19th Century Flow Blue Cheese Dish

Offered for sale is a stunning 19th century, "flow blue" cheese dish. Modelled in the traditional wedge shape, the ridged cloche is decorated with flowers in a vibrant cobalt "flow blue" glaze. This would be a fantastic addition to a country kitchen setting or a formal dining occasion. Although no makers mark present, it is most certainly an English 19th century Staffordshire piece. Flow blue (occasionally 'flown blue') is a style of white earthenware, sometimes porcelain, that originated in the Regency era, sometime in the 1820s, among the Staffordshire potters of England. The name is derived from the blue glaze that blurred or "flowed" during the firing process. Most flow blue ware is a kind of transferware, where the decorative patterns were applied with a paper stencil to often white-glazed blanks, or standard pottery shapes, though some wares were hand painted. The stencils burned away in the kiln. The blue glazes used in flow blue range from gray-blue to sometimes greenish blue, to an inky blue; however the most desirable and sought-after shade is a vivid cobalt blue. Mulberry is another form of flow blue, where the glaze is more purple in hue.