Bursley Limited

Q: Can you tell me anything about the artist who designed this Art Deco plate? It is hand painted and seems quite old.

A: Bursley Limited was formed in 1920 to produce art wares at the Crown Pottery in Burslem, England. Bursley was one of the first potteries to use a tunnel, or continuous, kiln, instead of a bottle kiln. The center of a tunnel kiln is continuously heated and the pottery is moved through on a moving platform, making it more efficient than bottle kilns, which have to be fired, loaded, cooled, unloaded, and then fired up again. Bottle kilns were commonly used from the 1700s until the 1960s. The kiln was usually bottle shaped, wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, and could be up to seventy feet tall. Bursley art wares sell today for $100 and up. Price depends on quality, size and condition.