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New Hall and Its Imitators

David Holgate

Although New Hall porcelain began to be appreciated for its artistic qualities some years ago, and in consequence eagerly collected, there is still confusion about what is and what is not New Hall.

The fact that existing studies of it are either very brief or else out of date has not helped. By persistent observation, comparison and documentary research, Mr. Holgate has finally succeeded in establishing the shapes and decoration of genuine New Hall and the way it developed between 1781 and 1835; and he has reconstructed much of the New Hall pattern book. His comprehensive and discriminating study sets out in detail the whole range of the factory's wares. He has put us doubly in his debt by discussing a number of other factories that produced wares which often been mistaken for New Hall. Of special historical interest is New Hall's initial concentration on 'hard-paste' porcelain, so rare in England, and the evolution in its styles of decoration from elegance and simplicity to flamboyance and extravagance. Mr. Holgate has rendered a great service by clarifying this involved - and intriguing - chapter in the history of English porcelain making.

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