Canal Art

[JohnJ]

Hello and I am new to the forum, please excuse any 'newbie' errors! This old hand painted coal bucket has been languishing in the shed, and I have

only recently been told that it is typical of artefacts that were used on narrowboats. Any observations by the experts here would be appreciated.

Thank you.

John.

[Ray T]

It isn't a bucket it is a horse nose tin used to feed the 'oss whilst on the go.

 

Another alternative is the basket. Better for the horse as if it fell in the cut it would be able to get its nose free of water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Someone will be along to identify the painter. @dave moore

Edited June 13, 2022 by Ray T

[agg221]

Hello John and welcome to the forum. It's a nice object with some interesting variation in style of the roses. Do you know anything of its history?

 

Alec

Edited June 13, 2022 by agg221

[JohnJ]

Hello and thank you very much for that, I would never have imagined a painted metal 'bucket' for horse provender. Regards, John.

[Ray T]

Looks to be an original article, I wouldn't go about repainting it.

[JohnJ]

Hello all and how nice that the experts here really know their stuff! Originally this would have been at my family's house in Norfolk, and has been with me greatly under appreciated and neglected for decades. All I need now is a horse! John.

[Ray T]

8 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

Hello all and how nice that the experts here really know their stuff! Originally this would have been at my family's house in Norfolk, and has been with me greatly under appreciated and neglected for decades. All I need now is a horse! John.

 

Plus a "butty" boat.

 

Originally narrow boats were horse drawn. Later these boats were towed behind a motor and became known as butties. Butty believed to be derived from buddy. 

 

Picture by Edward Paget Tomlinson

 

The caption is incorrect, the family are the Littlemores.

Edited June 13, 2022 by Ray T

[dave moore]

Ahh, interesting. I agree that the item is indeed a nose bowl for horse feed, I’ve painted a good few over many years. Quite how it ended up in Norfolk I’ve no idea, it’s a long way from the canal system where it was used....but I have found painted ware in Cornwall, much further away!

I’m afraid I can’t identify the painter, it’s no one whose work I’ve seen before. Looking at it, it is certainly by a competent and experienced painter, the floral work in the Braunston style, Braunston was an important canal village, producing several noted paintersoover many years. By the look of the ageing, it could well date back to working days, or perhaps painted by someone in the early days of pleasure boating some 69/70 years ago, it’s difficult to tell. Either way, a lovely piece of old canal ware that deserves preservation, possibly as part of a collection. If you are thinking of letting it go, I may be interested, I’ve lots of old stuff here at home. If you prefer to keep it, I suggest a very gentle clean with water and then a coat or two of artist’s picture varnish to enhance the colours again and preserve the existing paint. Best I can do, I’m afraid.

Dave

[ditchcrawler]

I  saw a pair of cabin doors in Southwold in an antique shop a few years back

[JohnJ]

2 hours ago, dave moore said:

Ahh, interesting. I agree that the item is indeed a nose bowl for horse feed, I’ve painted a good few over many years. Quite how it ended up in Norfolk I’ve no idea, it’s a long way from the canal system where it was used....but I have found painted ware in Cornwall, much further away!

I’m afraid I can’t identify the painter, it’s no one whose work I’ve seen before. Looking at it, it is certainly by a competent and experienced painter, the floral work in the Braunston style, Braunston was an important canal village, producing several noted paintersoover many years. By the look of the ageing, it could well date back to working days, or perhaps painted by someone in the early days of pleasure boating some 69/70 years ago, it’s difficult to tell. Either way, a lovely piece of old canal ware that deserves preservation, possibly as part of a collection. If you are thinking of letting it go, I may be interested, I’ve lots of old stuff here at home. If you prefer to keep it, I suggest a very gentle clean with water and then a coat or two of artist’s picture varnish to enhance the colours again and preserve the existing paint. Best I can do, I’m afraid.

Dave

Dave, Thank you for such an informative reply and details about the 'Braunston' style. Fascinating that these utilitarian artefacts have their own school of painting, and  established, documented painters. I am reading about Braunston now. This is traditional folk art at its best, that ranks with Staffordshire pottery, patchwork quilts or ship's figureheads. I agree this should be with a genuine collector who understands, appreciates and will preserve the art, and I will message you soon should you still be interested. I am not going to restore or clean the bowl, I prefer to leave it original.  Regards, John.

[JohnJ]

Dave, Thank you for such an informative reply and details about the 'Braunston' style. Fascinating that these utilitarian artefacts have their own school of painting, and  established, documented painters. I am reading about Braunston now. This is traditional folk art at its best, that ranks with Staffordshire pottery, patchwork quilts or ship's figureheads. I agree this should be with a genuine collector who understands, appreciates and will preserve the art, and I will message you soon should you still be interested. I am not going to restore or clean the bowl, I prefer to leave it original.  Regards, John.

[Chris M Jones]

I’ve seen this style of rose and leaf painting before on two items of painted ware likely to have been painted on the lower Grand Junction canal from Berkhamsted, Tring or Uxbridge. The most plausible candidate was the boat yard of William Edmund Costin Limited of Berkhamsted whose boat and barge building business ceased in 1910. If so it would mean your horse feed bowl would have been painted prior to that date sometime about the turn of the 20th century - a genuine canal ware antique.

[JohnJ]

2 minutes ago, Chris M Jones said:

I’ve seen this style of rose and leaf painting before on two items of painted ware likely to have been painted on the lower Grand Junction canal from Berkhamsted, Tring or Uxbridge. The most plausible candidate was the boat yard of William Edmund Costin Limited of Berkhamsted whose boat and barge building business ceased in 1910. If so it would mean your horse feed bowl would have been painted prior to that date sometime about the turn of the 20th century - a genuine canal ware antique.

Hello and thank you. That is remarkably detailed information, and it is really helpful to be able to identify the origin so accurately. The more I read about the history of the narrow boat, the more fascinating it becomes. Folk art does have a unique place in our social history. John.

[Derek R.]

There are dozens of books on waterways history, the engineers, the boats themselves and the 'folk art' that surrounds life on the cut from the early days onward. With regard specifically to the art work, I would recommend Tony Lewery's 'Flowers Afloat', ISBN 0-7153-0145-4.

Tom Chaplin's 'The Narrow Boat Book' is also good on the overall history including the boats, ISBN 0-905483-05-7

For more on how horses were used on the cut: 'The Horse on the Cut' by Donald J. Smith. ISBN 0-85059-514-2, might be difficult to find a copy. Mine was ex-library. Many pictures of 'nostins' (nose tins) in use along with harness.

[JohnJ]

10 hours ago, Derek R. said:

There are dozens of books on waterways history, the engineers, the boats themselves and the 'folk art' that surrounds life on the cut from the early days onward. With regard specifically to the art work, I would recommend Tony Lewery's 'Flowers Afloat', ISBN 0-7153-0145-4.

Tom Chaplin's 'The Narrow Boat Book' is also good on the overall history including the boats, ISBN 0-905483-05-7

For more on how horses were used on the cut: 'The Horse on the Cut' by Donald J. Smith. ISBN 0-85059-514-2, might be difficult to find a copy. Mine was ex-library. Many pictures of 'nostins' (nose tins) in use along with harness.

Thank you for the detailed information. Again I am pleasantly surprised at just how much academic history has been published, although in view of the canals significance both before and during the Industrial Revolution, it shouldn't really be any surprise at all! We should all be grateful to the volunteers who spent so much time restoring these historic masterpieces, with the same enthusiasm as the steam railway restorers. John.

[JohnJ]

On 13/06/2022 at 19:56, dave moore said:

Ahh, interesting. I agree that the item is indeed a nose bowl for horse feed, I’ve painted a good few over many years. Quite how it ended up in Norfolk I’ve no idea, it’s a long way from the canal system where it was used....but I have found painted ware in Cornwall, much further away!

I’m afraid I can’t identify the painter, it’s no one whose work I’ve seen before. Looking at it, it is certainly by a competent and experienced painter, the floral work in the Braunston style, Braunston was an important canal village, producing several noted paintersoover many years. By the look of the ageing, it could well date back to working days, or perhaps painted by someone in the early days of pleasure boating some 69/70 years ago, it’s difficult to tell. Either way, a lovely piece of old canal ware that deserves preservation, possibly as part of a collection. If you are thinking of letting it go, I may be interested, I’ve lots of old stuff here at home. If you prefer to keep it, I suggest a very gentle clean with water and then a coat or two of artist’s picture varnish to enhance the colours again and preserve the existing paint. Best I can do, I’m afraid.

Dave

Dave, Hello again and thank you for the Braunston style information. As I said before should you still be interested please let me know, artifacts like this should be with those who preserve and continue the legacy of canalware artists. I would be able to securely post to you with a 'signed for' service. Regards, John.

[dave moore]

Hi John. You have a PM. Dave