Topic: Sowerby blue opalescent footed dish, 13 July 1880 – which RD number, please?

[agincourt17]

A small, oval, blue opalescent footed dish, 3 ¼ inches long. The underside bears the design registry date lozenge for 13 July 1880 – Parcel 11 plus the Sowerby ‘peacock head’ trademark.

(Permission for the re-use of these images on the GMB granted by Roy Jones).

The Sowerby registration bundle for that date was for five designs, RDs 352133 to 352137. Jenny Thompson and Simon Cottle describe all the designs as being for ‘vases’.

Cottle ascribes RD 315137 to Sowerby pattern number 1472 (which appears on page 9 of the Sowerby pattern book IX, 1882). The design illustration shows 1472 to be a rectangular piece with stippled sides above a reeded border and having 4 reeded and splayed stub feet.

Presumably, therefore, Roy’s piece is RD 352133 to 352136 – but which one? If Paul S. drops by, I wonder if he has the design representations for the Sowerby bundle in order to solve the problem (hopefully definitively), please?

I’ve scoured the Sowerby pattern books and my own photo references but have been unable to find a pattern match for Roy’s dish so far.

Fred.

[Paul S.]

it looks to be 352137 which is showing as having feet, a notched rim, and oval in shape.              I'll post the National Archive pix in a while  -  after I've watermarked them.

attractive piece by the way.

[Paul S.]

attached are three pix covering the five Registrations in question - 352133 to 37 inclusive  -  hope all the relevant details are clear.              That's another pint you owe me

[agincourt17]

Thank you very much, Paul, as always.

As you say, Roy's dish just has to be RD 352137.

Which now begs the question as to Cottle's attribution of RD 352137 to Sowerby pattern number 1472 (though it does have the same notched rim and stippled side panel above a reeded base border as Roy's dish). Perhaps the registration was for the body pattern rather than the shape.

At least I now know what RDs 352133-136 should look like and will be able to search the Sowerby pattern books to see if thet correspond to illustrated pattern numbers.

Fred.

[agincourt17]

Some success with linking the Sowerby RD numbers for 13 July 1880 with their Sowerby pattern numbers:

Roy’s opalescent blue dish, RD 352137, is Sowerby pattern 1486 (at least that’s what I think the number is because the printing in the catalogue is a little smudged) which is shown on page 10 of the Sowerby pattern book IX, 1882. .

RD 352133 corresponds to Sowerby pattern number 1507, shown on the same page of the pattern book.

RD 352134 corresponds to Sowerby pattern number 1508, also shown on the same page.

RD 352135 corresponds to Sowerby pattern number 1506, also shown on the same page.

Interestingly, pattern numbers 1506, 1507 and 1508 are actually heavily decorated, whereas the design representations only show the undecorated shape.

No luck so far with a Sowerby pattern number corresponding to RD 352136.

It would seem, therefore, that Simon Cottle is in error concluding that Sowerby pattern 1472 correlates with Sowerby RD 352137 of 13 July 1880.

Does anyone have photos of actual pieces from Sowerby patterns 1506, 1507 or 1508 to show, please?

Fred.

[mhgcgolfclub]

Hi Fred

I found a couple of these  today which look to be 1508, both decorated on the outside and inside . Both in purple slag glass and both marked with date lozenge and Sowerby trade mark to the base. I cannot remember seeing this pattern before so certainly not very common.

Roy

[agincourt17]

Thank you for showing these Sowerby pattern 1508 dishes, Roy.

Nice examples, especially being a pair.

Definitely uncommon  - I no of no other reference photos for this pattern.

Fred.