Pilkington's Royal Lancastrian Large Lapis Ware Bowl by Gladys Rodgers c.1935

A very attractively decorated large Lapis Ware art pottery bowl from Pilkington's Royal Lancastrian c.1930. Unusually vivid lapis-ware colours with a matt center. Decorated by Gladys Rodgers. Impressed Pilkington's Royal Lancastrian mark to base with underglaze painted monogram for Gladys Rodgers. The bowl is 32cm in diameter and 8cm in height. Lapis Ware was first introduced by Pilkington's Royal Lancastrian in 1929 - so called because of its resemblance to Lapis Lazuli. The effect is produced by selecting underglaze colours that diffused through the glaze, producing a design that had no shape edges. This was very different to the shapely defined decoration that potters had previously been striving for. Gladys Rodgers is the best known of Pilkington’s women artists. She joined c.1907 and attended the Levenshulme School of Art. Until 1928 Rodgers painted primarily Lustre Ware pottery however after 1929 she moved almost entirely to decorating Lapis Ware pottery until the closure of Pilkington’s Pottery section in 1938.