Crown Lynn (Ambrico) honey glaze mug ca1948

I saw this mug at New Lynn Sallies yesterday (Saturday) and recognised the shape as being like one in Auckland Museum's collection from my viewing of the collection on line in 2015, and identified there as being produced by Crown Lynn.

Auckland Museum's item K6290 is a tall yellow-glazed mug with handwritten gold marking "Phyl Turner August 26th 1948". The museum's mug does not have a Crown Lynn backstamp: bearing in mind that the Crown Lynn name was first used in that year the lack of a stamp is not surprising. Ambrico's domestic pottery is rarely marked as such, with one obvious exception being (some of) their electric kettles.

See http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_humanhistory-object-8500?k=crown%20lynn%20mug&ordinal=8

Ambrico tall honey glaze mug, 125mm H x 91 OD top, unmarked for maker

My mug has a honey-coloured glaze with gold detailing and a handwritten gold monogram "C.B." (I always buy pottery with CB on as it could refer to Cameron Brown!) It has no chips or cracks, minor crazing only within the footring, possibly some staining around the base, and like the museum mug it has no backstamp.

While having another look at Auckland Museum's 95 Crown Lynn mugs, to see if they have anything else I don't, I noted their "Sunbeam Tours" tankard.

See http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_humanhistory-object-9646?p=5&k=crown%20lynn%20mug&ordinal=80

As it looks like an Orzel shape I checked our Aquila gallery and see that it is the same as Val's "My Dad's Favourite Mug", top picture at https://www.newzealandpottery.net/t4871-dad-s-favourite-mugs-one-aquila-and-one-orzel-probably#17824

This shows that museums can get it wrong, but I'm still happy to accept the 1948 mug as Ambrico. 1948 also works for the clay body which is white rather than straw. If others are happy to accept this as an Ambrico piece I will post it in the CL shapes without numbers gallery.

The similarity of the handle to that of the 709 jugs (but also the 719s) suggests that the mug might also be the work of AJC Fisher, head of Elam School of Fine Arts at the time..

See https://www.newzealandpottery.net/t6996-note-on-designer-of-early-crown-lynn-jugs#27546

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To think I almost didn't go opshopping on Saturday, twice! I opted to drive straight to my friend Joss's place in Avondale on arrival in Auckland (after dropping off Nicole and Tomas) but my social visit was cut short by his need to drive across town to pick up a tux for his son's school ball ... so I headed to New Lynn initially with the intention of visiting Finn ... but silly me, Te Toi Uku was closed ... and after a quick look at Mark and Emily's exhibition in the kiln I then headed around the corner to the Sallies, thinking they would have closed by 3 o'clock. Thankfully not so. This is one of those pieces you see in the museums and think "I'll never find one". By rights it should have been Finn who found this as the store is only 500 metres from Te Toi Uku, or Manos who has been known to do his rounds on a Saturday, but it was me: and I am a very happy chappy.

As seen in the photo, it cost me an exorbitant $4!

I'm with you on this Jeremy and it's a fantastic find.

By the way didn't Cameron Brown senior work at Crown Lynn for a time in the 1940's ??

You'll have to ask junior Ev.
That would be pretty amazing if it was his.

I'll add it to the gallery then.

Gail Henry tells me that Cam Brown Snr worked at Amalgamated Brick and Pipe Co on page 147 in her 2nd edition book.

You find excels in so many ways Jeremy and congratulations for retaining the Auckland Museum photo and working out that this is the same.  Your photographic memory is outstanding and very admirable.

I interviewed Colin Millar yesterday who worked at Crown Lynn 1947 - 1950 as a Lab Technician cadet.
He had to learn every aspect of pottery making and proudly showed me his slipcasting effort of this Beer Mug, where he did everything from pouring the slip, fettling and glazing.
The C on the base was done with cobalt oxide.
Colin mentioned Cam Brown worked there too and he met up with him again when dealing with Orzel years later.

So “CB” likely is Cam Brown then !?!

Amazing!

We now have images of three of these beer mugs.

Two are Ambrico employees.

Could it be that this was not a production shape, just an in-house shape?

Which then raises the question:

Who is Phyl Turner?