Incredible Vintage Studio Pottery Slipware Sailing Boat Butter Dish / Cheese Dome

This is such an exceptional piece of vintage studio pottery. A beautifully handmade slipware butter dish or cheese dome, completely covered in hand-painted sailing boats, rolling blue water and little seabirds, all picked out in the most perfect combination of cobalt blue, warm ochre yellow, soft green and creamy white.

The shape alone is wonderful, but the little three-dimensional sailing boat forming the handle makes it so special. Even that has been individually painted, right down to its tiny blue hull and yellow-and-cream sails. Lift the dome and the decoration continues underneath onto the plate, with another hand-painted boat sailing across the centre and a blue striped border around the edge.

I especially love the contrast of the glossy painted glaze against the exposed warm terracotta clay around the edges and base. You can see the hand of the maker throughout, the brushstrokes, slightly irregular lines and little variations in the glaze are exactly what give it so much life.

Originally made as a butter dish or cheese dome, but honestly it is as much a piece of ceramic artwork as it is something practical. It would be incredible sitting at the centre of a table, on open kitchen shelving or amongst a collection of favourite studio pottery.

A joyful, beautifully considered and wonderfully unusual piece, and without doubt one of the most special pieces of slipware I’ve found in a while.

Height: 16cm
Lid diameter: 13cm
Plate diameter: 15.5cm