HISTORY:
We had/still have a LOT of English teaware, these made for years of "special occasion enjoyment" for us.
There were a number of "Foley's" in England producing chinaware, this piece is from the period when Eiljah Brain took over the company from Robinson & Sons. The date on either side of the EB graphic is NOT when this piece was made but refers to the year when Foley China Works were operated by Mr Robinson and subsequently sold to Elijah Brain.
A little bit of trivia about the Foley works, it was one of the very few who trained boys in the art of flower painting - most often the decoration work was undertaken by women in other English chinaware works.
Based on the backstamp, this side plate was part of our teaset which was produced during the period 1948 ~ 1963, BUT, we know absolutely that in fact this side plate was produced in the early 1960's, unlike the saucer we have HERE.
How do we know? Because my parents replaced this side plate due to an 'accident' and the replacement side plate (this item) has NOT been hand painted, Foley had already moved onto transferware techniques - there is no artist's mark on the underside. In addition to this, the backstamp is slightly different too ... see below for details
DLAT Rating: 9.5/10 (Darling Look At This)
FOLEY (ELIJAH BRAIN & COMPANY) - Side Plate
Circa 1948 ~ 1963 period design but actual production of this side plate is around the early 1960's
DESIGN:
"Swirl ribbed" china around the sides, with a gentle, curved scalloping to the rim
Bright white smooth fine china base
The bone china is translucent, meaning if held to a light source you can see the shadow of your fingers through the china.
Transferware (NOT handpainted) depicting flowers with foliage, we believe these flowers are daisys or more specifically Echinacea purpurea, which is a perennial wild flower found in England. Not only are they pretty but the flower makes for a good brewed tea as well! Nice connection ...
SPECIAL NOTE: Although the transferware version of the artwork is 'similar', it is not identical to the hand crafted artwork. The basic layout is the same but different elements are changed slightly and the colouring is deeper and more vibrant with the handpainted saucer artwork.
Gold gilding hand applied to the scalloped rim of the side plate - in our opinion not as well done as the saucer, a couple of places the gilder has 'strayed' from the edge a little.
Side plate measures 160mm diameter
Weight: 150g
BACKSTAMP DETAILS:
The backstamp is printed in Black
ESTABLISHED IN 1850
(Graphic of an animal, something similar to a Lion with tongue extended or perhaps fire?)
(EB large stylised logo for Elijah Brain & Company)
FOLEY BONE CHINA
MADE IN ENGLAND
Gold gilder's mark only
Noticeable also is the fact that the text print font is quite different to that used on the saucer HERE
COSMETIC CONDITION:
USED
CLEAN
NO Cracks
NO Chips
NO Fleabites
NO artwork discolouration
NO wear evident to the gold gilding
NO central area scratching or useage marks noticed at all
Artwork shows no wear at all, even in the centre where you beautiful slice of Gateau would normally sit!
