We suspect that this may have originated as a Furnivals blank plate which has been painted by hand. China painting became a fashionable hobby for wealthy young women in England between about 1880 and 1920. During this time many books on pottery painting were published for the amateur in England and America. Pottery factories in France, Germany, England and the United States produced plates, bowls, cups and other objects for decoration by china painters. The "blanks" were plain white, with a clear glaze, and could be fired several times. Their price varied depending on size and complexity of the object's molding, ranging from a few pence to several pounds. The china painter could buy commercially produced powdered colours of mineral oxides mixed with a low-temperature flux. Some manufacturers sold paints pre-mixed with oil.. Often the amateur artist could take their work for firing to the same shop where they bought their colors and blanks. (Adapted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_painting#Victorian_era_amateurs) An interesting article about this popular hobby may be found on the Metropolitan Museum of Art's website at: https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/woch/hd_woch.htm . |
Catalogue from the World's Columbian Exposition showing arts and crafts suitable for women, including a painted vase. The Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_painting) |