Pickle Dish, probably Thomas Mayer, Staffordshire, circa 1835
This Staffordshire pickle dish is transfer-printed in blue with the Canova pattern – a romantic landscape with a large antique urn in the foreground, and a gondola and classical buildings beyond. A decorative printed border surrounds the scene, and the moulded ring handle is decorated with flower heads. The dish would have been used at the dining table for holding pickle or sweetmeats. Smaller items from a dinner service in this pattern do not crop up too often.
Unmarked.
Thomas Mayer manufactured earthenware at the Cliff Bank Works in Stoke (c.1826-35) and Longport (c.1836-38), with Canova being one of his most popular patterns. His transfer-printed earthenware was of a good quality, with much of it being exported to the United States of America.
Condition: No damage or restoration.
Dimensions: Width (including handle) 15.7 cm; Height 4.2 cm
The Dictionary of Blue & White Printed Pottery 1780-1880, Volume I, A.W. Coysh & R.K. Henrywood (Antique Collectors’ Club, 1995).