Hand Painted Copeland Art Pottery Decorative Plate, Dobbin's Breakfast, c1870

Size: 25.4 cm in diameter (10 inches) Condition: Excellent condition, no chips cracks restoration or significant wear. The plate has its original sturdy wire hanger. This charming plate is painted over an earthenware body in overglaze fired enamels with a depiction of a young girl bringing hay, wrapped in her apron, to her donkey. On the reverse it is entitled "dobbins breafast" (sic). The plate is made of an interesting rough mix of clay and finished overall with a transparent glaze. The painting appears to be done in enamels, but the white ins particular is built up rather like barbotine or impasto, to give a relief effect. The plate is impressed with the mark for the Copeland factory. Copeland was one of the great 19th century pottery centres and it employed many great artists. However this plate is probably outside painted. During the 1870's, the decoration of Art Pottery by amateur or semi-professional artists, often women, became an industry in itself, the output being sold by London retailers such as Howell and James, who organised annual exhibitions, and shown at the great industrial expositions in Paris, Chicago etc. The quality of painting on this plate suggests the hand to be that of a gifted amateur and done under some expert supervision. The face is very well captured but the girl's right hand is not quite right. The use of the colours of the early morning sky to pick out flowers in the hay is rather good. A very attractive example of Victorian Art Pottery.