Antique Arts and Crafts Ceramic Psyche Vase from Frank Beardmore & Co., 1905

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A draped maiden depicting Psyche forms the central pictorial focus, her long auburn hair trailing as she holds a white … Read more A draped maiden depicting Psyche forms the central pictorial focus, her long auburn hair trailing as she holds a white dove against an open landscape. Below her, slender deer graze amongst green foliage and red poppies, before the composition transitions into a rolling mountainous vista outlined around the reverse of the body. Formed as a tall cylindrical body rising from a stepped circular base to rounded shoulders and a short flared neck, the vessel is edged with a fine dark brown line at the rim.

The decoration combines bold graphic line work with soft coloured infills over a pale primrose ground, reflecting the stylised illustrative pottery traditions of early twentieth-century Britain. The piece stands 25 cm high and is potted in glazed earthenware. While produced in a decorative manner closely aligned with the work of tile and ceramic designer Margaret Thompson, the pattern was produced commercially by the Staffordshire potteries for wider decorative use. The underside carries the black printed factory mark for Frank Beardmore & Co. of the Sutherland Pottery in Fenton, enclosing a flying dove and the pattern title 'Psyche', alongside hand-painted alphanumeric workroom notations. The ceramic surface and coloured enamels remain well preserved, with no cracks, chips, or structural restoration. See less