White Ironstone, A Survey of its Many Forms

In 1813 Charles James Mason gave the public just what they needed, patenting his "ironstone china." This durable yet beautiful dinnerwarewas stronger and less expensive than the china that then dominated the market. And its white, unadorned base soon became popular as a canvas for decorations such as Flow Blue, Mulberry, and Copper Lustre, especially the Tea Leaf motif. This pictorial and collectors' guide provides an alphabetic listing of all known shapes and their makers, illustrated with more than 700 color photographs to help easily identify pieces and show the ironstone in detail never seen before. Collectors will find this cross-referencing tool invaluable. Included is also a miscellaneous chapter, which brings to new light the unusual and hard to find pieces and a section devoted entirely to children's sets. Color photographs of makers' marks are identified and dated to aid those wishing to date their pieces.