Discovering the story behind Linn Ware

Before buying a work of art, pottery or furniture I prefer to read up on the artist. The reason why I never did this for Linn Ware was because I never intended to start a collection.

I enjoy the stories connected with objects and places, sometimes more than the object itself. After my latest purchase of Linn Ware, I realised that I know very little about the group of women potters who created all these beautiful items that can still be found in small collections in antique shops in the Cape. Gauteng is a different matter altogether. In Gauteng, one can still encounter collections of bigger pieces for sale.

At Riaan Bolt’s stall at the latest South African Antique Dealers’ Association (SAADA) Expo held in the V and A Waterfront, Cape Town, it came as no surprise that much of his collection of Linn Ware that he brought from Gauteng was sold within minutes. For once, I was relieved that we went early and I had time to choose the pieces that I wanted before it turned into a ‘feeding frenzy’.

A brief history of Linn Ware 1942 to 1954

The Olifantsfontein kilns Photo: http://www.artefacts.co.za/

The high quality of clay found at Olifantsfontein, prompted Sir Thomas Cullinan to start a company that would produce fine china. He had built a special "potters' village" and factory where he employed trained potters from Stoke-on-Trent. The first pottery was called ‘Transvaal Potteries’. The pottery closed in May 1914. This was succeeded by the Ceramic Studio, which was founded in 1926 and became known as Linn Ware in 1942.

Audrey Frank, one of the artists working at the Ceramic Studio, remembers the potteries as follows; “There were sprawling workshops surrounding huge coal-fired bottle and tunnel kilns of the Consolidated Brick and Pottery factory. A private railway with one engine, for the use of the factory, ran to and from the railway station. There was a large clay pit where the clay for the bricks and tiles was quarried. The railway station was about 1 mile away and the road to it was a sandy track, often ankle deep in sand. The dwellings at Olifantsfontein were single storied, low-roofed semi-detached cottages in a long row about a quarter of a mile from “The Works”. There was one little primary school and tennis court, and one small so-called “hall” wedged between “The Green Gate” and another cottage. One general dealer’s store supplied our groceries. There was a large compound for the African labourers who worked at the factory. Around us stretched open veldt with gum tree plantations in the distance.”

The Ceramic Studio was faced with closure during World War II, due to the loss of staff to the war effort and the unavailability of imported clays and glazes. Many of the Linn Ware glazes were developed locally because of the unavailability of imported glazes. After the Ceramic Studio closed, all the British potters were sent home and the workshops, kilns and special cottages were abandoned.

There are different theories as to precisely when the Linn Ware studios closed. But according to Artefacts, the online resource pages; “Patrick Cullinan, the last manager of the works states that the pottery studio closed in early 1954.”

Linn Ware markings

On our Linn Ware pieces we have found different markings.

The transitional mark from Ceramic Studios to Linn Ware seemed to be the ‘hut’ or ‘bowl’ stamped on the underside of each piece.

Then the words Linn Ware written underneath each piece, seems to date from after the Conrand Company bought the studio in 1943 and continued as the practice until as late as 1949.

The LW stamp that appears under each piece seems to be a later marking.

Artists who worked at the Linn Ware studio

Joan Foster Methley and Thelma Newlands-Currie were two artists that worked for both the Ceramic Studio and Linn Ware.

In “The Women of Olifantsfontein - South African studio ceramics” by Melanie Hillebrand, compiled for an exhibition held in the South African National Gallery in Cape Town in 1991, I found the following information about them.

Joan Methley  photo: The Women of Olifantsfontein

Joan Foster Methley (1898 – 1975) worked at the two studios from 1926 to 1952. She trained at the Durban School of Art (1916-1918) and the Royal College of Art, London (1919-1921). She was a co-founder of the Ceramic Studio and manager of Linn Ware. 

Thelma Newlands-Currie Photo:The Women of Olifantsfontein

Thelma Newlands-Curry (1903-1990) worked at the two studios from 1928 to 1935 and part-time from 1935 to 1952. She trained at the Durban School of Art and the Royal College of Art, London as well and was employed by the studios as designer/decorator.

Painting by Thelma Newlands-Currie of the Olifantsfontein kilns Photo: http://www.artefacts.co.za/

Joan Methley had this to say about their vision for the studio, “It is to be hoped that pottery as it develops in this country will reflect the personality of South Africa and not be merely a soulless imitation of that which originates in other countries”. (Methley, J . The development of Pottery Making in South Africa, The Common Room Magazine, Somer 1926, p.24.) 

Frank Agliotti was a skilled Italian potter who worked at the Ceramic Studio from 1926 to 1931. He took over throwing from Gladys Short, the other founder member of the Ceramic Studio. He later left the studio to start his own business. Joseph Agliotti, who was trained by his father, took over as thrower from 1940 to 1952.

The following anecdote of Frank Agliotti was recorded in "The women of Olifantsfontein": “The staff included an old Italian thrower who was short but strong and able to throw whatever was required. He could throw huge Aladdin style garden pots which had to be built up in stages. As the pot grew Agliotti had to stand on throwing “bats” of wood to gain height and his arms were stretched to the armpits to reach into and pull up the sides of the pot. Visitors came out from Pretoria and Johannesburg to see and buy pots. On one occasion Princess Alice of Athlone paid a visit. Having demonstrated his skill, Agliotti persuaded her to try her hand at throwing, which of course, he controlled with his own strong fingers, and she was given her effort. “Nice, these high up people!”was his comment.”

In Heymans's thesis there is also mention of four unknown Italian prisoners-of-war who were potters at the Ceramic Studio.

South Africa has a proud history of creative people. If one looks at the number of public buildings that were decorated with tiles and sculptures made by the Ceramic Studio, the question arises as to how many of these works of art have been lost or survive or were simply recorded.

I believe that the potters of Olifantsfontein and their works deserve more research and recording. I for one have learnt a lot from my limited reading of the history of Linn Ware and would like to know more. What I have read provides me with a new appreciation for these works of art.


Adding Linn Ware to the Towerwater library (Read more about the latest publication on Linn Ware)

Sources:

http://www.artefacts.co.za/

The women of Olifantsfontein-South African studio ceramics by Melanie Hillebrand, 1991

Pottebakkerswerk in Suid-Afrika met spesifieke verwysing na die werk wat vanaf 1925 to 1952 by Olifansfontein gedoen is by Johanna Adriana Heymans, Master Thesis 1989 

Rescuing Linn Ware

I think we are compulsive collectors. Towerwater has a variety of collections ranging from tables to chairs to teapots and more. We collect things because of their beauty and the pleasure they bring to our lives. 

Detail of a Linn Ware bowl

When I reflected on the concept of what makes a collection, I discovered that there is no minimum number of items for a collection. In theory, it is possible to have a collection containing only one item! Within that description, Towerwater is just one big collection.

The eminent Victorian, William Morris said, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” Well, we try to stick to that dictum at Towerwater.

We never intended to collect Linn Ware, South African pottery made by a group of women in Olifantsfontein, near the city of Pretoria, between 1942 and 1954.

Linn Ware bowl with rose

Detail of Linn Ware rose

Linn Ware is best known for the beautiful green and blue hues of their glazes. But, in fact, Linn Ware was manufactured in many different colours. When we randomly came across Linn Ware in second-hand shops from time to time, we would buy them to spare them the insult of being in the company of lesser ceramics.

I felt so embarrassed for them where they often would be standing amongst odd pieces of bric-à-brac; marked at prices that were not appropriate for royalty of the 20^th Century South African pottery world. We rescued bowls for R8 each at one time and never paid more than R28 a piece, until now.

Other pieces were given to us by friends as gifts, but we never regarded it as a collection that needed to grow. We never searched for Linn Ware. When Keith had to move to Pretoria, we were astounded by the amount of good quality Linn Ware that was available in Gauteng Province.

The latest addition to 'not the Linn Ware Collection'

When I saw a pure white Linn Ware bowl, I was in love. It was different and beautiful but unfortunately sold by the time we made enquiry. So I had a new mission, find a white Linn Ware bowl.

I like plain classic designs that add something timeless to a room. When I saw two near-identical light-coloured Linn Ware bowls at an antique expo at the Cape Town Waterfront, I did not think twice about buying them. On their unwrapping at Towerwater and putting all the various pieces together on the dining-room table, we realised that we had a fair collection of Linn Ware.

Have I crossed a collector’s line with my latest Linn Ware purchase? Am I destined to search second hand and antique shops, and markets for more and more pieces to add to the ‘collection’? Only time will tell.