Blackbirds and Berries Mudlarked Sherd Pendant

Historical Information

Object: Birds and Berries Motif Sherd
Fabric / Body: Smooth white earthenware with clear glaze and
minimal crazing
Technique: Black lithographic transfer print with delicate stippling
and a narrow scrolling border
Date: c. 1900-1930
Likely Origin: Staffordshire, England
Find Location: Colchester, Essex

Extra Information:

Bird-and-berry designs were extremely fashionable in the early
20th century, used on light, modern breakfast and tea services
aimed at middle-class households and cafes. This fragment shows
crisp lithographic printing - a technology that produced cleaner,
more finely shaded imagery than earlier Victorian copperplate
transfers. The minimal background, precise dot shading, and simple border indicate a design aesthetic closer to Edwardian and interwar styles than to ornate Victorian patterns. Many such services were produced in large quantities by Staffordshire potteries but were never formally recorded under widely distributed pattern names. Short-run or store-branded sets were common, making exact identification difficult without a maker's mark. This sherd represents a charming example of everyday domestic ware from the early 1900s, reflecting the era's taste for naturalistic yet uncluttered decorative motifs.