Collecting
Spatterware is thought to have emerged in Scotland in the early 1830s, initially produced by a few independent potteries. Cheap and cheerful, these simple ceramics, with their distinctive speckled designs, proved so popular that they were quickly copied in vast quantities by larger, more commercial Scottish potteries and, later, by firms across England, Wales and Ireland.
The term ‘spatterware’, which refers to the very specific ways in which the speckled effect is achieved, is often used incorrectly to refer to other types of spongeware, particularly in America. It is also frequently misspelt as ‘splatterware’, which causes further confusion for unwary collectors. ‘The raw difference between spatterware and spongeware is very clear,’ explains the refreshingly succinct Robert
