Since finding a wonderful set of 19th c. French faience rebus plates a few weeks ago, with solutions the the rebuses on the undersides, I've had antique blue and white china on my mind, and have been inspecting the undersides of plates with added vigor too! So when I found this charmer, and a second featuring a greyhound, I was immediately sold, including for the fact that they the names of the dogs are featured on the reverses in beautiful lettering.
Fainter is an incised mark for T.C. Brown-Westhead Moore & Co (Hanley, England) which dates them between 1862-1904, at which point the company was succeeded by Cauldon Ltd. I have found only one other example from what must have been a number of dog plates they produced in blue and white, and then a later version of this one in color, produced by Cauldron (and not nearly as good!) I might hang this one near the front door, to welcome and/ior ward off visitors!
9 5/16" in diameter and in excellent condition, with no chips, cracks or other flaws that I can see. Some crazing visible on the underside, but very little on the face. The plate is quite substantial, and the blue is super saturated and super crisp.
