Welcome to summer
It's finally summer! (well, officially, this is still late spring). Flowers are out everywhere. This is my favourite time of year. It is no coincidence that I sell so many porcelain items with the most stunning hand painted flowers; you can find me out in my allotment or garden as soon as the sun is out, tending my flowers and vegetables.
Today I am showing a set of 6 plates made by Machin from around 1825. I've shown them before, but I am showing them again - you can never have too many flowers, can you? Machin was a factory in Staffordshire that many are not familiar with; until quite recently most of their products were attributed to Ridgway, Coalport and others.
These plates are in the "moustache" shape, which the famous Geoffrey A. Godden attributed in several of his books as Ridgway, before he found out that they were made by Machin. This somehow cemented forever the idea that they are Ridgway and you can find them as such in the market even today. But does it matter? This is such a striking shape, with the Victorian moustache pressed into the rims and picked out in gold.
The hand painted flowers are stunning, and at Machin they must have had some very good painters as they produced so many dessert services with these very lively, abundant flowers. Each one is completely unique and although I've seen them often on different dessert services, probably even painted by the same hand, they never bore me - and always look new and fresh.
It is said that many flower painters at the factories would spend their free Sundays walking the countryside to observe flowers in the wild, and they would study books on flowers late into the night by candlelight. So I am not the only person obsessed by flowers - phew! To me, the love for flowers on porcelain and the flowers in my garden (and, subsequently, in my living room) is one and the same thing.
This wonderful set of plates is for sale in my shop, and I've paired it with some equally stunning H&R Daniel serving dishes... and a pair of Derby musicians to bring some light to the table if you are using them in the evening. You can find all of them in my shop.
New stock coming...
I am starting to release some wonderful new stock... keep your eyes peeled on the "new treasures" area below in the next few weeks.
Where to find things
You can find all my dessert services and plate sets here, and all my available stock can be found here. If you always want to see the latest additions, follow me on Instagram... I post pictures and a story several times a week.
Happy weekend, and enjoy the flowers! 🌸🌼🌹
tulips and peonies I grew in my allotment this spring
This week's new treasures:
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