Wedgwood (Josiah) pottery, porcelain and ceramics are of course extremely well known. Not all Wedgwood is from Josiah however and this saucer is an example of Wedgwood (the "other" Wedgwood) produced at the Unicorn Works by Wedgwood & Co - the owner was a distant relative of Josiah but the two potteries really had nothing to do with each other.
So this is Wedgwood, but not Wedgwood as you may know it.
Wedgwood & Company began operations back in 1860 and continued operations until 1965. Further company changes occured since 1965 until eventually the Enoch Wedgwood pottery was bought by Josiah Wedgwood, becoming absorbed into the Wedgwood Group that everyone knows - this line of products was called Unicorn Pottery
Wedgwood & Co. (NOT that Wedgwood!)
England
Early 20th Century *** see below for my comments
Saucer ONLY
Opaque (you cannot see your hand through the piece when held to light)
Hand decorated
Green & brown vine design
Gold gilding around the outer rim has substantially been worn away - the saucer is offered mainly because of the history behind it and even without most of the gold gilding it still is visually interesting.
NO cracks
Light yellow discolouration all over - why? this is the glaze becoming discoloured over the years and this is accompanied by light crazing (cracking of the glaze finish)
NO wear to the design
NO fleabites (there is a small little dot on the underside of the saucer, that looks to be a glaze "droplet" not a fleabite.
*** The Unicorn head trademark was registered in 1910, the general design and "feel" of the saucer gives me the impression of it being from around the 1920's perhaps a little earlier.
MOST of the backstamp is printed, except an indistinct stamp into the clay near the base of the Unicorn head.
There are no letter/number codes indicating the year/month
Backstamp details:
Black printed (under the glaze)
(Unicorn head graphic)
WEDGWOOD & CO. (straight not a curved line)
(Stamped into the clay, VERY indistinct, 53 or 58 or 26 - it is so hard to read because some of the stamp is covered by the Unicorn head graphic on top of it)
E printed below this stamping (and just to the left) in black
VENTNO? (? is a character which could either be an unfinished P or a funny looking D) in Green
No idea how the factory artist was paid (usually on a per piece basis) as there appears to be NO artist ID marks although this is absolutely hand decorated.
