EXTREMELY RARE A J Wilkinson Rural Scenes Brown Transferware 8" Scalloped Fluted Plate w/ Silver / Platinum Overlay Hunt Scene Cottage Horse Farm Cows

• RARE RURAL SCENES SCALLOPED EDGE SALAD PLATE 

EXTREMELY RARE SILVER / PLATINUM OVERLAY!

For consideration is this piece by A J Wilkinson / Royal Staffordshire in the Rural Scenes pattern.

It is one of the prettiest patterns ever produced on transferware.

The scene depicts a hunter on his horse leaving his cottage which can be seen behind him.  The brown transfer is hand painted in shades of green and burgundy, all under glaze so it is permanent. There is a silver  / platinum overlay design around the inner and outer rim of the piece and around the scene itself. The glaze has a greenish hue. This plate is the first I've seen from this rare series with the ruffled edge.  These are VERY RARE and hard to find! They are a wonderful, wonderful addition to any transferware collector, but especially to those of you who collect this pattern. I seldom come across the pieces with the silver overlay. 

A.J. Wilkinson (Arthur J. Wilkinson, Royal Staffordshire Pottery) was a pottery or potbank at Newport in Burslem, owned by the Shorter family since 1894. A sprawling complex of bottle ovens, kilns and production shops, it lay beside the Trent and Mersey Canal, the artery which provided it with coal and the raw materials for earthenware. In its heyday it employed 400 manual workers.

The pottery had formerly been operated in turn by Hopkin & Vernon, Hulme & Booth, Thomas Hulme, Burgess & Leigh, and Richard Alcock, who enlarged the works extensively. On Alcock's death in 1881, the owners became Wilkinson & Hulme and in 1885 to Arthur J. Wilkinson.

The works at first produced earthenware for the home market, but later operations concentrated on white graniteware for the United States. Wilkinson introduced gold lustre on graniteware so was one of the first to introduce this overlay type pottery with metals.  In about 1896 A. J. Wilkinson took over the Royal Staffordshire Pottery in Burslem.

The pottery was managed by Colley Shorter, an affluent Victorian and his brother Guy. Colley, whose full name was Arthur Colley Austin Shorter (1882-1963).  He moved in exclusive circles and had a taste for antiques and fine furnishings. His second wife was the famed ceramic designer Clarice Cliff.

In 1920 Business had expanded so much, that the firm of A.J. Wilkinson was able to take over another neighbouring pottery which came to be known as the Newport Pottery Co.

In 1964 The factory was sold to Midwinter.

Measures: 8"

Condition is wonderful. No chips, cracks or repairs. There may be some minor crazing present, as is associated with age.  

*last two photos are a tablescape with this pattern and other silver overlay pieces listed individually 

See the full tablescape at my blog here:

http://nancysdailydish.blogspot.com/2010/09/polychrome-transferware-rural-scenes.html