Manufacture date: post 1845
Vessels: Tableware and Teaware
Floware is a specific type of transferprint with a blurred, watery effect. This decoration is created by exposing the surface of the ceramic to chlorine in the kiln, which causes the colours to “flow.” This motif features two distinct colours; blue or mulberry, with the dark purple mulberry pigment often reading as almost black. Floware occurs most often on ironstone ceramics, and is diagnostic of the second half of the nineteenth century. The design is featured on teawares and serving dishes, such as large platters or covered dishes. Most flow printed wares were exported to the North American market.
Floware should not be confused with Olde Blue decoration, which also features dark blue colouring, but dates to much earlier in the nineteenth century.
