Doulton Lambeth | Slater’s Patent | Large Stoneware Vase | Floral Chine Decoration | England, 1891–1914

In an era that produced more decorative pottery than any before it, Lambeth found a way to make industrial process feel like individual craft — and Slater’s Patent was the proof.

The Doulton Lambeth studio in South London occupied a singular position within English ceramics. Established in the early nineteenth century and later developed under the direction of Henry Doulton, it became one of the leading centres of art pottery in Victorian and Edwardian Britain, employing highly trained decorators and exhibiting internationally.

The technique known as Slater’s Patent — developed in collaboration with the factory’s art director John Slater — was introduced in 1886 and remained in production until 1914. It involved pressing lace into the clay body to create a fine textile ground, over which enamel colours and gilding were applied by hand. Each piece was individually finished and typically marked with the decorator’s initial, preserving a record of authorship within what was otherwise a highly organised production system.

The present vase is of tall baluster form, the broad ovoid body rising to a constricted neck and wide flared rim. The foot and lower section are finished in a deep cobalt glaze with gilt banding, while the neck and interior rim carry a contrasting olive-green glaze. A fine gilt line defines the transition between neck and body.

Across the main body, the Slater’s Patent ground presents as a finely textured buff field, overlaid with a continuous floral composition in turquoise, white, and deep crimson enamels with extensive gilding. Larger, structured flowerheads anchor the design, while smaller blossoms and scrolling foliage fill the surrounding field with controlled density. The interior is fully glazed in cobalt blue.

The vase is raised on a fitted turned hardwood pedestal base.

The underside carries the impressed Doulton Lambeth England mark, the Doulton & Slater’s Patent stamp, pattern number 8397, painted reference X5132, and a block mark with the decorator’s initial ‘M’.

Condition is excellent. There are no chips, cracks, or restoration. The enamel work remains intact and well-defined, and the gilding is even throughout. The pedestal base is in good order.

Collector Appeal

• A large-scale example — increasingly scarce in this size and condition
• Fully realised Slater’s Patent decoration with strong colour and gilding retention
• Clearly marked, including decorator’s initial — desirable for attribution-focused collectors
• Classic late-period Lambeth production (pre-1914), widely regarded as the technique’s peak
• Decorative impact balanced by technical refinement — highly displayable

Details

• Maker: Doulton Lambeth, England
• Technique: Slater’s Patent (lace-impressed stoneware with enamel and gilt decoration)
• Form: Tall baluster vase
• Period: 1891–1914
• Height: 36 cm (excluding base)
• Weight: 2,360 g
• Marks: Impressed — Doulton Lambeth England; Doulton & Slater’s Patent; pattern no. 8397; decorator’s initial ‘M’; painted X5132
• Includes: Fitted turned hardwood pedestal base

What Slater recognised — and what the finest Lambeth pieces still demonstrate — is that ornament does not need to announce itself loudly; the texture holds the depth, and the colour simply allows it to be seen.