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Written by Pat Pitcher

What is important to remember in dating from glaze colours is that there are several factors to consider. First is the difference between which colours were offered through the catalogues in any given year, and what might have been made for sale strictly in the factory shop, the studio pottery or as special orders. Seconds, and over-runs of firsts from special orders, may have also been sold at the factory store.

Time frames provided, such as "Harvest Gold 1968 to 1982" also does not mean that every piece made during that time period was necessarily available in the gold. A 1973 catalogue shows all the items available in green, in addition to selected pieces made in Harvest Gold, and others in red.

Since there is not as yet a complete record of catalogues, if a colour is attributed to a certain year, that does not mean it is the only year it was made, but does give a general guideline to the time frame it was available.

Over or under-firing can certainly affect the end result, so a very unusual shade may just be the result of kiln conditions. Factors such as humidity and the number and placement of items in the kiln can also affect the final product. A piece of early 70's red that was over-fired turned out to be a stunning deep black cherry colour with a drip that shaded from blood red to raspberry to almost a pink. A firing mistake, not a "new" colour, but absolutely gorgeous in its own right.

THIS INFORMATION HAS BEEN COMPILED FROM CATALOGUES, ACTUAL HANDS ON EXPERIENCE OF PIECES AND INPUT FROM COLLECTORS. It is by no means a complete record and I'm sure that there probably errors or omissions. I will continue to make additions and corrections as information becomes available to me. If you have any comments or suggestions please feel free to contact me to the record can be expanded and clarified.

CATALOGUE COLOURS AND COLLECTIONS:

From the beginning, through the early 60's, there is a great variation in the greens and blues seen in the drips. The early under-glazes can range from a light tannish brown to an olivey green, or may be very dark green, or almost black. The drips can be various shades of green, light blue, turquoise and may have hints of cobalt blue, lilac. Many pieces were a rather dark green drip over black.

Green is the most common glaze for BMP and was done consistently by the company from the earliest days right to the end. Early greens often appear almost translucent and often the rich, red clay shows through.

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Overview

Dating BMP By Colour

Catalogue Information

Cleaning Tips

Tour the Studio

Misrepresentation

Some Basic Rules

Who's Who