Schafer and Vater: Wedgwood-esque, but Different

Schafer (shay-fer) and Vater's (vay-ter) biggest claim to fame is that they made jasper ware that resembled that made by Wedgwood. But there are a couple of differences. Although they used a similar bisque porcelain body in some of the same colors used by Wedgwood, the white figures laid on the form were more contemporary than the Greek and Roman figures used by Wedgwood. Costumes more reminiscent of modern times clothe some figures. S&V, as the company is also known, also produced wares in an Art Nouveau style as Wedgwood did. Many people own S&V products, which are marked with a mold number only, without knowing it. It is a poor-man's Wedgwood.

Frequently, S&V used a third color on its wares. While Wedgwood uses only white decoration on a colored bisque body, or a dark decoration on a light or white body, S&V would used another color as well. Within the white decoration on a pink body, green glaze would be used to fill some areas, making the white stand out a little more and providing a little more variety in the color scheme.

In addition, the jasper body of S&V is not as smooth as Wedgwood's, which is really smooth even if it does not look like it is. S&V's jasper is a bit rougher to the touch, in my experience. And, like Wedgwood, S&V also made porcelain items.

Not much information is available about this company and its products, so this could be a very rewarding area to collect and research.