Tole Peinte - Antiques Info

Tole Peinte Metalware
Polychrome decorated Tole Peinte jardiniere late 19thC, decorated in
chinoiserie manner. Sold £720. Christie’s Images Ltd, 2006.
Tole Peinte - Painted
by Zita Thornton
Metalware
From the eighteenth century European fashion tried to imitate the
Oriental technique of coating articles with many layers of lacquer
decorated with coloured ornamental motifs. The process, using
layers of varnish, was named japanning and was used for all kinds
of furniture and smaller decorative household items. This
technique was used to coat metal items after tinplating was
pioneered in the metal works of John Hanbury in the town of
Pontypool in South Wales in the late seventeenth century. The thin
sheets of iron, plated with tin were used for household articles
such as kettles and saucepans. It was the manager of the
ironworks, Thomas Allgood who developed the recipe for
japanning the tin plate. He was looking for a corrosion resistant
coating for metal when he developed a varnish which included
linseed oil, asphaltum and burnt umber. When added to metal and
heated the result was a durable, rich black finish. Many Pontypool
japanned items survive today without any signs of rust.
The durability of painted tin plate or Tole Peinte, made it ideal for
common, essential items such as trays, tobacco jars, biscuit tins
and kettles which were decorated with the black layers of varnish
and brightly coloured floral decorations. Their purchase from the
travelling ‘Tin Man’ was an affordable way of brightening up the
house and sat well alongside patchwork quilts, rag rugs and
gleaming brass. As the quality of Tole Peinte items improved
classier wine coolers, snuff boxes and candlesticks, festooned
with oriental scenes and exotic birds, reminiscent of their Oriental
origins, were bought by the upper classes. This wide range of
household items was produced throughout the heyday of
japanning metalware from the mid eighteenth century to the mid
nineteenth century, and even when the trade expanded out of
South Wales to the Midlands, such items were generally known as
Pontypool ware.
So durable was the finish of its items that a legend is told of a
wager between two manufacturers, William Allgood and a
Birmingham rival. A wager of five pounds was offered to Allgood
that he could not produce as superior an item as his own. Each
was to produce a snuff box to be assessed by all present. When the
boxes were submitted for inspection the finish of each was equal
but the design of the Birmingham example was thought to be the
best. Not to be outdone, Allgood jumped up asking for a pair of
tongs. He put the Pontypool box in the fire where it was removed
unscathed proving its strength and quality. His rival could not
guarantee the same result for his box so he lost the wager.
ANTIQUES INFO - May/June 07
French Tole Peinte candelabrum of Empire style, late 19thC (part lot
with a silvered and giltwood lyre finial). Sold £456. Christie’s Images
Ltd, 2006.
Although it was Thomas Allgood who invented the technique of
japanning tin plate the technique was not commercially developed
until after his death when it was taken up by his sons in 1732.
The Hanbury ironworks in Pontypool started small scale
production of Tole Peinte but the Allgoods soon started up their
own business in the area. Their trade expanded quickly with
orders for specially commissioned items such as trays depicting
their owner’s house or gardens or personal snuff boxes. Pontypool
Tole Peinte often had a distinctive tortoiseshell type finish and
was sold throughout the larger towns of England. It became
fashionable and expensive. A tray could cost 18 shillings and so
became a sign of wealth and status. Pieces of Pontypool ware
were presented by Hanbury to Catherine the Great of Russia.
However, family disputes and rivalries took some trade away
from Pontypool. Around 1763 two grandsons of the original
Allgood pioneer, Edward and Thomas, moved 6 miles away to
Usk, followed by most of the workers. Their business flourished
until the turn of the nineteenth century, with the death of the last
of the brothers. The Pontypool factory continued with new
backers and workers. A look at designs will help to differentiate
between the two wares. Pontypool has Chinese scenes and figures
whereas Usk used sporting and rustic scenes. A little over a
decade later in 1779 Thomas’ son Henry took the process to the
metal working areas of the Midlands, to John Taylor & Co. in
Birmingham where it became a rival of Pontypool. Left behind,
his brother, William Allgood responded by exporting his items to
the continent where it was well suited to outdoor items such as
jardinieres and window boxes and to the eastern ports of the USA
fashioned into chests, pails and tankards. From the late eighteenth
century until the mid nineteenth century the industry spread to
other Midland areas, in particular Bilston and Wolverhampton.
However, despite the Victorian love of bright and colourful
interiors Tole Peinte did not survive much beyond the mid
nineteenth century. One theory is that the fashion moved towards
japanned paper mache items instead. Certainly the Pontypool and
Usk Allgood factories closed in 1820 and 1860. Wolverhampton
Tole Peinte was produced until 1882.
Metal japanning took place in Europe in the first half of the
eighteenth century. In France the industry was centred around
Paris. The base metal was primarily copper with the finish
highlighted with bronze. However, because this metal has to be
hammered rather than rolled the uneven surface is not so suitable
Tole Peinte Metalware
for japanning and the finish easily flaked off. At the same time in Holland the industry
was found at Zeist and Hoorn. Dutch settlers took the trade to Pennsylvania which
became a centre in the USA. Continental manufacture had ceased by the end of the
nineteenth century.
Comprehensive collections of Pontypool ware can be viewed in South Wales at The
National Museum of Wales in Cardiff and The Newport Museum and Art Gallery in
Newport. Much Tole Peinte is offered for auction on the Continent, particularly Paris and
in America. However, Christies regularly offer Tole Peinte items in their South
Kensington sales. A good selection was offered in recent furniture sales and particularly
in their sale of the Dean Gipson Collection last November. In this sale a high price was
paid for a French wall clock (£1,560 hammer price). Table lamps sold for between £450
& £500 and a polychrome decorated jardiniere sold for a surprise £720 after an estimate
of £150-£250.
A sample price guide to Tole Peinte can be found on the next page. For further
examples subscribers can visit our website at: www.antiques-info.co.uk
Early Victorian Tole Peinte footbath - mid
19thC, with a marbled insert. Estimate £300500. Christie’s Images Ltd, 2006.
Pair of painted tole peinte urns late 19th/early
20thC, painted overall with landscapes.
Sold: £960. Christie’s Images Ltd, 2006.
Early Victorian Tole Peinte
French Tole Peinte wall clock 19thC, in the
shower, mid 19thC. Estimate
£800-£1,200. Christie’s Images form of a pocket watch with gilt heightened
Greek key banding. Sold £1,560. Christie’s
Ltd, 2006.
Images Ltd, 2006.
Large French Tole Peinte urn
with gilt classical motifs,
showing surface losses. Mid
19thC. Value £1,500.
French Tole Peinte lavabo
and basin with back splash,
decorated with floral motifs
on a mustard ground, late
19thC. Value £130.
Empire style Tole Peinte table
lamp on stepped square plinth
decorated with lyres and
cornucopia. Sold £456.
Christie’s Images Ltd, 2006.
Empire style gilt decorated
Tole Peinte regulateur table
lamp early 19thC, 19.5in high.
Sold £480. Christie’s Images
Ltd, 2006.
Top of the range candlestick in Tole Peinte,
ormolu, enamel and marble with matching
enamelled extinguisher, such as would have
been found in a wealthy home in 1800.
Value £1,500.
ANTIQUES INFO - May/June 07 7
Tole Peinte Metalware
Continued from pages 46 and 47.
1
15
10
20
5
20thC tole peinte & porcelain chandelier of 6 lights
and 6 candle arms decorated
overall with green leaves and
white flowers and a set of
seven wall appliques with
twin sconces to match. Lots
Road Auctions, Chelsea. Mar
02. HP: £1,500. ABP: £1,764.
Prices quoted are actual
hammer prices (HP) and the
Approximate Buyer’s Price.
(ABP) Includes an average
premium of 15% + VAT.
Ten tole ware heraldic shields
depicting college/university
coats of arms for Merton,
City of Oxford, Christchurch
etc, 31cm high incl.strap and
ring). Halls Fine Art,
Shrewsbury. Dec 06. HP:
£1,000. ABP: £1,176.
Late 19thC tole ware oval
tray table, floral decorated
border on faux bamboo
support, 26in. Gorringes,
Lewes. Jul 04. HP: £260.
ABP: £305.
19thC Pontypool type toleware tray, painted with
flowers and gilded grapevine
against a green ground,
17.5in. Gorringes, Bexhill.
Mar 02. HP: £200. ABP: £235.
19thC marble/ormolu occasional table, oval breche violet
marble top, supported on
green toleware legs, stamped
‘L Kahn’, 21.5 x 12 x 29in.
Hamptons, Godalming. Sep
01. HP: £1,450. ABP: £1,705.
21
16
6
11
Early 19thC oval Pontypool
or Usk 2-handled toleware
tray decorated with a floral
band on light brown ground,
26in. Gorringes, Lewes. Jul
00. HP: £360. ABP: £423.
Victorian toleware coal
scuttle, painted with a hound,
and a floral painted toleware
tray. Gorringes, Lewes. Jul
00. HP: £220. ABP: £258.
Regency tole decanter stand,
later adaptions, two tiers
painted with gilt foliage,
plated rim, three later cut
glass decanters and drinking
glasses, height 38cm.
Rosebery’s, London. Jan 07.
HP: £160. ABP: £188.
7
2
Set of 8 toleware coasters,
with petal shaped borders,
decorated in gilt on black
with named views of German
towns, 4.5in. Gorringes,
Lewes. Apr 05. HP: £100.
ABP: £117.
17
Tray top table, 19thC, painted
tole with canted corners, top
depicting an interior scene
with gamekeeper and his
family, 77cm wide. Lots Road
Auctions, Chelsea. Mar 04.
HP: £340. ABP: £399.
8
12
Continental tole peinte, waste
bin, 19thC, flared square
form, interior painted green,
landscape painted decoration
on the outside, two lion mask
& ring handles, lion paw feet
(1af).33cm height x 28cm
width. Rosebery’s, London.
Sep 04. HP: £220. ABP: £258.
Regency Toleware tea tray,
painted with a central panel
depicting two women, one
feeding chickens, the other
spinning, gilded stiff leaf
border on a black ground,
flared flower & fruit painted
rim, pierced loop handles,
27in wide. Hartleys, Ilkley.
Jun 06. HP: £150. ABP: £176.
18
Regency toleware elliptical
tea caddy, 4.5in. Gorringes,
Bexhill. Mar 02. HP: £90.
ABP: £105.
22
Tole ware tea cannister
(converted to a lamp base)
17in high. Sworders, Stansted
Mountfitchet. Jul 01. HP:
£70. ABP: £82.
23
Unusual Regency tole-ware
bonbon stand, chinoiserie
decoration, paw feet, 21 x
15cm. Reeman Dansie,
Colchester. Apr 06. HP: £50.
ABP: £58.
3
Set of six toleware tea
canisters, each numbered on
a green ground, 41cm high.
Rosebery’s, London. Feb 00.
HP: £1,200. ABP: £1,411.
4
Continental, ormolu, French
empire design, triple branch
bouillotte table lamp, 20thC,
column as a winged classical
female, tole ware shade, 90cm.
Rosebery’s, London. Mar 06.
HP: £320. ABP: £376.
13
French tole peinte centre
table, white marble serpentine
top, upon scrolling and floral
frame work, 78 x 69cm.
Rosebery’s, London. Jun 05.
HP: £220. ABP: £258.
9
14
Early 19thC toleware wine
cooler, decorated with
acanthus leaves and portrait
medallions on a mustard
yellow ground, with hinged
dome top enclosing fitted
interior and tapered sides on
lion’s paw feet 16in.
Gorringes, Lewes. Jul 04.
HP: £1,000. ABP: £1,176.
ANTIQUES INFO - May/June 07
Regency tole ware bouillotte
table lamp, later fitted for
electricity, shade painted
with a dutch genre river
landscape scene, 54cm high.
Rosebery’s, London. Mar 06.
HP: £280. ABP: £329.
19thC Toleware tobacco box,
hinged lid painted with a
scene of soldiers returning
from a defeated army, box 5 x
3in. Tring Market Auctions,
Herts. Nov 02. HP: £110.
ABP: £129.
24
Regency tole-ware black
painted tea caddy with gilt
and green decoration, two
compartments, 15cm.
Reeman Dansie, Colchester.
Apr 06. HP: £40. ABP: £47.
19
25
19thC toleware tea urn on
stand. Gorringes, Lewes. Jul
00. HP: £200. ABP: £235.
Tole tray, 24in wide and a
similar smaller tray.
Sworders, Stansted Mountfitchet. Jul 01. HP: £100.
ABP: £117.
19thC tole ware spice box
containing six Japanned
canisters. Reeman Dansie,
Colchester. Apr 06. HP: £16.
ABP: £18.