HISTORY:
We are cleaning out our "overgrown" collection of UK (mainly) chinaware because we have quality chinaware coming out of our ears! Some pieces/collections have been kept but others must find new homes to accommodate our latest passion - fine, artistic chinaware (hand painted of course)
Not interested in nice Irish egg cups? How about some Belleek? now that is something really special - take a look HERE
We found these egg cups in the back of the display cabinets, nothing startling you may think but it's the history of these egg cups that interested us.
Carrigaline Potteries of County Cork started a long time ago, way back in the late 1920's. At this time it was what we may call a village and when the pottery works started up this was quite a big thing, in fact as the works grew it became the main employer in Carrigaline. The works initially produced clay flowerpots, that's it - flowerpots (from small beginnings big things grow) and this continued for a few years until 1932 when there was The Eucharistic Congress and the opportunity presented itself to produce commerative souvenirs. These products became their 'mainstay' for many years afterwards. From around the mid 1930's the company expanded their product line to include tableware, hot water bottles (imagine that! clay hot water bottles in the bed), jugs, coffee sets, nursery ware and even tiles.
Production continued until 1979 but as the company was having a tough time financially, they closed down, A short time later the production facilities were once again bought to life by a new owner under the new name of Cork Art Pottery. Future years bought some changes of ownership but finally in 2003 the production facilities were closed down for good - what was once Carrigaline Pottery Co. was no more.
Carrigaline tableware was of good quality, distinctive design, and not expensive at the time. Although not particularly fancy (unlike the up-market English chinaware), it has now become very collectable. Their designs 'stand out', particularly the two tone stripped tableware
CARRIGALINE - Egg Cup (1) ONLY
1970's
White base china
Opaque chinaware, meaning that if held to the light you CANNOT see the shadow of your fingers/hand through the clay
DESIGN: Shamrock (Green colour)
Transferware not hand painted
Each egg cup has 4 separate artworks comprising shamrock (young spring or clover) with one branch extending outwards and up from the main design. Two of the designs are high up on the side of the egg cup and the remaining two much lower.
Gold gilding has been applied to the top rim
There is no text of any kind on the egg cup
SPECIAL NOTE: I mention these small details because I have seen 'other' shamrock style egg cups from Carrigaline and some have printed on the egg cup FROM IRELAND (appear to have been for the tourist market not the locals), others have the extending spring of shamrock pointing downwards and yet others have had the transferware poorly applied so that the designs do not look level or true.
The backstamp is standard for 1970's era Carrigaline tableware,
Potter's mark printed on the base (under the glaze) using Green ink
(graphic showing a sprig of shamrock lying sideways)
CARRIGALINE
POTTERY Co. Ltd
CORK IRELAND
COSMETIC CONDITION:
I have 4 egg cups, unless noted below, the description applies to all egg cups equally
NO cracks
NO chips or fleabites
NO crazing
NO wear showing to the artwork
NO discolouration (inside & out)
3x egg cups
Gold gilding shows no wearing at all
1x egg cup
Gold gilding is quite worn, this egg cup has seen quite a bit of use/washing. Out of 10, I would rate the gold gilding as a 6
I have enabled automatic discounting on these egg cups when buying ALL FOUR i.e to be offered the lower price all of the egg cups (including the lower standard egg cup) will need to be purchased
I buying just one or two, I will supply the egg cups with the excellent gold gilding, NOT the lower grade egg cup by itself.
