Soup Plate
1884 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This dinner service is made of earthenware, the cheapest of the ceramic materials to fire, and the decoration is transfer-printed, the least labour-intensive method then available. However, it does have features which lift it out of the ordinary. Dresser's commitment to practicality led him to include a dip in the soup plates to make the last spoonful easier.
Places
The Old Hall Earthenware Co. Ltd. was the first limited liability company in the Staffordshire potteries. It was founded in 1861 in Hanley, and was formerly Charles Meigh & Son. In 1886 it became the Old Hall Porcelain Works. Earthenware production was less expensive than bone china or porcelain and this tableware would probably have been used in a comparatively modest home, although one with some artistic aspirations. It may also have served as everyday ware in a home where more expensive bone china was kept 'for best'.
People
Dresser was a trained botanist and perhaps the most radical and prolific of 19th-century designers. He was often described as a 'pioneer of modern design' and he promoted quality, machine production and new materials. His interest in and commitment to commercial design meant that he actively sought opportunities to design for inexpensive mass production.
This dinner service is made of earthenware, the cheapest of the ceramic materials to fire, and the decoration is transfer-printed, the least labour-intensive method then available. However, it does have features which lift it out of the ordinary. Dresser's commitment to practicality led him to include a dip in the soup plates to make the last spoonful easier.
Places
The Old Hall Earthenware Co. Ltd. was the first limited liability company in the Staffordshire potteries. It was founded in 1861 in Hanley, and was formerly Charles Meigh & Son. In 1886 it became the Old Hall Porcelain Works. Earthenware production was less expensive than bone china or porcelain and this tableware would probably have been used in a comparatively modest home, although one with some artistic aspirations. It may also have served as everyday ware in a home where more expensive bone china was kept 'for best'.
People
Dresser was a trained botanist and perhaps the most radical and prolific of 19th-century designers. He was often described as a 'pioneer of modern design' and he promoted quality, machine production and new materials. His interest in and commitment to commercial design meant that he actively sought opportunities to design for inexpensive mass production.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Earthenware, transfer-printed in black and painted in green, blue, yellow and gilding |
| Brief description | 'Shanghai' pattern soup plate designed by Christopher Dresser for Old Hall pottery |
| Physical description | 'Shanghai' pattern soup plate |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | Marks: 'Shanghai' printed in black; 'D 24x' painted in brown/black and 'DL' painted in green; 'Y Rd No ?48708?' impressed' Chr Dresser' facsimile signature printed in black |
| Object history | Designed by Christopher Dresser (born in Glasgow, 1834, died in Mulhouse, France, 1904); made by Old Hall Earthenware Company Ltd., Hanley, Staffordshire RF 1999/471 Bought with Central Funds |
| Summary | Object Type This dinner service is made of earthenware, the cheapest of the ceramic materials to fire, and the decoration is transfer-printed, the least labour-intensive method then available. However, it does have features which lift it out of the ordinary. Dresser's commitment to practicality led him to include a dip in the soup plates to make the last spoonful easier. Places The Old Hall Earthenware Co. Ltd. was the first limited liability company in the Staffordshire potteries. It was founded in 1861 in Hanley, and was formerly Charles Meigh & Son. In 1886 it became the Old Hall Porcelain Works. Earthenware production was less expensive than bone china or porcelain and this tableware would probably have been used in a comparatively modest home, although one with some artistic aspirations. It may also have served as everyday ware in a home where more expensive bone china was kept 'for best'. People Dresser was a trained botanist and perhaps the most radical and prolific of 19th-century designers. He was often described as a 'pioneer of modern design' and he promoted quality, machine production and new materials. His interest in and commitment to commercial design meant that he actively sought opportunities to design for inexpensive mass production. |
| Other number | 4193 - pattern number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.115-1999 |
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| Record created | January 27, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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