Favorite Shelley China Patterns
Dainty Blue
Rose Spray
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Shelley is one of those brands of china that has an unusually loyal and large collector
following relative to the amount of wares that they produced. The firm's pieces are
quite distinctive and this is probably the reason for such collector devotion. The
period between 1910 and about 1940 is when the Shelley factory's output was at its
height, both in quality and quantity.
For the most part, collectors fall in to one of two categories. There are those who
look for the high Art Deco designs, and others who look for the more traditional
floral patterns. Most Americans collect the floral patterns while it seems that
the Deco designs are collected mostly in England. This is not to say that there
aren't collectors of all Shelley wares on both sides of the Atlantic.
 Some of Shelley Art Deco patterns are about as high style as a Deco period china
pattern can be. A number of these have dramatic square or triangular shapes and
some have very avant-garde Russian constructivist designs. Although the designers
of these patterns remain in relative obscurity, their creative styles rival the
output of other well known British designers from the Deco period such as Susie
Cooper and Clarice Cliff who are held in very high esteem. (Although the brilliant
designer Frederick Rhead worked for Shelley for years, his association with the
firm ended in 1905.) Brightly colored stylized fruit, floral and landscape patterns
are also favored Shelley Deco motifs. These patterns usually have very saturated
color trims in orange, yellow, green or blue. Evidently, the deco patterns were
distributed in the U. S. in much smaller quantities than the floral patterns.
As with the Art Deco patterns by Shelley, both the shape and the decoration
stimulate collector's interest in the floral patterns. The porcelain shapes
are varied, but the most sought after ones are actually shaped much like the
flowers that may decorate their surfaces. Both the Oleander shape and the very
popular Dainty shape look and feel like thin flower petals. In the dainty shape
patterns, a few rare pieces even incorporate figural flowers into the handles
and finials. These delicate patterns are trimmed in pink, light blue and minty
green.
Although Shelley did produce a full line of pieces for dinnerware sets, most
production was limited to breakfast, fruit, dessert, and "tea for two" sets.
Unknown to many Shelly collectors, the company also produced full lines of
artware including vases, pots, jugs and covered jars. The artware is quite rare.
The registered Shelley name and backstamp were not introduced until 1910, but
the factory existed prior to this as the Foley China Works. In fact, many
early Shelley pieces up until around 1916, were marked "Late Foley" in addition
to "Shelley". The Foley Pottery's history can be traced back to the mid nineteenth
century.
The Shelley factory closed its doors in 1966. It wasn't until the late 1970s or
early 1980s that Shelley china started to become so collectible. Today, collectors
can still expect to find pieces, but interest and prices in these beautiful wares
have increased steadily over the years.
Reference:
The Shelley Style A Collector's Guide. Susan Hill. Jazz Publications Limited, 1990.
Stratford Upon Avon, Warwickshire, England.
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