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Throughout our many years as vintage pickers, we have often been asked “What is the most unusual item you have found?”. There are a few that come to mind, but this one is the most unusual for several reasons.
We recently attended a local Farm Estate Auction in rural Manitoba where we spotted this large Ceramic dish that looked like a Tiki Hut. It stood out amongst the rest of the farm implements and household items we typically find at these types of auctions, and for good reason. It turns out that the dish is actually an Antique Victorian George Jones Majolica Thatched Bee Skep Cheese Keeper manufactured in Stoke-on-Trent, England in 1873. This very unusual cheese dome pattern was made by the company in two sizes. This is the larger size which is beautiful and very rare. It is also one of the most sought after George Jones cheese keepers.
George Jones was one of the most prestigious English potters in the mid to late 1800’s. He is known for his high quality, whimsical and colorful Majolica dishes which he began producing in 1866 and which are very rare and highly collectible to this day. Given that wealthy Victorians used these fancy Majolica pieces as every day serving pieces, the first thing we wondered was how such an old and rare item remained in such good condition after surviving for 147 years. After a good cleaning and inspection, we determined that there are a few tiny nicks and a slight repair, but overall the condition is superb. While this piece requires some minor restoration work, it is not unusual for George Jones pieces of this era to require minor repairs.
Our next thought was how did such an item end up in rural Manitoba at a farm auction. While we never determined the answer, we know from experience that many English porcelain and ceramic pieces were brought here by English immigrants who settled in many parts of the province and country.
For more information about George Jones, please check out the majolica society
