E. Challinor & Co. "Panama" Luncheon Plate, c. 1850

A beautiful mid-19th-century Staffordshire transferware luncheon plate in the “Panama” pattern by E. Challinor & Co., featuring a romantic landscape printed in mulberry transfer. The central scene depicts figures strolling through a wooded landscape, with a grand architectural structure, bridge, and water beyond. The elaborate border is equally wonderful, incorporating scrolling foliage, floral ornament, architectural cartouches, and small scenic medallions.

The pattern is especially charming in this softly aged example, where the mulberry transfer has developed a lovely variation in intensity and some areas of natural transfer flow.

E. Challinor & Co. was a Staffordshire earthenware manufacturer operating at the Fenton Potteries in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, from approximately 1853 to 1862. The firm produced earthenware and transfer-printed tablewares, including pieces made for the important American and other export markets.

The Challinor name continued in Staffordshire pottery after this partnership. In 1862, E. Challinor & Co. became E. & C. Challinor, the partnership of Edward and Charles Challinor, which continued production at Fenton through 1891. This makes the Panama plate a piece from the earlier E. Challinor & Co. period, before the firm's better-known E. & C. Challinor mark.

Origin: Staffordshire, England
Maker: E. Challinor & Co.
Pattern: Panama
Date: c. 1853–1862
Material: Earthenware
Decoration: Mulberry/black transferware
Dimensions: 8.75" diameter
Condition: Antique condition with age-related crazing, discoloration, and minor imperfections consistent with age and use. Please see photographs for details.