A very rare, early Burslem Pomegranate Vesta or match Holder by William Moorcroft, circa 1913 in a varied green and blue ground with five beautifully painted pomegranates, three of which are cut open showing their seeds. The pomegranates are surrounded by a profusion of leaves and grapes. The interior of the vesta is in the celadon and green glaze.
The vesta is solid and heavy, the base is unglazed and somewhat rough to be used as a strike for the old non-safely matches. It has the Moorcroft Burslem backstamp dating it to 1913 along with the impressed shape number which we believe is either 478 or 479. This early version of Pomegranate is highly desirable, with pieces in undamaged condition getting much harder to find.
In beautiful condition with no chips, cracks, restoration and no noticeable glaze crazing (due to the solid body), this rare vesta would make a stunning addition to any Moorcroft collection. It stands approximately 2½ inches (7cm) high by 3 inches (8cm) maximum diameter. Sounds quite small, but it's quite a chunky (and heavy) piece with lots of decoration on a very rare shape.
Moorcroft prices at auction are continuing to rise at an alarming rate with collectors and investors taking their money out of their poorly performing bank accounts and putting their money in tangible assets. A good move? It certainly looks that way at the moment!
.jpg)
