Tableware

Vintage Wade Golden Turquoise Pitcher & Sugar Bowl Set – Bright Glaze, Hand-Painted Gold Grapes, Hobnail Body, Mid-Century England 1960s

A cream-and-sugar pair from Wade's Golden Turquoise line — the bright atomic-age electric blue with hand-painted gold accents that Wade Heath issued through the late 1950s and early 60s. Both pieces are cast in earthenware finished in the high-gloss turquoise that gives the line its name, the surface raised throughout in a hobnail / pebbled relief texture that catches light off every bump. Across the body of each piece, painted in liquid bright gold on top of the turquoise: a curling grape vine with full bunches and broad gold leaves, with the same vine continuing onto the handle and base of the pitcher. The shapes are classic mid-century cream-and-sugar: the pitcher round-bellied with curved spout and looped handle, the open sugar a wider low bowl in matching glaze and gilt.

Wade, founded 1810 in Staffordshire, is best known today for its postwar Whimsies miniatures, but the Wade Heath division was a quietly prolific producer of mid-century domestic china — full breakfast and tea sets in patterns like Royal Wessex, Heathcoate, and Golden Turquoise. The line landed at the centre of the 1960s atomic-age palette — turquoise, copper, and gold — and slotted into the table next to other mid-century English earthenware like Hornsea and Carlton Ware.

A pair for the Wade collector, for the mid-century-modern / atomic-age interior, for a turquoise-and-gold kitchen palette, or as an early-Boomer childhood nostalgia gift.

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Details

Type
Cream Pitcher + Open Sugar Bowl Set (2 pieces, sold together)
Maker
Wade Heath, Staffordshire, England
Era
Circa 1955–1965
Pattern
Golden Turquoise — turquoise glossy glaze with hand-painted gold grape vine
Material
Earthenware
Decoration
Embossed hobnail / pebbled body; high-gloss turquoise glaze; hand-painted liquid bright gold grape vine, leaves, and handle accents
Markings
Blue circular WADE / GOLDEN TURQUOISE / ENGLAND stamp + black WADE / ENGLAND on underside of both pieces

Condition

Very good vintage condition. Turquoise glaze bright and high-gloss on both pieces; hand-painted gold grapes, leaves, and trim mostly intact with light age-consistent wear to high points of the gold (typical for this hand-painted gold line, visible only on close inspection). No chips, cracks, hairlines, or crazing. Please review all photos as part of the condition record.

Backstamp & Pattern

Maker's mark on the base of Vintage Wade Golden Turquoise Pitcher & Sugar Bowl Set
Maker
Wade Heath, Staffordshire, England
Pattern
Golden Turquoise — turquoise glossy glaze with hand-painted gold grape vine
Era
Circa 1955–1965
Mark on base
Blue circular WADE / GOLDEN TURQUOISE / ENGLAND stamp + black WADE / ENGLAND on underside of both pieces

The base carries the maker's printed mark; the wording — especially “England” versus “Made in England” versus “Bone China” — together with any pattern or registration number are the main clues to its age.

Read the full backstamp & pattern guide →

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