26/04/2026
The Swan Story…
Our beautiful market poster designed by features the large white male swan in our collection.
“In the 1950s and 1960s it seemed that every second New Zealand house had Crown Lynn swan. The original shape was copied by Dave Jenkin from an example brought back from overseas by Tom Clark. Thus began a decades long success story.” Valerie Ringer Monk, Crown Lynn: a New Zealand Icon, 2006
Crown Lynn Swans 101:
· First made in the mid-late 1940s and decorated in plain pastel or trickle glazes
· From 1948, after a soft matt white glaze was developed, most were white
· A few had beaks hand-glazed in yellow
· A few were black
· Swans sold by the thousands and were still on the market in 1973
Shape numbers
Swans before 1968:
154 - small
170 - large
Swans after 1968 were made in the Titian factory which Crown Lynn had bought:
2065 - small
2147 – medium
2066 – large
The classic white swan was made in two shapes and came in three sizes.
The ‘male’ shape has wings which curve outwards, while the ‘female’ shape has wings curve inwards. The female was only ever produced in black or white, while the male swans were produced in other colours. The male swans were only made up until the 1950s. In 1981, Crown Lynn modeler Bruce Yallop modelled a medium sized swan which was produced in small numbers in matt white, a speckled cream glaze and black. Black swans were also produced in small and large sizes. Swans were made in the factory until it closed.
Studio Ceramics then used Crown Lynn moulds to produced swans in their signature bright colours including a pink, turquoise and white.
Around 2017, fake swans came onto the market in the Black and White Medium and also the Large 170 Male and Female. To the expert eye these are easy to spot, so ask for advice if you’re not sure what you are buying!
