Victorian Ault Pottery Majolica Jardiniere in Green and Yellow

A late Victorian art pottery jardiniere by Ault, glazed in rich bottle green that melts into sunny yellow at the scalloped rim, with a saffron yellow interior. Moulded scrolls, shells and acanthus leaves climb up from a gadrooned base, and the glazes have pooled and run between them exactly as they were meant to, so the colour deepens in every hollow and catches the light on every curve.

William Ault founded his pottery in Swadlincote in 1887 after leaving his partnership with Henry Tooth at Bretby. Through the 1890s the firm became known for freely applied, flowing art glazes, and this piece shows that confident hand with colour beautifully. Ault’s raised urn mark is moulded into the base, dating it to around 1890 to 1900.

It measures 15 x 18 cm, a good size for a single fern, a trailing ivy or a pot of paperwhites at Christmas. Pop a plain terracotta pot inside rather than planting directly, and it will look after both your plant and the glaze. It is just as lovely empty, on a bookshelf, a kitchen windowsill or a hall table, where its colours bring a bit of the garden indoors. Group it with other green glazed pieces for a majolica corner, or set it against blue and white china, rush matting and old botanical prints for a relaxed country house look. Filled with clementines in winter, it makes a cheerful centrepiece too.

The body and wavy rim are in excellent condition, with the glaze still glossy and vivid. Underneath, there is light crazing to the glaze and three small flea bites to the foot rim, showing the pale clay beneath. These are hidden when the jardiniere sits on a surface. Please look through all the photographs, which form part of the description.

Ault pieces are increasingly sought after by collectors of British art pottery, and this one has all the colour and character that made the factory’s work so popular in its day. Browse our ceramics collection for more antique pottery to keep it company.