Code: 11055
Rare Aesthetic Transferware Plate
REJECTED ADDRESSEE
William Brownfield
Cobridge
Staffordshire England
c. 1880
This is a gorgeous porcelain transfer printed plate measuring 9 1/2 inches wide.
It is decorated with a fantasy image of two fairies turning away a dejected Elf.. A stunning Aesthetic movement image, part of an early series of fantasy imagery with elves, fairies and gnomes.
The person from whom we purchased the plate said that the design is based on “The Water-Babies”, a Victorian children's novel by the Charles Kingsley, written in 1862, a mainstay of children's literature, written as an educational fable. The protagonist of the book is Tom, an inquisitive young boy who falls into a river where he is transformed into a "water baby" and begins his moral education, embarking on a series of adventures and lessons in the company of other water babies. The main characters he meets along the way are fairies elves and critters, each teaching him a moral or spiritual lesson.
The porcelain plate is in great condition, with no chips, cracks, stains, or repairs.
