Item Description
This Shelley trio comprises a Regent shape cup, matching saucer and side plate in pattern 058, Gorse, decorated in the restrained botanical style associated with Shelley Ideal China made for Canadian Tea Ware. The white bone china is finished with a fine green edge and a distinctive design of dark branching stems, green leaves, delicate pale blossoms and softly rendered grey botanical or landscape elements. The cup has the characteristic full circular Regent handle, while the side plate has a distinctive scalloped outline. The underside carries the Shelley shield backstamp, England, Reg No 781613 and Ideal China, together with a hand written pattern reference. Reg No 781613 identifies the registered Regent design and is associated with its 1933 registration; it should not be treated by itself as proof that this particular decorated piece was made in 1933. Pattern 058 Gorse is documented as a Regent Ideal China pattern and is commonly dated to the mid 1930s. Ideal China was Shelley ware intended for export markets, including Canadian Tea Ware. The combination of pattern number, Regent shape and Ideal China marking therefore provides unusually strong identification for this trio while the exact individual firing date remains unconfirmed.
Item Condition
VERY GOOD VINTAGE USED CONDITION. This Shelley Regent trio is in very good vintage and used condition overall. The cup, saucer and side plate retain their white bone china ground, fine green edging and Gorse botanical decoration, with the characteristic circular Regent handle intact. No specific crack, hairline, chip, repair or structural damage is reported from inspection of the supplied photographs. As with vintage decorated bone china, minor age related surface wear, glaze variation or small manufacturing irregularities may exist and should be judged from the photographs. The colours, decoration and condition should be assessed carefully from every photograph. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and the listing photographs form an integral part of this description. They show the decoration, Regent form, scalloped side plate, handle and underside identification. The underside shows the Shelley backstamp, England, Reg No 781613, Ideal China and the hand written pattern reference associated with the piece. The trio consists of the cup, saucer and side plate only, with no additional accessories included. Questions regarding condition, identification or measurements are welcome.
Manufacturer Info
Shelley Potteries Ltd. developed from the earlier Wileman & Co. business at the Foley China Works in Fenton, Staffordshire, and became one of Britain's best known producers of fine bone china tea ware. The Shelley name was adopted as the company name in 1925. The factory became particularly noted for imaginative cup shapes, finely painted decoration and specialised export ranges. Eric Walter Slater joined the firm in 1919 and later became Art Director, playing an important role in modern Shelley shape development. Regent was one of Slater's important Art Deco forms. Its flared, trumpet shaped body and full circular handle created a distinctive silhouette and the shape remained in production for decades. Reg No 781613 is associated with Regent and records its registered design in 1933. Shelley also used numbered pattern systems to identify individual decorations, with 058 associated with Gorse on Regent Ideal China. Ideal China and Canadian Tea Ware were important export categories. This trio preserves several useful factory identifiers. The Shelley backstamp and England designation establish the manufacturer, Reg No 781613 identifies the Regent form, Ideal China identifies the ware and export context, and the hand written 058 reference identifies the decoration. Gorse combines green edging with botanical branches, leaves and delicate blossom imagery, giving the trio a restrained Art Deco appearance. The exact firing date is not established, but pattern 058 Gorse on Regent Ideal China is generally placed in the mid 1930s. The trio therefore demonstrates how Shelley combined shape development, numbered decoration and export production within one three piece tea setting.
Did You Know?
Did you know? Shelley Ideal China was closely associated with export markets, and Canadian Tea Ware is a recognised Shelley category for pieces produced for that market. This makes the Ideal China marking on this trio more than a simple quality designation: it provides a clue to the intended market for the ware. Pattern 058 Gorse is particularly useful because its identification works alongside the Regent shape. Reg No 781613 identifies the registered Regent design, while the hand written 058 reference identifies the decoration. These separate factory identifiers show how Shelley could record both the physical shape and the individual pattern on the same piece. This trio therefore provides a clear example of Shelley export ware in which shape, decoration and market designation remain visible together.
