Motto Ware

I love pottery and I especially love Motto Ware. Motto ware was made in Devon, England for the tourist trade from the 1880's to the 1940's. Each piece had a colloquial phrase on the back (I have turned the teacup so you can see it a little bit). The most common decoration was the cottage scene- each one is slightly different because they were hand painted. However, I really like pieces with a seaside theme, such as the lovely sailboat above. The pretty lady in the photo is Nettie Watts, Mr Right's grandmother.





I have turned all of them around here so you can see the mottos. My favorite phrases are written in the local vernacular, such as the "Don' ee be 'fraid o' it now" jug.





This is the jug that started it all. It was my mother's and she used it all through my childhood for milk or custard. A few years ago she said she was going to give it to Goodwill and I was horrified! I decided it needed to grace my table, so that my children would grow fond of it too.





Last week I saw a lovely motto ware teapot for sale online for a very good price. I was thrilled, as I had been looking for one that I could make my morning tea in. I was so sad when it arrived smashed! As you can see, the handle and spout are broken. There were numerous chips in the rim, and a long crack in the body of the pot. The lid was broken into six pieces.





I got out the Gorilla Glue and started piecing it back together. It will never be useable for tea again, and is best viewed from a distance, but at least it might be a good prop for a painting. A lot of the broken pieces were pulverised, so there are still a lot of chips and gaps. I couldn't find the tip of the spout or all chips that came from the rim, and I had trouble getting the lid to go back together too, as some of the pieces were very small and fiddley. But I managed not to stick my fingers together with the glue, so that's something! I'll just have to start teapot hunting again. It is fun to have something that you are searching for when you go antiquing!