{"product_id":"antique-staffordshire-blue-white-cheese-dome-plate","title":"Antique Staffordshire Pearlware Cheese Dome \u0026 Plate – 19th Century Floral Cheese Cloche","description":"\u003cp\u003eA beautiful and increasingly difficult-to-find piece of 19th-century English kitchen and tableware, this wonderful antique cheese dome and matching plate is believed to be of Staffordshire origin and dates from the Victorian period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first thing that catches the eye is the extraordinary decoration and it's beautiful pale blue background colour typical of 1800's Staffordshire Pearlware.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRich cobalt-blue flowers, leaves and scrolling foliage sweep across the domed cover, continuing beautifully onto the matching circular plate beneath. Rather than a stark white ceramic, the pottery has a wonderfully subtle pale blue-grey ground, giving the piece a softness and depth that becomes particularly apparent when viewed in natural light.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA deep cobalt-blue finial completes the dome.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt also has a kiln firing scar in the middle of the underneath of the plate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt approximately 20cm wide and 17cm tall, it has wonderful presence without being excessively large, making it an especially attractive piece for displaying on an old dresser, kitchen shelf, sideboard or dining table.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDimensions\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDiameter: approximately 20cm\u003cbr\u003eOverall height: approximately 17cm\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Little History\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis piece is believed to be 19th-century English earthenware, probably Staffordshire, with characteristics associated with the blue-and-white pottery produced by the great Staffordshire potteries during the period.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe pale bluish cast to the ceramic is particularly interesting and is reminiscent of the earlier pearlware tradition, in which cobalt was incorporated into the glaze to produce a cooler, subtly blue appearance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe underside also retains a distinctive firing or kiln contact scar – an irregularity created during manufacture rather than something we would attempt to disguise. For us, details such as this are part of the fascination of early pottery and provide a tangible reminder of how these pieces were made.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe piece is unmarked, so we have deliberately not attributed it to a particular factory or maker.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy We Like It\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is something wonderfully romantic about an object that has survived for well over a century and still looks this good.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut it's the decoration that really makes this one special.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThose enormous cobalt flowers aren't restrained or delicate – they're wonderfully confident, covering almost the entire dome before spilling visually onto the plate underneath.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen there's the colour of the pottery itself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLook beyond the dark blue decoration and you'll see that the background isn't brilliant modern white, but a much softer pale blue, which gives the whole piece a wonderfully mellow appearance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd turn the plate over and you'll find the firing scar underneath – one of those little manufacturing details that we love finding on genuinely old pottery.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow We Would Style It\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is exactly the sort of antique we'd leave permanently on display.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt would look wonderful on an old pine dresser surrounded by stoneware pots and wooden boards, or sitting on a kitchen table with antique linens, glassware and collected blue-and-white ceramics.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course, its original purpose was considerably more practical.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCheese dishes such as this were designed to bring cheese to the table beneath their decorative covers. Today, we'd be equally happy using it as an impressive table centrepiece or simply enjoying it as a piece of antique decorative pottery.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts blue and white palette makes it particularly suited to French country, English country, farmhouse, cottage and traditional interiors.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition \u0026amp; Character\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs an antique piece of considerable age, there are signs of its history and manufacture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe underside displays a distinctive kiln\/firing contact scar, together with variations in the glaze associated with manufacture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese characteristics are part of the individuality of an early piece rather than the uniform finish associated with modern factory-made ceramics.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eThere are no chips or cracks and it is in perfect antique condition\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the Brocante Trail\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome antiques make you wonder how many tables they've already sat upon.\u003cbr\u003eThis is one of them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMade during the 19th century, this cheese dome belongs to an age when even something as everyday as serving cheese could warrant a beautifully decorated piece of pottery.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore than a century later, those extraordinary cobalt flowers remain just as striking.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe'd place it on an old kitchen dresser where the light can catch that subtly blue glaze – although we'd be very tempted to bring it back to the table with a good piece of cheese underneath.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery treasure has a story. This one found us on the Brocante trail. Now it’s waiting to become part of yours!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Little Brocante Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54708452819271,"sku":"ANT-ANTIQUESTA-001","price":195.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0914\/1357\/8055\/files\/product-image-1_2604b701-15e3-4620-9de9-574fde7f7ec4.png?v=1787305420","url":"https:\/\/www.thelittlebrocanteshop.com\/products\/antique-staffordshire-blue-white-cheese-dome-plate","provider":"The Little Brocante Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}