Cup

Cup – small, faience, hemispherical with a slightly defined foot, decorated with a two-tone poppy motif (flower petals in burgundy-red, leaves and stems in dark green), stylised in the spirit of moderate Art Nouveau. This pattern, in a symmetrical striped pattern, extends across the entire width of the inner surface of the vessel. The axial part of the design features a short, straight stem with two pairs of leaves, topped by a centrally depicted poppy, with two horizontal branches at its base, each bearing a flower facing downward. From this vertical stem, three other almost parallel, S-shaped, twisted stems branch out to the sides, each of varying length. The shortest ends in a small, cup-like bud, the middle one in a large, fully bloomed flower, and the longest in a small, closed green bud. Since this composition does not match the full circumference of the cup's surface, the gap is filled with a motif of a small, cup-like bud along with a corresponding fragment of stems and leaves, representing an excerpt from the previously described pattern. This combination is visible upon close inspection of the decoration. Around the foot and the rim of the cup runs a narrow brown stripe. On the concave bottom of the cup, there are two green marks in an underglaze printed stamp. One is the manufacturer's signature depicting an anchor in an oval, with the inscription S.B. and S. /ENGLAND, underneath. The second is the signature of the London store SOUTH, AUDLEY S./T. GOODE & Co/LONDON. W. The flower painter's mark, in the form of three small burgundy dots, is placed within the store's signature. Next to it, a faintly stamped number in black, possibly "3" or "5", is visible. 

Joanna Kluz