2 x Antique Majolica plates - Shorter & Son Staffordshire plates. Cottage Garden design. 1920s

A charming pair of antique Majolica-style tea side plates by Shorter & Son of Staffordshire, England, dating from the 1920s. Each plate is decorated with an idyllic country scene featuring a small thatched cottage nestled in a spring garden, surrounded by multicoloured flowers in full bloom and sheltering trees — a quintessentially English pastoral scene rendered with warmth and charm.

Shorter & Son was founded by Arthur Shorter around 1872 and evolved into Shorter & Son Ltd. by 1900, becoming well known for their decorative earthenware and novelty pottery. The company was acquired by S. Fielding & Co. Ltd (owners of Crown Devon) in 1963, with production continuing until the factory finally closed in 1974. Pieces from their 1920s decorative range are increasingly collectible.

• Maker: Shorter & Son, Staffordshire, England
• Style: Majolica / Cottage Garden
• Design: Thatched cottage, multicoloured flowers, sheltering trees
• Era: 1920s
• Diameter: 18.5cms
• Condition: No signs of use, no scratches, chips, or cracks; some surface crazing on close inspection