Written by The treasures that are Nantgarw and Swansea porcelain are renowned throughout the world of ceramic collectors for its’ beauty and its’ rarity.
Founded in Swansea in 1764, the Cambrian Pottery found success by imitating the high-quality pottery made fashionable by Josiah Wedgwood in Staffordshire.
This Welsh Nantgarw porcelain production started in the 19th Century in 1813, with the arrival of William Billingsley at the Nantgarw China works South Wales. Nantgarw China Works is the only surviving early 19th century porcelain works in the United Kingdom.
The Nantgarw Pottery was a noted pottery, located in Nantgarw on the eastern bank of the Glamorganshire Canal, 8 miles (13 km) north of Cardiff in the River Taff valley in South Wales. Collections of this pottery can be seen at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff, the Oriel Plas Glyn-y-Weddw, Llanbedrog, Pwllheli and the V&A Museum, South Kensington, London.
The foremost collection of Welsh, Swansea and Nantgarw pottery was the Sir Leslie Joseph Collection which sold for in excess of £1.1 million at Sothebys in 1992. There were 900 lots in the auction and some of the items do return to auction occasionally. Prices have come down from these 1992 highs but compared to other pottery and porcelain, the rarity and quality of the Swansea porcelain has seen the market fair well.
What is Porcelain?
Porcelain is a vitrified (glass-like) ceramic with a white, fine-grained body that is usually translucent, as distinguished from earthenware, which is porous, opaque, and coarser.
The treasures that are Nantgarw and Swansea porcelain are renowned throughout the world of ceramic collectors for its’ beauty and its’ rarity.
Founded in Swansea in 1764, the Cambrian Pottery found success by imitating the high-quality pottery made fashionable by Josiah Wedgwood in Staffordshire.
This Welsh Nantgarw porcelain production started in the 19th Century in 1813, with the arrival of William Billingsley at the Nantgarw China works South Wales. Nantgarw China Works is the only surviving early 19th century porcelain works in the United Kingdom.
The Nantgarw Pottery was a noted pottery, located in Nantgarw on the eastern bank of the Glamorganshire Canal, 8 miles (13 km) north of Cardiff in the River Taff valley in South Wales. Collections of this pottery can be seen at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff, the Oriel Plas Glyn-y-Weddw, Llanbedrog, Pwllheli and the V&A Museum, South Kensington, London.
The foremost collection of Welsh, Swansea and Nantgarw pottery was the Sir Leslie Joseph Collection which sold for in excess of £1.1 million at Sothebys in 1992. There were 900 lots in the auction and some of the items do return to auction occasionally. Prices have come down from these 1992 highs but compared to other pottery and porcelain, the rarity and quality of the Swansea porcelain has seen the market fair well.
