Vintage Dragon Bowl in Hand-Painted Ceramic by Frederick Rhead, 1930s

Details

Description

A hand-painted ceramic bowl designed by Frederick Rhead in the 1930s for Wood & Sons’ Bursley Ware line, this decorative … Read more A hand-painted ceramic bowl designed by Frederick Rhead in the 1930s for Wood & Sons’ Bursley Ware line, this decorative piece belongs to the highly collectable Dragon pattern range. The shallow, wide form is centred by a vivid polychrome dragon — rendered in bold tones of green, red, and blue — painted against a glazed white ceramic ground. The exterior edge is ringed with further stylised dragon motifs, highlighted with gilt and finished in a lustrous overglaze that adds iridescence and visual depth. This 1930s Bursley Ware bowl showcases the Art Deco period’s fascination with Oriental-inspired decorative design, interpreted here through Rhead’s distinctive painterly style. As head of design at Wood & Sons during this era, Rhead was instrumental in shaping the visual identity of Bursley Ware ceramics, and this dragon bowl is a striking example of his work in narrative, illustrative pottery. The bowl measures 24 cm in diameter and 6.5 cm high. In good vintage condition with minor wear consistent with age and use: slight surface rubbing to the outer lustre glaze and fine age-related crazing to the interior, typical of glazed ceramics from this period. Whether viewed as part of Rhead’s broader ceramic output or within the context of early 20th-century British decorative arts, this hand-painted dragon bowl stands out as a collectible example of studio-influenced production pottery from England. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



issues arising from misattribution See less