4 Metlox Grape Dinners

FOUR MORE METLOX POPPYTRAIL SCULPTURED GRAPE LARGE PLATES - SCRIPT MARK A second set of four vintage California earthenware large plates in the Sculptured Grape pattern by Metlox Poppytrail, matching the four offered in the preceding lot. Each plate has a scalloped edge and the pattern's wide embossed border of blue grape clusters, deep green and sage-green grape leaves, curling gold-brown tendrils, and small yellow blossom sprigs, hand-painted over the raised relief on an off-white ground, with a brown-olive line following the scalloped rim. The centers are plain with faint throwing rings, and the undersides are plain glazed white with a broad low foot ring. Between this lot and the preceding plate lot a buyer can put together eight matching large plates, which is a genuine service for a table, and they coordinate with the other Sculptured Grape lots in this sale, including the rimmed bowls, the salad and bread plates, the cups and cup and saucer sets, the large oval platter, the gravy and butter pieces, the creamer and sugar, and the shakers. All four plates show heavy overall crazing in the wells with brown and amber staining following the crazing lines, plus utensil scratching and a rubbed rim line. They still serve, and they display well face-out where the border shows, but bidders wanting clean wells should look to the smaller-size lots instead. Sold as a lot of four plates. Description Four large plates with scalloped rims and raised grape, leaf, tendril, and blossom borders in relief; plain centers. Glazed earthenware, hand-painted over the embossed decoration; plain glazed white undersides with broad low foot rings. Each measures approximately 9-1/2 to 10 inches in diameter as read from the tape-measure photograph. The tape hook is resting on top of the plate rim rather than hooked over the edge and the shot is taken at a slight angle, so this is a close estimate only; these plates read essentially the same size as the four in the preceding lot, and bidders needing an exact figure should ask before bidding. Bidders should verify all dimensions from the photographs. The undersides carry the script backstamp reading "HAND PAINTED - Sculptured Grape - Poppytrail by METLOX - MADE IN CALIF. U.S.A.", with two lines of finer text between that appear to read "Safe in oven and dishwasher Durable". The "Poppytrail" script line is smeared in printing and the fine-print lines are only partly legible, so those readings are best interpretation rather than certainty. One plate also carries a small hand-inked numeral near the foot ring, possibly "19", that is too indistinct to read with confidence, so no number is claimed. Attribution note Metlox Pottery operated in Manhattan Beach, California, founded in 1927 by T. C. Prouty and his son Willis Prouty, first making outdoor ceramic signs and then producing dinnerware under the Poppytrail name from the early 1930s until the plant closed in 1989. Replacements, Ltd. catalogs this pattern as Sculptured Grape by Metlox in the Poppytrail-Vernon line, discontinued, with production running roughly from 1963 to 1986, and describes it as raised blue grapes with green leaves and vines on a white ground, listing the dinner plate at roughly 10-3/8 to 10-5/8 inches. This script mark differs from the circular "Poppytrail by Metlox" stamp on the saucers and bowls in this same consignment, which is normal across the pattern's long production run. Related versions exist, including an all-white grape pattern and a pink grape colorway, so buyers matching an existing service should compare colors closely against the photographs. Identification and dating here are offered as the consignor's photo-based opinion and are not guaranteed. Bid on the items as pictured. Condition Used vintage condition, sold as-is. All four plates show heavy overall crazing across the center wells, with the crazing lines darkened brown and tan from age and use, giving the wells a stained, netted appearance clearly visible in the close-up photograph. Gray and brown utensil scratching and cutting marks are present throughout the wells. The brown-olive line along the scalloped rims is rubbed, thinned, and unevenly darkened, with bare glaze showing through at several scallops and light stacking wear at the rim edges. The script backstamps are smeared and partly illegible, and one plate carries an indistinct inked numeral. Scattered faint tan and gray specks appear on the undersides. No chips, cracks, or repairs are apparent in the photographs, but the plates have not been examined under magnification and no such guarantee is made. Photos are part of the description. Notes for bidders Although the factory mark states the ware is oven and dishwasher safe, that claim does not apply well to pieces in this condition: with crazing this advanced, hand wash only in warm water, dry promptly, and do not soak, since moisture entering the crazing lines will deepen the staining. No microwave use is recommended. U