Nineteenth Century English Ceramic Dish

Old and rare English ceramic dish, from the Victorian era, created in the Old Hall factory, Staffordshire, active in the years 1861-1886. This oval-shaped dish is beautifully decorated in transferware with the “Mother Hubbard” motif, created by the renowned designer of the Aesthetic Movement Christopher Dresser (1834-1904), who made his designs for Old Hall in the 1980s. On a background of foliage and fruit trees, a pretty young girl carries a little girl on her shoulders. The edge is composed of six cartridges filled with orange fruits and foliage. The reverse is printed with the mark “Old Hall - England E'Ware C°(L)” and the design name “Mother Hubbard”. The transferware technique was created when English factories demanded an economical alternative to hand-painted items for the local nobility. The mass production achieved through this system allowed the middle class to enjoy beautiful tableware, like the nobility, but at affordable prices.