Unique appeal

The cheerful colors and designs of Gaudy Welsh china look amazingly bright and clean for pottery that is more than 150 years old. It was all hand decorated, so each piece is unique, unlike the mass-produced “transfer” process that started around 1840. The uniqueness of each piece makes Gaudy Welsh particularly appealing to collectors and it looks great in a mass display on dresser. Gaudy Welsh is full of surprises:

Surprise No. 1

Most Gaudy Welsh isn’t Welsh. The style began in Wales, but it was mostly manufactured in the numerous potteries of Staffordshire in England. from 1820 to 1850. Gaudy Welsh was relatively inexpensive porcelain aimed at ordinary families. Its colors were based on Japanese Imari china. Decorations were mostly floral, and makers rarely added their names on the back. The style became hugely popular in America. Ironically, it is now more plentiful in the US that the UK.

Surprise No.2

To complicate things more, some Gaudy is “Dutch.” and some is “Gaudy Ironstone”. Gaudy Dutch was made for the American market: mainly German settlers in Pennsylvania who loved bright colors and were known as Pennsylvania “Dutch”… a mispronunciation of “Deutsch” (German). It is mostly earlier (1810 to 1830) than Gaudy Welsh and is now rarer and more expensive Gaudy Ironstone (see right picture above) was later than Gaudy Welsh and was made of heavy ironstone rather than light, translucent porcelain.

Surprise No. 3

Another surprise: Most of the names given to Gaudy Welsh are not original. They were created by collectors for identifying common patterns (grape, tulip and oyster, for example… which may explain why they look so unlike grapes, tulips and oysters!)

Surprise No 4

A nice surprise, this one! Gaudy Welsh is surprisingly affordable . A plate may cost around $40, a nice cup and saucer may be $60. Rare examples go for much more. The market price is steady and value grows as demand increases.

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