Flower bowl

This Wemyss ware flower bowl was made between around 1883 and 1930 at Robert Heron & Sons' pottery at Kirkcaldy in Fife. The shape of this bowl, with its flat sides tapering to a flat base, is known as as 'Fife' flower bowl, although its size is larger than the largest size produced in Heron's catalogue at that time. A 'Fife' flower bowl could also be a dog or cat bowl with the addition of appropriate motifs or lettering.

The exterior of the bowl is hand-painted with twelve hyacinths in yellow, pink and purple with green leaves. The rim is decorated with a band of green.

In the 19th century, Scottish potteries grew in number to meet the increased demand. The largest firms were near the Forth and Clyde rivers and Kirkcaldy became a major centre for potteries. Robert Heron & Co. were famous for their brightly painted, highly fashionable and expensive Wemyss Ware. The characteristic freely-painted decoration was introduced by Karel Nekola, a Czech who arrived in Kirkcaldy in 1883. Wemyss Ware continued to be produced in Kirkcaldy, by a variety of decorators, until the factory closed in 1930.

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