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signing her work at Olifantsfontein. I have used her final married name throughout.
4 During 1991 a major Ceramic Studio/Linnware exhibition toured South Africa. The
illustrated exhibition catalogue (entitled The Women of Olifantsfontein – South African
Studio Ceramics) contains an extensive introduction and commentary by Dr Melanie
Hillebrand. This, and the M.A. thesis by Riana Heymans (see below), were important
sources of information for this article.
5 Letter to South African Garden and Home magazine, 11 December 1976.
6 M. Hillebrand op. cit., 13.
7 J. A. Heymans 'Pottebakkerswerk in Suid-Afrika met Spesifieke Verwysing na die Werk
wat vanaf 1925 tot 1952 by Olifantsfontein Gedoen Is' (M.A. thesis, University of
Pretoria, 1989). An appendix lists all the public commissions for tiles and relief panels
mentioned in the studio diary.
8 Entries in the studio diary indicate that the architect who commissioned the tea room tiles
objected to the continued use of the designs and that the studio obtained legal advice on
the matter. Reported in M. Hillebrand op. cit., 22.
9 Letter to South African Garden and Home magazine, ibid.
10 Thelma Currie, unpublished notes on the tiles made at Olifantsfontein, 1973.
11 Interview with Thelma Currie, quoted in J. A. Heymans op. cit., 37.
12 Quoted in J. A. Heymans op. cit., 34.
13 J. A. Heymans op. cit., 38.
14 In her thesis Heymans reproduces a number of glaze recipes recorded by Joan Methley.
One of these, called ‘Adams Spagne Glaze’, is a tin glaze consisting of Cornish stone 16,
flint 12, red lead 48, feldspar 18 and tin oxide 20. It is assumed that this or a similar tin
glaze was used for the tiles.
15 Quoted in J. A. Heymans op. cit., 42
16 Full-size patterns, with accompanying pricked tracings, are preserved in the archives of
Cullinan Holdings, while others are in the possession of the Cullinan family.
17 Thelma Currie, unpublished recollections of Olifantsfontein, no date.
18 Letter from Audrey Frank to Rose Trehaeven, 11 July 1987. Quoted in M. Hillebrand op.
cit., 11.
19 There is considerable uncertainty about the date of closure of the Linnware studio.
Although Joan Methley retired in 1952 or 1953, the operation continued until at least
1958 as there are two maiolica Linnware plates with this date in private collections.
