Neale & Co. Creamware Oval Botanical Dishes - A Pair

Details

Description

Gilded Botany: Neale Creamware Oval Polychrome Dishes

Object: Pair of Oval Serving Dishes
Origin: Neale or Neale & Wilson, Staffordshire, … Read more Gilded Botany: Neale Creamware Oval Polychrome Dishes

Object: Pair of Oval Serving Dishes
Origin: Neale or Neale & Wilson, Staffordshire, England
Date: Circa 1785-1790 (Georgian Era)
Medium: Creamware earthenware, hand-painted polychrome enamels, and gilding
Decoration: Central open rose and rosebud, surrounded by a gilt stylized leaf border, repeated on the rim.

Dimensions: 10 inches long (25.4 cm).

This elegant pair of English Creamware Oval Dishes is an exceptional example of high-quality Georgian-era pottery, likely produced by the renowned Neale or Neale & Wilson factory in Staffordshire. The dishes display a rich, creamy body color characteristic of the finest Creamware, a material popularized by Josiah Wedgwood.

The decoration adheres to the refined botanical style popular in the late 18th century. In the interior well, a delicate, hand-painted open rose and rosebud commands attention, executed in soft polychrome enamels. This central motif is framed by a narrow band of finely painted stylized gilt leaves, which is repeated along the outer rim and flanked by two narrow red-brown lines. The use of elaborate gilding, though simple in motif, elevates these pieces beyond everyday use, showcasing the aesthetic demands of the time.

Historical Context: Neale's Legacy

The factory of Neale & Co. (and later Neale & Wilson) was one of the premier producers of fine earthenware, rivaling Wedgwood in quality and innovation. Their work, often inspired by both botanical accuracy and classical motifs, was popular across European and American markets. These dishes reflect the popular taste for dinner services featuring botanical specimens, often used for specialized courses, and demonstrate the factory’s ability to execute intricate, fine-line gilding alongside delicate brushwork. The very similar decoration found on a partial tea service in porcelain from this era (as referenced in Diana Edwards' scholarship) highlights the factory's practice of applying the same successful decorative patterns across both earthenware and porcelain bodies.

Reference

Edwards, Diana: Neale Pottery and Porcelain: Its Predecessors and Successors 1763-1820, page 199, plate 176 and page 182, plate 182 (for examples of similar decoration on this maker's wares).

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