Upon his return to Burslem in 1897, William Moorcroft was offered a job as a designer with James MacIntyre and Company who wanted to start an art pottery department. Moorcroft was not only a potter, he was an artist as well and he soon developed a style and technique which became synonymous with his name.

Pieces were turned on a lathe to perfect the shape. The designs applied by slip trailing or tube lining, a process by which the raised outline is applied to the clay, or slip, squeezed through a glass tube from a bag held in the hand. The colors are all hand-painted, one color being applied over another to enable them to blend together at high temperature not only with the clay pot, but with the translucent glaze which produces the brilliance of color.

Each piece was signed and he gained an international reputation for his work which he exhibited from the early years of the 20th century. He won his first gold medal at the St. Louis International Exhibition in 1904. This resulted in his supplying Tiffany of New York and Shreve & Co. of San Francisco whilst he was already supplying Liberty and Co. of London.

During the first world war, Moorcroft was shipping his wares around the world and continued to exhibit at the British Industries Trade fair each year. It was in the 1920s that he began to develop his Flambe glazes and produced some magnificent large vases which were exhibited at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley in 1924.

In 1924, Moorcroft won a gold medal at the Paris International Exhibition and then in 1928 he received his most coveted award when Queen Mary, who had personally collected his pottery for 15 years, appointed him "Potter to Her Majesty the Queen".

Despite the slump in the 1930s and the more austere mood, Moorcroft won a Grand Diploma of Honor at the Milan International Exhibition in 1933 and another award at Paris in 1937, a year when his wares were also very well received at the New York World Fair.

William Moorcroft died in 1945 by which time examples of his work were on exhibit in museums around the world.

(information courtesy of Old China Patterns Limited)