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English Blue and White Transferware Butter Tub Stand - Chinoiserie Landscape c.1830

Small blue and white ceramic dish with a wavy rim and a pagoda landscape, approximately 11 centimeters in diameter. - view 1
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Estimated value

$25 - $65

Rarity

Average(4/10)

Era

c. 1820-1840

Origin

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Authenticity

High(80%)
37

ENGLISH BLUE AND WHITE TRANSFERWARE BUTTER TUB STAND - CHINOISERIE LANDSCAPE C.1830: IDENTIFICATION

A small pearlware or early whiteware ceramic saucer, likely a stand for a butter tub or a small sweetmeat dish, featuring a gadrooned or 'shell-molded' wavy rim. The central decoration consists of an underglaze blue transfer-printed Chinoiserie landscape including a three-story pagoda, a sampan boat, and a stylized fence. The reverse shows a slightly recessed foot ring and a complete absence of maker's marks, which is common for smaller utility pieces from the Staffordshire region during this period.

Compare with other ceramic pieces in the archive: Chinese Blue and White Porcelain 'Dragon and Phoenix' Charger, Blue and White Phoenix Ewer, Underglaze Blue Floral Bowl bearing Xuande Mark.

PRODUCTION & FIRING

Produced in the Staffordshire potteries between 1820 and 1840, this piece reflects the British fascination with 'Oriental' motifs following the expiration of the East India Company's tea monopoly. The transfer-printing process allowed factories like Spode, Davenport, and Ridgeway to mass-produce ...
Produced in the Staffordshire potteries between 1820 and 1840, this piece reflects the British fascination with 'Oriental' motifs following the expiration of the East India Company's tea monopoly. The transfer-printing process allowed factories like Spode, Davenport, and Ridgeway to mass-produce complex patterns originally hand-painted on expensive Chinese export porcelain. The specific gadrooned edge was a popular Regency-era design choice transitionally leading into the early Victorian period.

COLLECTOR NOTES

1

Small dishes of this 11-12 cm diameter were often part of larger supper sets where multiple specialized containers nested together in a wooden tray.

SCARCITY

Average55-70%
CommonLegendary

Typical antique shop fare. Requires some searching but regularly available. This is where most genuine antiques fall.

Rarity 4/10. Curiosa currently catalogues 101 ceramics items at rarity 4 or higher.

Typical Characteristics

  • Standard antique shop items
  • Regularly available
  • Moderate collector interest

Confidence Factors

  • Style of transfer and 'shell-molded' edge are highly consistent with Early Victorian Staffordshire production
  • Absence of marks is period-appropriate for small component pieces of sets
  • Glaze cooling blue-tinted pools in corners align with pearlware characteristics
How does authenticity detection work?

CERAMICIST'S ASSESSMENT

Decorative Arts Specialist

Silver & Glass Expert

The form and decoration are highly diagnostic of early 19th-century British transferware, though exact factory attribution is impossible without a mark.

KEY EVIDENCE

  • 1Gadrooned/shell-molded rim typical of 1820-1850 British earthenware
  • 2Underglaze cobalt blue transfer with Chinoiserie pagoda motif
  • 3Clean, unmarked base and foot ring consistent with Staffordshire utility wares
  • 4Scale (11-12cm) suggests a butter stand or small sauce saucer
  • 5Lack of heavy crazing despite age indicates high-quality firing

WHAT WOULD IMPROVE CERTAINTY

  • →Check for 'stilt marks' (three small dots in a triangle) on the base or front which indicate kiln placement
  • →Examine under UV light to check for invisible professional restoration to the feathered edges

CONDITION & GRADE

Excellent/Fine

Grading breakdown

The transfer is well-centered and crisp with minimal blurring. Surface reflects strong glaze integrity without the heavy crazing often seen in 200-year-old earthenware.

Condition

Scattered 'pepper' spots (kiln debris) on the reverse; minor shelf wear to the unglazed foot ring; no visible cracks or hairline fractures in the images.

CERAMICS MARKET VALUE

$25 - $65

Updated: May 10, 2026

Who buys this

Collectors of early English transferware and Staffordshire blue and white pottery.

What increases value

  • •Clarity and 'crispness' of the transfer-printed scene
  • •Integrity of the fragile scalloped edges
  • •Specific rarity of the landscape pattern (some patterns command higher premiums than the common Willow)

What lowers value

  • •Undetected 'flea bites' or micro-chips along the wavy rim
  • •Staining or 'browning' caused by moisture penetrating the porous earthenware body

What makes top-tier examples

  • •Maker's mark from a prestigious factory like Spode
  • •Identifiable named pattern from a documented series

Grade & condition

Completeness of the rim, level of glaze crazing, and vibrancy of the cobalt blue.

Rarity & demand

AverageModerate demandModerate liquidity
Browse similar ceramics objects

For informational purposes only, not a formal appraisal.

FROM THE CABINET OF

AU

ausema
Wonderseeker•1 item

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