Object Type
This vase is a fully functional object which also meets fashionable taste of around 1900 for simple glazes and shapes which were inspired by Chinese ceramics of the 18th century. Pilkington's chemists developed a wide range of different types of glaze, including lustres, crystalline and semi-matt plain colours known as 'eggshell', like this example. Some of these effects were copying earlier glazes and the wares showed the manufacturer's interest in ceramic history and the potential owner's knowledgeable taste.

People
Pilkington's Tile & Pottery Co. was run by Joseph Burton (1868-1934) as manager and his brother William (1863-1941), a chemist, who was art director. With Abraham Lomax, the Burtons were responsible for the development of a wide range of different types of glaze and also for the introduction of wares painted in coloured lustres, for which Pilkington's is probably most celebrated. The more extrovert and better-known of the brothers, William Burton trained first at Wedgwood. He also taught and worked as an advisor to the ceramics industry and to the Victoria & Albert Museum. Joseph Burton was an expert in early Chinese ceramics. Both Burtons lectured and published widely.