Six person flow blue dinner service, Gem by H. Alcock

Pieces (and sizes) included in this dinner service set:

Six dinner plates (10 1/2" in diameter) Six supper plates (9 5/8" in diameter) Six bread plates (7 7/8" in diameter) Two graduated platters (13 5/8" x 10 7/8" and 11 1/4" x 8 7/8") Covered vegetable tureen, with lid (12" wide handle to handle, just under 6" tall and across) Gravy boat with lid, separate underplate and ladle (5" tall, app 4" across, 8 1/2 wide handle to handle, the tray is ~9" long by 5" wide)

Condition issues: All pieces have some crazing typical of the age. The gravy boat is the most-loved piece. See closeups of chips or flakes on the inside rim, the foot, the ladle and the lid, none of which prevent use. There is also a pre-firing crack inside the gravy boat, which is glazed over. Two dinner plates have stains in the crazing which could be cleaned with a peroxide bath (ask me if you want to know how to do this). The rest of the Dinner plates and the Supper plates are perfect, as are five of the bread plates. One bread plate has a tiny flea bite chip on the underside of its rim. The covered tureen and gravy underplate are perfect.

I have called the smallest plate a bread plate because there appears to be a size gap (see the gradated plate picture) where a salad plate would fit in the graduated sizes. The platters are the two smallest which would have been available in the pattern. This set is either a subset of what used to be a larger set or was perhaps a frugal selection, a small set choosing the most useful of pieces. The gravy boat's underplate is a true base for a gravy boat--note the outlined well for the foot of the gravy boat, which distinguishes this small plate from a small platter.

This set is the perfect size for the family dinner table or as a starter/base set for a large flow blue collection. The uncluttered design allows other flow blue patterns to mix with this set without clashing with the pattern.

Age and maker: Signed Henry Alcock and Co Ltd (descendant of the great Samuel Alcock). The mark dates this to 1900 - 1910.

This beautiful six-person, flow blue dinner service set would make a lovely addition to your home or a nice gift to a young couple as a starter set of antique dishes.

Item ID: 1056