Stepahead Ceramics, Tapa lll, OO, N.P.C. Studio Ceramics

Tapa NZ 96 Nat limited edition 6/300 platter.

Perhaps that is a mark before the NZ?
Tapa would be the name of the piece I think, although I'm not sure.

Yes, It could be pattern Tapa number 4 made by Nat in NZ 1996 and edition 6 out of 300.
What do the two circles at the front mean?

I think those circles are the potter's mark. As Nat must have painted this beauty I will add it to the Mystery Marks as that and hopefully someone who knows will come along and fill us in.

I found the two circles mark in the Marks of NZ Potters. Was it made by Peter Gibbs Golden Bay.
Or did he only make salt glaze pots like the one mumof1 posted?

I'm pretty sure that his mark was stamped and I read where he said he stopped using that mark when he found that someone else was using it too.

Lovely piece with Tapa 3 listed, painted by Alex, so the mystery deepens and yet the picture becomes a little clearer. Check out the price

http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=1004724506

I have a very beautiful jug by Alex. I put it on the site but I can't work out how to do links on our clunky iPad. The same style of handwritten mark as this tapa piece. Who is Alex? A question for 2016.

Here is a link to your lovely jug Val. These are very talented ceramic artists!

https://www.newzealandpottery.net/t6457-for-gallery-two-more-marks#25468

13cm H, numbered edition handfinished "Tapa III" mug, #46 of 500

This mug is a bit of an oddity. I'm thinking castware, but it may be one of those pieces where body and handle are mass-produced separately. There is no hollowing on the inside at the handle fixing points, but I have heard recently that sometimes the caster hand-fills the hollows.

The marks on the base identify it as NZ pottery from 1996. The linked "OO" may be an indication of maker but it also has "N.P.C." Hopefully someone will recognise the marks.

The idea of a numbered edition suggests exclusivity but an editition of 500 sounds quite big to me. It would be interesting to have others to compare to see how the pattern varies.

Exclusive or not, I do like the artwork and I'm pleased Nicole spotted the sign outside the Presbyterian-Methodist church in Margan Ave on our travels between the New Lynn Sallies and Te Toi Uku. I visit the New Lynn opshops more than any other when I'm in Auckland but I have never noticed this one before.

That was my last holiday find, I think.

That's a fabulous mug Jeremy.
I found a post about these people and it looks like one at least is called Alex, but no more info than that has come to hand ...

https://www.newzealandpottery.net/t7099-tapa-nz-96-mark-for-gallery?highlight=tapa#27936

I guess I didn't look.

Feel free to tack my topic on to the other Ev. I don't know how to do that.

Te Toi Uku has pieces in the Tapa III pattern which they received from Studio Ceramics.

One is signed Alex.

A range of pottery in the Tapa pattern appears in the 2002 SC catalogue.

I think we found my mug shape there too.

Finn tells me the artist was Lee Langi.

Excellent news Jeremy.  There is so much info at Te Toi Uku that we need to discover.
I will move this to the Studio Ceramics category later tonight.  Please add these pieces to the SC Gallery Jeremy.

I think my jug with the Alex mark is a Studio Ceramics shape too. So these decorators were either artisans working for Studio Ceramics or they bought the blanks from SC.  (Which others did, including Keriblue.)

The fact that they are in the Studio Ceramics catalogue suggests to me that the designer was employed to decorate the range, or ranges.

Here is a page from the catalogue.


The image is bit soft. Finn will be photographing the catalogues properly at some time and posting them for us, so we should have some professional images then.

Te Toi Uku has a good selection from this range.

Sheesh I love that range as it is specific to the Pacific

I'm adding this topic to the Studio Ceramic category.  Thanks Jeremy and Finn

This listing on ebay calls this pattern Native Flora.

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Studio-Ceramics-New-Zealand-Sugar-Lidded-Creamer-Native-Flora-/252245829344

Does that ring a bell Jeremy?  I know all of the Studio Ceramics patterns have names.

If it is the name then I missed it.
Next time one of us is at Te Toi Uku we can check.
Or if Finn is watching ...

Finn checked it out and the pattern is simply called Tapa.

signal-red who worked at Studio Ceramics has sent this info to the site, which is very eye opening.

"I think I can solve the riddle to the Tapa design. I've been down in the garage looking for an old brochure and as luck would have it I found it. Stepahead Ceramics is the two circles together and is the trade mark, then the next part is the name of the design and finally the artist. When I worked at Studio they bought out Catherine Anselmi and Lily Jones. Catherine had a house in Remuera and a guy called Matt Nisbet was the director of Stepahead. I think they worked out of her studio in the garden. When Catherine sold her house, Studio Ceramics started producing the Tapa designs.  I met Matt several times and he gave me an old catalogue."

Thanks signal-red as I wasn't aware of Studio Ceramics connection with Catherine Anselmi.  We have a category and a gallery for her work on the site.

Here is a link to Stepa
http://www.stepa.nz/tapa-ceramics

I just had a message from Matt from Stepa about the tapa design. He said they said they started making them in 1995, then Studio Ceramics started making them under licence.

Brilliant info thanks Matt and Finn.