A year after buying the deteriorating former King Sewing Machine Co. manufacturing plant in Riverside, developer Douglas Jemal wants to tear down portions of the fire-damaged facility on Crowley Avenue
It is easy to guess what this is â a rainbow spatterware water pitcher. But how old is it? Spatterware was first made in the late 1700s in England, but most found today dates from about 1800 to 1850 in Staffordshire, England, made to sell in the United States.
Unfortunately, the word âspatterwareâ now has several meanings, probably because novice collectors didnât realize there is a difference between spatter and spongeware. Another hazard is that there are fairly good copies of spatterware made today to be used in the kitchen. Experts can tell the old from the new by the shape, weight and the white glaze color. They also know the difference in the look of a spattered paint mark and the mark left by a paint-dipped sponge. Old rainbow spatter like this pitcher is expensive. This piece sold with the buyersâ premium for $5,227.