We are pleased to offer this Rare & unusual Warwick China IOGA brown glazed BPOE (Benevolent Protective Order of Elks) tankard pitcher from Wheeling, West Virginia ca. 1897- 1904. This stunning large pitcher has the unique brown graduating to golden yellow ground featuring a magnificent large horned bull elk, with the BPOE emblem + the Roman numeral eternal clock. Our tankard carries the very first solid color knights helmet with the crossed rapier and foil beneath + the IOGA crown. Our Warwick China tankard is in Excellent condition, and weighs 3# 7 oz., measuring 7.5 x 6.5 x 13 inches tall. Research consulted: Research consulted: Warwick China / by John R. Rader Sr.; Debolts Dictionary of American Pottery Marks, Whiteware & Porcelain / by Gerald DeBolt; Decorative American Pottery & Whiteware / by Jeanie Klamm Wilby; The Pottery and Porcelain of the United States and Marks of American Potters / by Edwin Atlee Barber, A.M., PH.D.; Lehners Encyclopedia of U.S. Marks On Pottery Porcelain & Clay / by Lois Lehner. This is an extremely valuable antique commemorative Elks Lodge treasure. xxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Warwick china was made in Wheeling, West Virginia, in a pottery working from 1887 to 1951. Many pieces were made with hand painted or decal decorations. The most familiar Warwick has a shaded brown satin background, and Warwick's most desirable pieces are those decorated with portraits of monks or American Indians, AND OF COURSE, the classic shady lady portrait transfers. Much of the Warwick production, including its fine semi porcelain, was legitimate vitrified chinaware, an unusual product for a nineteenth-century American company. The name Warwick is part of the mark and sometimes the mysterious word IOGA is also included. There are many mysteries surrounding Warwick China Co. and many of them will never be solved since much of the history about the company was lost in the flood in 1936, and the remaining records were burned in a fire when Marx Manufacturing Co. took over the plant. Research consulted: Warwick China / by John R Rader Sr. Warwick China Co. was founded in 1884, but was incorporated on Sept. 3, 1887 in Wheeling City, Ohio County, West Virginia, and the factory was located on Water Street, between 21st and 22nd streets. The company was noted for the Early IOGA line and specialized in large brown glazed tankards with portraits of Indians, monks and fraternal emblems. The original Knights helmet with crossed rapier and foil and with the IOGA top was used from ca. 1887 to 1895. The firm also made other types of table wares and vases until it finally closed its doors October 1951. The most intriguing of all the Warwick lines however, was the gorgeous line of light pink, honey gold to brown & gray ground glazed ladies portrait pieces, which individually were of outstanding quality with wonderful colors and portrait definition. A group of hand painted & artist signed vases may also be found, and these are considered to be very scarce. There is a romantic legend that the beautiful female subjects were in reality selected Ladies of the Evening, from the local brothels in Wheeling. The city was a wild and wooly river town, so the purported Painted Lady images only served to enhance the rough & tumble reputation of Wheeling. Conventional wisdom leads us to believe, that due to the fanatical engraving definition for the transfers, and the fact that skilled artisans in that discipline were few & far between, even scarcer in Wheeling, W. Va., one is left to look towards the unchallenged masters of the transfer in the latter 1800s, those being in Germany. The complete history of Warwick China Co. will never be known again since much of the history about the company was lost in the great flood of flood in 1936, and data was further decimated in a fire subsequent to Marx Manufacturing Co. took over the plant. We do know that Warwick initially manufactured semi-porcelain dinner and toilet ware and novelties. The first President was J. R. Mc Courtney, who served until June 1889, when he was succeeded by O. C. Dewey. In 1906, the annual sales of the company had increased about 100 percent, and Warwick China had developed a national reputation as makers of the celebrated line of specialties in IOGA Ware from 1900 to ca. 1915. The company motto was Quality First, and no expense was spared to give customers the best and newest items that skill and experience could produce.

Excellent condition - few tiny enamel nicks