Paragon Porcelain Plate with Busybodies and Busy Bees by F. Micklewright, 1910

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A circular central panel painted with an engaging canine composition titled 'busybodies and busy bees' forms the heart of this … Read more A circular central panel painted with an engaging canine composition titled 'busybodies and busy bees' forms the heart of this cabinet plate. Three lively terriers gather intently around a low wooden bench beneath an overturned straw skep, while a white ferret sits observing quietly in the background. The scene is finished in naturalistic tones with careful brushwork rendering the texture of the dogs' coats and the rustic interior. The painting reproduces a popular work by victorian animal painter lucy a. Leaver and is signed 'f. Micklewright' to the lower left of the central roundel. Frederick micklewright was among the premier ceramic artists working for paragon in the early twentieth century, celebrated for his fine animal and sporting studies. Surrounding the miniature is a wide rim glazed in deep cobalt blue, heavily embellished with raised gold paste work. The decorative gilding includes foliate scrolls, lattice-filled heart cartouches, and floral baskets, bordered by a neat ring of raised gilt beading around the inner cavetto and a plain gilded rim. The underside displays the printed black paragon star backstamp, reading 'paragon china england', alongside hand-written script in black enamel reading '""busy bodies and busy bees"" after lucy a. Leaver.' produced circa 1910, the plate measures 20.7 cm in diameter (approximately 8.1 inches). Preserved in clean cabinet condition, the surface retains brilliant cobalt colour and crisp gilding with negligible handling wear. See less