Antique Semi Porcelain Flow Blue Tureen Ironstone Earthenware Wood & Sons, retailer Staffordshire, Burslem, England.

Flow Blue semi-porcelain lidded tureen, Bristol pattern by Wood & Sons, England.

A lovely Edwardian flow blue tureen by Wood & Sons in the Bristol pattern.

The mark dates this tureen to 1907-1910 and it comes complete with it's lid, all in very good condition.

Length including handles 30cm.
Width 19cm.
Height excluding lid 6.5 cm retailer (including lid 12.5cm).

Semi-porcelain is commonly referred to as “ironstone,” but it also goes by other names. Though the fired clay body does appear somewhat vitreous (glass-like), it is actually a refined earthenware and not to be confused with true porcelain.

In the early 19th century, English Staffordshire potteries began experimenting with a porcelain-like ware that could be cheaply mass-produced. Charles Mason patented this new ware in 1813, which he called “Ironstone China.”

Staffordshire is the historic center of semi-porcelain (ironstone) production. By the mid-1800s, several Staffordshire potters produced ironstone because of the presence of high-quality clay within the district.