The Antique Pottery Checklist: What to Inspect Before You Buy
Antique pottery can be historically important, highly decorative and practical to display, but cracks and restoration are easily missed. Inspect the whole object, not just the painted face or factory mark.
Identify the ceramic body
Look at the foot rim or an existing chip to understand the fabric. Earthenware is often porous and coloured; stoneware is denser; porcelain has a white vitrified body. Never make a scratch or acid test.
The [Canadian Conservation Institute](https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/preventive-conservation/guidelines-collections/ceramics-glass-preventive-conservation.html) explains how body, firing temperature and glaze affect ceramic properties and vulnerability.
Examine shape and construction
View the piece from above and from each side. Check whether it leans, rocks or has distorted in firing. Hand-forming and firing irregularities can be original, while cut-down rims and ground feet indicate later alteration.
Inspect in good light
Use diffuse daylight and a small torch. Look for:
- Hairline cracks
- Chips and fritting
- Glaze crazing and staining
- Flaking enamel or gilding
- Filled losses and overpaint
- Reattached handles, spouts or finials
- Metal staples and associated staining
- Drilled holes or lamp conversions
Ultraviolet light can assist trained examination but is not definitive. Old restorations may fluoresce differently, and modern materials can be difficult to detect.
Treat marks as one clue
Marks were copied, reused and added later. Compare body, glaze, shape and decoration with documented examples from the claimed factory and period. An apparently correct mark cannot overcome incompatible materials or technique.
Understand restoration
Ask for the location and extent of restoration in writing. A restored display piece can be good value, but overpaint may extend far beyond a break. Restoration to handles and structural elements matters more when an object will be moved regularly.
[BADA's guide to buying British pottery](https://www.bada.org/features/how-buy-british-pottery-john-howard) recommends asking about restoration, condition and provenance and buying through knowledgeable sources.
Consider safe use
Do not assume antique pottery is food-safe. Historic lead glazes, crazing, unknown restoration and porous bodies can create risks. Use significant pieces for display unless a suitable specialist has assessed them for the intended use.
Keep the paperwork
Record dimensions, marks, photographs, provenance, restoration and seller details. For valuable objects, request a condition report and an independent specialist opinion.
For restoration demonstrations and workshop stories, [watch and subscribe to Antique Repair Shop on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@AntiqueRepairShop).
Sources and further reading
- [BADA: How to buy British pottery](https://www.bada.org/features/how-buy-british-pottery-john-howard)
- [Canadian Conservation Institute: Caring for ceramic and glass objects](https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/preventive-conservation/guidelines-collections/ceramics-glass-preventive-conservation.html)
- [CINOA: Code of Ethics](https://www.cinoa.org/about/code-of-ethics/)