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ROYAL DOULTON FLAMBE

Royal Doulton Flambe refers to a specific type of ceramic produced by this renowned
pottery manufacturer. “Flambe” refers to a distinctive glazing technique that results in
rich, vibrant colours, often with a varied, mottled appearance resembling flames, hence
the name.

A Royal Doulton Flambe character jug of 'The Pharoah' in our upcoming Spring Fine Antiques & Jewellery auction held on Thursday 25th April 2024.

Inspired by Oriental glazes, Doulton’s flambe made its debut at the St Louis exhibition
of 1904.  Flambe is a distinctive glaze which consists of a rich, deep-red glaze with
streaks of purple and turquoise.  The effect results from a method of firing that
incorporates copper oxides and other metals.  The Chinese of the Ming dynasty first
discovered the method, probably during the reign of Wan-li (1573-1620).

A 'Gift of Life' - a prototype figure coming up in our next auction.

The seemingly endless search for the secret of reproducing the vivid lustrous red glaze
had preoccupied chemists and potters for generations.  Some flambe pots had been
produced by ceramists, however, their methods lacked consistency and Doulton
desperately sought to discover the technique.

By 1900 John Slater, the Art Director at the time and a young Charles Noke had
succeeded in creating some good specimens, but the number of failures far
outnumbered the successes.  When Cuthbert Bailey joined his father John Bailey at Nile
Street, he became obsessed with discovering the ancient formula.  Around the same
time Bernard Moore was employed as a consultant to Doulton to assist in the
development of the flambe glaze.  Bernard Moore had already achieved moderate
success in creating flambe glazes on a small scale.

Royal Doulton large flambe fox, 18cm tall.

Great secrecy has always surrounded the production of Doulton’s flambe and
transmutation glazes and this has added to the mystique.  Noke once commented that
the only person who knew the true secret was King George V, who when visiting the
British Industries Fair in 1920, had surprised Noke with his understanding of the
complexities of producing the glaze.

Royal Doulton large stalking tiger that sold in our February Fine Antiques & Jewellery auction.

The Royal Doulton Flambe technique lends itself to a variety of pottery forms, including
vases, figurines, bowls, and animal sculptures. Genuine Flambe pieces are highly
sought after by collectors due to their distinctive appearance and are considered
valuable additions to any collection of fine ceramics.

We can value and assist with the sale of single items or whole collections and complete house contents. We can value pottery such as Royal Doulton, Beswick and Moorcroft, jewellery, gold and silver, militaria and military items, advertising items, enamel signs, furniture and much more!

For more information about our Valuation Days, selling at auction or for any enquiries, you can contact us by emailing info@leightonhallauctions.com, calling the office on 01785 561799, texting 07376 039387 or by filling out a contact form on our website at www.leightonhallauctions.com.