The Annual Winterthur Museum Ceramics Conference is being held April 15 and
16th, 2010.  The title of the conference is “Success to America” with the
focus on wares imported into the American market.  Most of the papers have a
good deal of relevance to those working with excavated assemblages.  The
following papers should be of interest:



Pat Halfpenny, former Curator of Ceramics and Glass at Winterthur

“Just imported in the latest vessels from England”: Staffordshire Pottery &
Colonial America.”



            “Success to America: Creamware for the American Market”



Robin Emmerson, Head of Decorative Arts, National Museums, Liverpool,
England

            “Pots” from Liverpool and the Herculaneum Pottery”



Ronald W. Fuchs II, Curator of the Reeves Collection at Washington & Lee
University.

            “Ahoy! Ship Bowls in Pottery and Porcelain”



Leslie Grigsby, Curator of Ceramics and Glass, Winterthur Museum

            “American Merchants Orders from Abroad.”



Maurice Hillis, Researcher and Collector, Chester, England

            “Prints on Pots: The Invention & Development of Ceramic
Printing.”



Maggie Lidz, Estate Historian, Winterthur Museum

            “Mr. du Pont’s Ceramics from Abroad: Pagodas”



In addition to the formal lectures there will be a demonstration of glue bat
printing by Paul Holdway.  Bat printing is a process also known as black
printing and cold printing and is the process for printing on the glaze.  The
earliest printing on ceramics was printed with glue bats and this process
stopped being used over a century ago.  Paul has spent his career as an
engraver for the Spode works in Stoke-on-Trent.  He used historical
descriptions in combination of his knowledge as an engraver to recreate the
bat printing process.  There are photographs of him applying bat prints to
wares in David Drakard and Paul Holdway’s book *Spode Transfer Printed Ware
1784-1833*.  I have seen this demonstration and it is very worthwhile in
gaining an understanding of overglaze printing of wares.



A series of workshops are also being presented.  They are:



Robin Emmerson                    “A Closer Look at Wedgwood”



Maurice and Lyn Hillis            “Selections from 18th-century English
Porcelain”



Pat Halfpenny                           “Underglaze Blue-Printed
Earthenware”



Leslie Grigsby                           “Ceramic Figures: Comparisons and
Contrasts.”



The conference also included tours of the Winterthur Ceramics Collections.



Winterthur Museum located on 5105 Kennett Pike, just outside Wilmington,
Delaware and further information can be obtained from Winterthur’s
Information and Tours office at 800-448-3883.



Hope to see more archaeologists there.



Peace

George L. Miller