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Vintage Gibson’s Copper Lustre Creamer — Small English Gold Lustreware Jug with Hand-Painted Blue Band

$36.00 Only one available

Price in USD. Shipping is $10.95 to the contiguous US — see our Shipping Policy.

Mid-Century (1940s–1960s) Enamel / Painted, Porcelain / Ceramic Very Good
HDRH-VR-0038
There is something quietly theatrical about copper lustre — that warm, mirror-bright glaze was made to catch candlelight, and this little Gibson's creamer does exactly that. Small enough to sit in the palm of your hand, it pairs an all-over coppery-gold shine with a soft sky-blue band hand-painted in dark, curling florals. Made in England by Gibson & Sons of Staffordshire and marked on the base, it is a charming survivor of the mid-century English tea table.
  • Maker: Gibson's (Gibson & Sons Ltd, Burslem, Staffordshire, England)
  • Era: Mid-century, circa 1950s–1960s
  • Finish: Warm coppery-gold lustre glaze with a hand-painted pale-blue floral band
  • Form: Small creamer / milk jug with loop handle and pinched spout
  • Size: Approximately 3 inches tall by 3 inches across
  • Marks: "GIBSON'S / MADE IN ENGLAND" with a hand-painted "A500" on the base
Condition: Very good. The lustre is bright and reflective, and the rim, handle, and spout are all intact with no chips or cracks. There is one small scratch — about 3/16 inch — on the belly below the spout, with light rub wear to the lustre high points consistent with age. A well-kept little piece with plenty of shine left.
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Vintage Gibson's Copper Lustre Creamer — Small English Gold Lustreware Jug with Hand-Painted Blue Band

Circa 1950s–1960s

English Copper Lustre Ware


Copper lustre ware was a Staffordshire specialty long before this little jug was made — potters there had been firing metallic glazes to a bright, coppery shine since the early 1800s, prizing the way the finish caught candlelight and lamplight. Gibson's — Gibson & Sons Ltd of Burslem — carried that tradition well into the twentieth century, turning out lustre teapots, jugs, and tea-table companions marked simply "Made in England." This small creamer, with its hand-painted blue band and green "A500" workshop notation, belongs to the mid-century life of that look, circa the 1950s to 1960s.

It came to us from an estate near Fredericksburg, Virginia — the first piece we have listed from that collection. A creamer like this would once have crossed the table alongside its matching teapot and sugar. On its own now, it makes a small, glowing object for a shelf or windowsill, where the coppery lustre can do exactly what it was always meant to do and catch the light.

Materials Earthenware finished in a coppery-gold lustre glaze, with a hand-painted pale-blue enamel band of dark stylized florals; deep brown glazed interior.
Care Hand-wash only in warm water with mild soap and dry immediately. Never use a dishwasher, abrasive pads, or metal polish — they will dull the lustre. Keep out of the microwave.

Specifications

Dimensions
8 × 6 × 6 in
Weight
2 lbs
SKU
HDRH-VR-0038
Copper lustre has been charming English households since the early nineteenth century, when potters in Staffordshire learned to fire a thin film of metallic glaze into a finish that gleamed like polished copper. This small creamer carries that tradition into the mid-twentieth century. It was made by Gibson's — Gibson & Sons Ltd of Burslem, in the heart of the Staffordshire Potteries — a firm long associated with lustre teapots, jugs, and the cozy accessories of the English tea table. The shape is honest and round: a squat, bulbous body that swells to a generous belly, a single loop handle, and a neatly pinched pouring spout. Around the shoulder runs a band of soft sky blue, hand-painted with dark, stylized florals that stand out against the shine. The rest of the jug is given over entirely to that warm coppery-gold lustre, so reflective it mirrors the room around it. Inside, a deep brown glaze lines the well. The base is marked "GIBSON'S / MADE IN ENGLAND," along with a hand-painted "A500" in green — the paintress or pattern notation that ties it back to its workshop. It came to us from an estate near Fredericksburg, Virginia — the first piece we have listed from that collection. Small enough to hold in one hand, it is the kind of object that earns its keep on a windowsill or a shelf, where the light can find it.
  • Maker: Gibson's (Gibson & Sons Ltd, Burslem, Staffordshire, England)
  • Era: Mid-century, circa 1950s–1960s
  • Material & finish: Earthenware under a coppery-gold lustre glaze, with a hand-painted pale-blue enamel band
  • Form: Small creamer / milk jug, loop handle, pinched spout
  • Size: Approximately 3 inches tall by 3 inches across
  • Marks: "GIBSON'S / MADE IN ENGLAND" with a hand-painted "A500" on the base
  • Provenance: From an estate near Fredericksburg, Virginia
Condition: Very good. The lustre is bright and reflective throughout, and the rim, handle, and spout are all sound with no chips or cracks. There is one small scratch — roughly 3/16 inch — on the belly below the spout, along with light rub wear to the raised lustre surfaces, exactly what you would expect from a well-loved piece of its age. It displays beautifully.