A time traveler from the 1830s...

{HISTORY}

The title of the newest (oldest) dish in the shop now goes to this petite bowl made in Staffordshire England in the 1830s. How exciting!

Just about ready to celebrate its 200th birthday in a few short years, this aged beauty contains so much character. Unmarked except for the word Scroll on the back alongside a small letter B, it is a mystery as to its manufacturer but the time period/pattern was listed in a reference book about early Staffordshire pottery, so we can at least date it appropriately. 

When this bowl was made in the 1830s, suppose that it came to America shortly after.  It would have seen a country of just over 12 million residents with people on the move in all directions. The Oregon Trail was in its infancy, encouraging newcomers to head west and railroads were expanding their lines to incorporate numerous regions and territories. The beginning threads of the anti-slavery movement was sending African Americans on freedom escapes to the North while women in the South were finally able to own their own land, making Mississippi the first state in the country to proclaim this right just as Oberlin College in Ohio became the first higher learning institution to allow access to education for all races. There was a cholera epidemic in NYC that caused people to flee the city for the country, there were expeditions of scientific discovery to explore North American wildlands and waterways, settlements of cities, and expanding port towns as the country grew.

Needless to say, there was a lot of history that could have taken this bowl from here to there and there to here, which explains some of the issues mentioned in the condition section.

As not only a functional serving dish but also a mini work of art, this bowl is absolutely exquisite in its detail. The fascination starts with the rim and the tiny x's that run around the entire edge perfectly following the shape of the dish's scalloped design. Moving beyond the x's to the wide brim of the bowl is a scribbly pattern of wriggly fine lines followed by an inner circle of a fine lacelike trim that frames the pastoral landscape at center. With a scene containing trees, mountains, a steepled building, cows, flowers, a shepherd and possibly two opossums, this could be rural England or Germany or the Netherlands. 

A very rare pattern from a very hard-to-find/obscure pottery, there have been just a few examples of this pattern found online. Other pieces included similar scenes but different situations (one contained a windmill, the other a castle).  That makes this bowl a double rarity and a really lovely example of antique dishware.  

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

- Very rare pattern and maker

- Colors include navy blue, medium, blue and pale blue

- Stamped on back with a beautiful mark containing the word Scroll.

{CONDITION}

As expected with a fragile dish that has traveled the world through two centuries, and crossed an ocean at least once in its life, this bowl contains no cracks but does bear quite a few small chips around the rim.  If we had to guess, we'd say that many of these chips were caused by plate hangers and that this piece was used for decoration more than it might have been used for dining. 

{SIZE}

Measures 6.75" inches (diameter) x 1.25" inches (height) and weighs 6.9 oz 

{FOR THE COLLECTOR}

This bowl looks beautiful with other blue and white antique and vintage dishware. Find a mix here.