Peoney Pattern by Josiah Wedgwood Staffordshire Ironstone Transferware Antique Flow Soup Blue; Ca. 1875-1880

Description

This is an original, stunning soup bowl in PEONEY pattern by Josiah Wedgwood of cream ivoryware earthenware pottery, typical of … more This is an original, stunning soup bowl in PEONEY pattern by Josiah Wedgwood of cream ivoryware earthenware pottery, typical of the Josiah Wedgwood pottery in Staffordshire England district. The Potteries is an excellent website that presents a fascinating history of early English pottery and tells the story of the iconic Wedgwood designer and tells the origin of the term "pot hole"!

I inherited this piece from an estate of a Flowing Blue Ironstone transferware collector.

The early aesthetic movement flowing blue transferware design on the well of the bowl is a lush botanical kaleidoscope image of peonies, other flowers and buds and leaves, which repeats seamlessly in four quadrants and converges in the center of the well. The center pattern bleeds a little bit onto the wide rim that has no printing other than a deep blue geometric diaper around the very outside rim of the bowl.

This pattern was used in Josiah Wedgwood's pottery in the early 1800s and was one of the first transfer-printed patterns used by Wedgwood c. 1805-07 and later on other manufacturers also produced a Peony pattern. The Wedgwood pattern was produced on dinner wares, with a service being made for the Prince of Wales in 1807. However it was a very popular pattern and was used on both earthenware and porcelain for both dinner and tea services over many years. Wedgwood reused this pattern again in the latter 1800s (which is likely when this bowl was produced) as well as in reproductions in the 1900s (the more modern version can be found on the Replacements website--it's a little different in application and most pieces are also of thinner china with a gold detail around the edge of the pieces).

The underside of this bowl has a series of markings that help date the piece:
In 1860 Wedgwood started using a 3-digit code imprinted; the third digit indicates the year of production (see the chart image), which is either "GRD" and dates the piece to 1875 or "GRI" and dates the piece to 1880. The name “WEDGWOOD” impressed in upper case letters, which dates the piece as well as the font used and other impressed markings. There are two other impressed markings that are illegible (one looks like an "=" sign). And the bowl also has two blue printed markings that are also unclear but are likely markings from the transfer designer.

10 1/2” W x 2” H; The bowl is slightly thicker and heavier than most of the ironstone pieces I have (and am selling) and have seen. less