45.00 EUR
Mid century modern Delphis candy dish or tray by Poole Pottery, with hand-painted abstract design in tones of red, green & black, a OOAK modern ceramic design!
ABOUT THE CANDY DISH / TRAY
The dish is an individual, one-of-a-kind, ceramic trapezoidal candy dish or tray from the 'Delphis' range, produced from 1963 into the 1970's, by the famed Poole Pottery, which was based in Dorset on the South coast of England.
Poole produced standard dish shapes which were then individually decorated by one of a team of painters, making each a OOAK work of art.
This is the '81' tray - one of the rarer shapes, specifically designed for the Delphis range and introduced in 1968 - hand-painted and usually signed on the base by the decorator (this piece has no signature). The abstract pattern was created using the 'Blythe' glazes which were in use from 1963 - 1971 (see below), which dates this piece from between 1968 - 1971.
The dish or tray will make a lovely display piece on its own, with other Delphis pieces, a wall plate display or as part of a mid century or modern interior design.
ABOUT DELPHIS
The 'Delphis' range, introduced in 1963, was developed by Robert Jefferson and painter Tony Morris - the individual designs were produced by the painters themselves working on standard Poole pottery shapes, so each piece was one-of-a-kind, combining mass-production with freedom of expression. The painters, mostly women, usually signed the base of the piece, making them easy to identify and date.
In the early years, painters were very much encouraged to explore their creativity and experiment. However, as the commercial success of the Delphis range exploded, this creative freedom was curtailed and, by 1972, artists were paid by piece rather than by hour.
The success of the Delphis range created another problem - as the volume of the pieces being fired increased, the colours began to react with one another in the kiln, most often turning all the colours black!
In 1971, to combat this problem, Poole switched to 'Ferro' glazes, where the number of colours were reduced - red, orange, yellow, green - and the outcome was more reliable.
Although they were unpredictable, the earlier Blythe glazes produced some of the most striking Delphis pieces, with wonderfully intense colour contrasts and textures - it is these 1960's pieces that are most sought after by collectors today.
ABOUT POOLE POTTERY
Poole Pottery started off as makers of architectural ceramics in 1873 - they produced much of the ceramic tiles used in the London Underground in the 1930's including the decorative relief tiles symbolising London which can still be seen in some stations today.
Their development of pottery pieces for domestic use began in 1915 and as Poole grew they produced many innovative ranges which are considered highly collectible today - Twintone (1930's), Freeform (1950's), Delphis (1960's) and Aegean (1970's).
CONDITION
Excellent vintage condition - no chips, cracks, crazing or repairs.
Maker's mark: 'Poole England' with standard Dolphin trademark. '81' is the shape number - in this case the 6 1/4" tray.
MEASUREMENTS
Measures 6 1/4" (15. 8 cm) width max, 3/4" (1.8 cm) high.
SHIPPING
Shipped by standard post - standard shipping is the most economical option but provides no cover in the event of loss or damage.
For delicate, fragile or valuable items, we recommend Registered Post, with tracking and insurance - click on the link below to add a shipping upgrade to your order:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/126940315/shipping-upgrade-add-tracking-insurance
For more information, see our shop policies. If you have any questions, please contact me - I'll be happy to help.