pieces
- Burra Bears - A Unique Piece Of Shetland
- Lord Nelson Memorabilia And Collectables
- Steaming Into Autumn
- Antiques In The Summertime
- Pottering Around Antique Centres
- Father's Day Gift Ideas 2010
- A Flying Visit To Limoges
- Spring Is Here - Time To Get Out More!
- West Country Potteries
- February, Fairs & Valentine's Day
- Only Two Weeks Until Christmas...
- Collectables Don’t Have To Be Clutter
- Seeing Double? Not Necessarily...
- Errington Reay: A Real, Live, British Pottery
- Books, Books & More Books...
- Identifying Pottery Marks - Where to Start?
- Learning About Antiques & Collectables
- Happy New Year and welcome to 2009!
- Perfect Pieces Christmas Sale & Shipping Dates
- Thanks, Jean: A Look Back At 51 Years of PenDelfin
- A Visit to Newark International Antiques Fair
- Antique & Collectors Fairs: Are They Worth Visiting?
- Carlton Ware at the NEC
- A Potted History: Charlotte Rhead
- Troika Pottery: Stronger Today than 25 Years Ago?
- Springtime from a Tyneside pottery
- Poole Pottery: Phoenix from the Ashes?
- Daytime TV, Retro Glass & Bamboo...
- Merry Christmas from Perfect Pieces!
- The Enduring Appeal of the Supernatural - Still Popular Today?
- Understanding Pottery Marks
- Three Techniques: Many Styles - A look at three important decorating techniques
- Children's Wares For Grown-Up Collectors
- A Tale From The Lakes
- The Cornish Effect
- From Buyouts To Bunnies...
- From Switzerland to Stoke: Crown Devon's European Import
- Pottery Marks Guide and Pottery Valuation & Appraisal Service
- A Lustre Alternative - Matt Glazed Wares, Art Deco Style
- Truda Carter - Poole Pottery's Greatest Art Deco Designer?
- Odd Ones Out - Three unusual pieces from Wedgwood, Pendelfin and Troika
- Antique Pottery Price Guide Goes Live, and a look at three contrasting 1930s pieces.
- Focus on Carlton Ware - One Shape, Many Patterns
- Wedgwood: The legacy of Keith Murray
- Wonderful Wedgwood Lustre, and a couple of true British Collectables
- A rare Crown Devon Musical, some 1930s Maling lustre, and an early Poole Jug
- A look at the enduring appeal of Poole Pottery's 1950s Freeform Range