Essexware castware tiki mug

Essexware castware mug with Maori design.

Despite the Maori imagery on this mug, Essexware was an Australian pottery. The short duration of the company's existence and the regular use of faux Aborigine decoration has made it a highly collectable product. The Maori design makes this an even rarer piece but whether that makes it more or less valuable is beyond my ken, however along with the Wharetana mug it must surely be among the rarest tiki mugs in existence.

The black glaze partially conceals a completely different design from that etched into it. Which makes me wonder if this was a one-off. Then again, I see the same mug shape with a different Maori design for sale in one of the Ruby Lane shops for USD155. I understand that particular mug has been for sale for more than five years so the price (equivalent to NZD225) may be excessive. The seller professes to know something about Essexware, saying "A much more limited range [than the Aboriginal designs] of MAORI DESIGN items was also produced and these are now considered highly collectible". https://www.rubylane.com/item/160319-7232/Australian-ESSEXWARE-Tankard-Maori-Graphics-Design

I have often considered buying Essexware mugs on trademe, and may even have bid on them, but the prices were too high to buy. Good move, I can say now with hindsight.

To be honest I have no idea how this mug even came into my possession. I noticed it on a high shelf in our house in Grey Lynn on Christmas Eve so it may have been mine already (and forgotten about) or perhaps it belonged to my late father, Don, or my younger brother, Martin, who collected tiki mugs many years ago, or it could even have been left in the house by someone else passing through over the last thirty or so years. When I noticed it (on this occasion at least) the overall shape, and the bulky handle in particular screamed Essexware at me, and the clear mark on the base only confirmed it.

As I left my proper Christmas present (various ASP mugs that I have already posted) in Whangarei it became my de facto present. What a lovely surprise.




Gordon and Irene Dunstan founded their pottery named Crannagh, in 1951 at Leura, in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, and it was consumed by a major bushfire just six or so years later in 1957. Gordon was Australian by birth (from Adelaide) and it is believed that his warbride Irene came from Essex, thus the name Essexware. Decorators include Tom Alban, Adele Durie, Marjorie Zabell, Rudolf Planter, "J Dunstan". My mug is not marked for decorator.

Most of this Essexware information is from the Rameking's blog. Rameking has great short histories of Australian potters and potteries. http://rameking.blogspot.co.nz/2012/02/essexware.html

There are lots of lovely pictures here: https://essexwareponderings.wordpress.com
.