HISTORY:
We had/still have a LOT of English teaware, these made for years of "special occasion enjoyment" for us.
This is a very nice example of Foley fine bone china, a teacup. There were a number of "Foley's" in England producing chinaware, this piece is from the period when Eiljah Brain took over the company from Robinson & Sons. The date on either side of the EB graphic is NOT when this piece was made but refers to the year when Foley China Works were operated by Mr Robinson and subsequently sold to Elijah Brain.
A little bit of trivia about the Foley works, it was one of the very few who trained boys in the art of flower painting - most often the decoration work was undertaken by women in other English chinaware works.
Based on the backstamp, this teacup was produced during the period 1948 ~ 1963, our personal opinion is that these can be narrowed down to the 1950's, when my parents bought them (yes, they are inherited "hand me downs")
DLAT Rating: 9.5/10 (Darling Look At This)
FOLEY (ELIJAH BRAIN & COMPANY) - Teacup
Circa 1948 ~ 1963 period (Backstamp identified)
DESIGN:
"Swirl ribbed" china around the sides, finished with a gentle scalloping to the rim
Bright white smooth fine china base
The bone china is translucent, meaning if held to a light source you can easily see the shadow of your fingers through the china.
Pale Blue background colouring
Bouquet of flowers painted inside the teacup lip, going well down INSIDE the teacup. No artwork on the outside of the teacup. The artwork is a bouquet of flowers (but the arrangement of the flowers and colouring differs from the cake plate I have and the saucer we used to have) A pink rose still dominates the art but the surrounding flowers and foliage differ from the cake plate and saucer (we no longer have the saucer - SOLD).
Gold gilding applied to the scalloped rim of the teacup, the base area and extensively on the handle (both sides and inside/in-between the two sides of the handle)
** POSSIBLY HAND PAINTED **
Please see my comments below in the cosmetic condition section regarding the artwork creation
Teacup mouth measures 90mm diameter
Note the distinctive upraised handle shape
Weight: 120g
BACKSTAMP DETAILS:
The backstamp is printed in Mid Grey
(Graphic of an animal, something similar to a Lion with tongue extended or perhaps fire?)
18 (EB stylised logo for Elijah Brain & Company) 50
FOLEY BONE CHINA
MADE IN ENGLAND
Artist markings near the backstamp and in Brown paint the number 3114 C
COSMETIC CONDITION:
VERY GOOD
CLEAN
NO artwork discolouration
NO staining inside the teacup (usually caused by tannin (tea)
NO wear evident to the gold gilding on any of the sections (top rim, base and handle) Clearly we only used this teacup for special occasions just a few times.
** ARTWORK COMMENTS **
I believe this has been hand painted, it fits with the era and looks to be hand painted with human imperfections in the colouring and outlines. BUT, like the cake plate, I am thinking that this artwork was hand painted but onto a film initially and then applied to the teacup, sort of like a quasi handpainted/transferware method of decoration. Running the finger over the artwork, it feels smooth, no little bumps or ridges that you get with direct to china painting. This would make sense in the production because to directly paint INSIDE the teacup would be very demanding of the artist's skills.
