This month we've had a few trips out & about picking up some rather comprehensive sets which we think you may find familiar, including this very iconic set designed by Gill Pemberton for Denby called Arabesque
Arabesque was first introduced c.1962/63 as an extension to small range of giftware items called 'Samarkand'. Only a few pieces were produced, but these included pin trays, dishes, goblets and several different sized storage jars
Above - Samarkand pin tray (l) & coaster (r)
A trip to Russia inspired the familiar Arabesque design we know, with the gold circles with red accents, and although the intention had been to keep the pattern name 'Samarkand' when branching out into offering a tableware range, unfortunately Portmeirion had just released a range of the same name, and so it then became known as 'Arabesque'
There was a large number of varying products produced in the Arabesque design over the 20 years it was produced for. Along with the everyday pieces such as the plates, bowls and cups, a large variation of cook/serve ware was also produced, various sizes of casserole and roasting dishes, and more unusual pieces such as the Hors d'oeuvre five piece set, the extra large round platter and the celery dish, which are now becoming harder to find
Above - One of the Denby leaflets for Arabesque showing the available products
Certainly the shape was iconic of the period it was produced in, and combined with the striking colours and choice of products, Arabesque proved to be one of Denbys most popular patterns.
Above - a couple of the harder to source pieces, the extra large round platter (l) & storage jar (r)
Along with some tableware sets, we've also come across some more collector plates, which you can now view on our
website. We believe we are now the biggest company in the UK which actively searches for and stocks decorative and collector plates from a number of different manufacturers
We just love these cute
Teddy Bear plates from Bareuther, absolutely perfect for a christening or nursery, or these slightly more unusual
Wizard Of Oz plates by Knowles, not only are they striking to look at, they even play the music from the film!
