Blue China Plates

[samelevennn]

Looking for any information on the marks/value of these blue china pieces.

 

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[smokeythecat]

It's called "flow blue" or "flo blue" and was very popular 1870's for about 20 years. Lots of different makers.

 

[Red-Coat]

Yes, both pieces are ‘flow blue’, an accidental discovery in the 1820s which potteries found useful because the bleed of the pigment during firing helped to disguise imperfections in patterns applied as transferware using paper stencils. Better still, the softness itself became a desirable attribute for those who couldn’t afford crisp Chinese-decorated pieces and it became the preferred glaze for utilitarian tableware for many years.

The first piece is by A.J. Wilkinson, established in 1886 in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. I’m not sure when the ‘Mikado’ pattern first appeared but the word “Ltd” didn’t become part of the company name until around 1896 after the business became an incorporated company. That particular mark (with the crown for Victoria) wouldn’t be after 1901.

Incidentally, the business is best known as a producer of art deco Clarice Cliff designs in later years. She joined the company in 1916 as a 17-year old and went on to become a major shareholder.

The second piece is from the New Wharf pottery, also of Burslem. That printed mark with the ‘Staffordshire knot’ and crown, incorporating the pattern name (‘Paris’) will be from between c1891-1894, after which the pottery was absorbed into the Wood & Son company.

Neither piece is particularly valuable but ‘flow blue’ is very collected.