tea cup, saucer & dinner plate

Johnson Brothers Ltd

Summary

Bute shaped tea cup with tapered foot, applied loop handle with inward kick towards lower terminal. Sides decorated with a wide border of stylised leafy stems in metallic silver lustre with pale blue enamelled flowers and buds, plain silver lustre bands above and below. Foot picked out with narrow silver band, neck rim edged in silver. Handle picked out with a silver leafy stem. Saucer with shallow footring and curved sides, decorated with same border pattern around slight indented well. White earthenware plate with wide shallow well and flattened sides, decorated with same border between plain silver bands. Range : Pareek (Johnson Bros), pattern reference number 8401.

Display Label

Gallery text panel The Industrial Art Collection In the early 1930s Manchester Art Gallery decided to form a collection of modern design. The Industrial Art Collection was intended to show how artistic qualities could be found in the most humble of everyday objects, from kitchen tableware to bedroom curtains. The collection enabled the Gallery to take part in a growing debate on standards in British design. It was an opportunity to encourage manufacturers to improve the quality of their products, and to show Gallery visitors that good design could and should be available to everyone. With this in mind, curator Lawrence Haward visited trade fairs and department stores, acquiring textiles, ceramics, glass and furniture. His choices are typical of 1930s 'good taste' and many have since become design classics.