Fish wall plaque from 1972.

I like the dark, cool colours on this circular wall plaque. The stylised fish in the illustration looks as if it's moving through deep water.

The circular plaque is made from dark brown clay and the glazes have a subtle textured look. I have an idea that there were several versions of this plaque, each with a different coloured background and different illustration.

The plaque was made in 1972 by Hornsea Pottery. It's described by Hornsea as a wall plaque but I suppose it could also be used as a teapot stand.

Either way, it's a stylish bit of retro design.

Mdina glass vases

I seem to have strayed off into glass recently, so I thought I'd continue the theme with this quick blogpost on a couple of Mdina vases.

I occasionally come across Mdina glass on my travels, some of it is little bit ordinary but some of it looks quite good. I like the vases with simple shapes best. I think the flat tops on the necks of these two vases are a nice touch. The green and sand colour scheme seems to be very typical but I also like the more subtle, simplified colour scheme of the larger vase.

I have some more Mdina vases and hope to do a blogpost on them sometime soon.

Mdina glass was produced in Malts. I would say these vases date from the mid-1970s.

Scandinavian glass vases. Easy on the eye.

I found a couple of coloured glass vases recently. I was attracted by the simple design and softly curved shapes.They were very reasonably priced so, even though I didn't know who they were by at the time, I decided to buy them.
The vases look good on display. It was only later that I did some research on the vases and discovered that they are Scandinavian. From Finland, actually. The vases were made by the Riihimaki or Riihimaen glassworks, I would think in the 1970s. I'm not certain but I think they may have been designed by Tamara Aladin.

I have a feeling that, now I have these two, I'll have to add more – if I can find any.

Hornsea slipware vases. Smart zig-zags from 1963

Elegant shapes, cool pastel colours, and simple zig-zag designs combine to make these vases so distinctive - and so stylish.

They were all made in 1963. Known as Slipware vases, they were made by Hornsea Pottery. Each has a painted grey band which is hand-decorated with those fabulous zig-zags in white slip clay. It's nice to display a single vase on its own but they look even nicer when displayed in groups. I can't decide if groups of mixed colours look better or groups of vases all in the same colour. I suppose it would depend on the decor of the room. Either way, I love these vases. In my opinion, this Slipware range is one of the best looking designs ever to come out of Hornsea Pottery.

These Hornsea Beaded pots deserve a closer look

This delicate surface pattern is known as Beaded. The pots are by Hornsea Pottery. The graphic designer, I think, is Jack Dadd. The range is from the early 1970s.

To me, the design has a wonderful lace-like quality and the black linework on the ivory-coloured background looks clean and bold. The look is further enhanced by the slight irregularities that occur in the hand-drawn design.

I understand that the range was not a good seller for Hornsea. It's a pity. Because I think this is a design that deserves a closer look.

I found another example of Jack Dadd's work in the V&A museum. You can see it here Jack Dadd mug

Limoges. A miniature plate with a mysterious Paris scene

I found this tiny little china plate and, to be honest, it's a bit of a mystery to me.

The plate measures just over 6cm (2 and a half inches) in diameter and is marked Limoges, France on the base.

The plate has a stylish illustration of a Paris street scene at night. But what is going on? A man walks with his hands in his pockets past a shop window. A lady stands, smoking a cigarette, in the pale yellow light of a street lamp.

I've seen lots of Limoges china plates before, many are decorated with classical romantic garden scenes by Fragonard. Although they are quite decorative, they don't really fit in with my collection.

But this Limoges plate, I like. So if you do know anything about it, I would be delighted to find out more.