{"title":"Toleware \u0026 Painted Folk Art","description":"\u003cp\u003eToleware is hand painted metalware, usually tin or thin sheet iron, and the name comes from the French word tôle, meaning sheet iron. From the eighteenth century onwards it was made into trays, jugs, candle sconces and boxes, japanned in black, cream or deep red and painted with flowers, fruit and gilded borders. In Britain the same cheerful spirit shows up in canal art, the roses and castles painted on the boats, cans and dippers of the working narrowboat families.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe gather it here alongside other painted folk art in the same tradition, including wooden pieces decorated in that bright, hand painted country style. Every piece is listed with its material, so you will always know whether you are looking at tin, iron or wood. Use a toleware tray for drinks or prop it against a kitchen wall, hang a sconce in a hallway, or group a few pieces together on a dresser for a splash of colour.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"black-hand-painted-metal-tray-with-floral-motive","title":"Mid Century Hand Painted Toleware Tray in Black with Yellow Pansies","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis mid century metal tray was painted by hand, and it shows in the best way. The yellow pansies have soft, feathered petals, the white daisies sit in loose clusters, and sprays of red berries and ochre scrollwork run around the rim. Every brushstroke is visible when you tilt it to the light. The glossy black ground makes the colours sing, which is exactly why toleware painters have used it for two hundred years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe elongated shape, with its gently angled ends, is unusual. Most painted trays are round or rectangular, so this one stands out on a table. We believe it dates from the 1960s or 1970s and the style of the flowers points to Eastern European or Russian origins, in the tradition of Zhostovo painting, though it is unmarked so we cannot say for certain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIt measures 48 x 28 x 2 cm, long enough to carry two glasses and a bottle across the garden, or to hold a row of candles along the centre of a dining table. We also like it propped upright on a shelf or mantelpiece, where the black lacquer adds a dark punctuation mark among lighter objects. On a white wall it works as a small piece of folk art in its own right.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eAge has left its marks. There are scratches to the black surface in the centre where it has been used, a few small chips to the rim, and some light rubbing to the paint at the edges. None of this interferes with the flowers, which remain bright and unfaded. It is a tray that has been carried, filled and enjoyed, and it will carry on doing the same.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ePair it with a mid century glass vase, a stack of vintage cocktail glasses, or a bowl of lemons for a colour clash that just works. Hand painted trays of this shape and quality do not surface often, and we snapped this one up as soon as we saw it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Blue Loft","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54902177038663,"sku":null,"price":28.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0850\/3921\/9015\/files\/F5AFC406-B297-4496-ACCD-D2DADF827790.jpg?v=1788693650"},{"product_id":"candlestick-sconce","title":"Hand Painted Toleware Candle Sconce in Cream with Burnet Rose by W. Yeatts","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eSigned on the back in flowing script, Hand painted in England by W. Yeatts of Warwickshire, this is a piece of decorative metalwork made by one pair of hands from start to finish. The round fluted reflector has been given a pale primrose ground and then a deliberate crackle finish, so the whole surface is webbed with fine lines like the glaze on an old plate. At the centre sits a botanical study of a single yellow rose with its hip, buds and leaves, inscribed beneath with its Latin name, Rosa pimpinellifolia, the burnet rose that grows wild on dunes and downland across Britain. The edge is picked out in gilt with a thin line of apple green just inside it, and the reverse is finished in a warm metallic gold.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eToleware, painted tinware to give it its plain name, has been made in England since the 18th century, and sconces like this were the everyday version of candlelight before electricity reached most homes. The polished or painted disc behind the flame threw light back into the room and kept the wall from scorching. Mid century and later decorative painters revived the form, and Yeatts has clearly studied the earlier botanical tradition, right down to the hip drawn alongside the flower.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe reflector measures 28 cm tall and 17 cm wide, and the curved arm brings the candle 11 cm out from the wall. A hook on the back means it hangs from a single nail or picture hook, and the scalloped drip pan takes a standard dinner candle. Hang it in a hallway, on a landing, or either side of a mirror if you can find it a partner. It also sits happily on a shelf leant against the wall, candle or no candle, as a small painting in its own right.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eCondition is good with one small chip to the paintwork, shown clearly in the photographs, and light wear to the gilt edge that suits the crackled finish rather than fighting it. The arm is firm and the drip pan sits level.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Blue Loft","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54970908246343,"sku":null,"price":35.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0850\/3921\/9015\/files\/76CAECEC-6CBB-4F46-99A6-25AE3D89F7BD.jpg?v=1789122301"},{"product_id":"toleware-metal-hand-painted-tray","title":"Vintage Canal Art Toleware Tray in Black with Roses and Castle","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eA hand painted metal tray in the roses and castles style, the cheerful folk art of England’s working canal boats. In the central roundel, a fairytale castle with red turrets rises above blue water, with an arched stone bridge, a little sailing boat and a pair of birds overhead. A scalloped yellow border frames the scene, surrounded by a garland of pink roses, green leaves and white and blue daisies on a deep black ground.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eRoses and castles painting grew up on the narrowboats of the Midlands and southern canals from the middle of the nineteenth century. Boat families decorated every surface of their tiny cabins, from water cans to cupboard doors, to make a cramped home feel bright and welcoming. The motifs were painted quickly with a few confident brushstrokes, and canal painters still keep the tradition alive today. This tray, painted by hand rather than printed, carries on that spirit beautifully, and the castle has the slightly wonky charm that makes folk art so lovable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe tray measures 30.5 x 24.5 cm, with a raised rim and softly shaped corners. It is a useful size for carrying two mugs and a plate of biscuits, or for gathering perfume bottles on a dressing table. It also looks wonderful propped on a shelf or plate stand as a small painting, or hung on a kitchen wall among painted plates. Pair it with green glass, dried hydrangeas and pale linen, as we have here, or lean into its narrowboat heritage with enamel jugs, brass and lace edged plates for a cosy cottage look.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe painted front is bright and in good vintage condition. The black back shows marks and light scuffs from years of use, which you can see in the photographs. The photographs form part of the description, so do look through them all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eFor anyone who has ever stood on a towpath admiring the boats, or has a canal lover to buy for, this is a charming piece of English folk tradition. Browse our trays and decorative pieces to find it some company.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Blue Loft","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55372519080263,"sku":null,"price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0850\/3921\/9015\/files\/E632063A-3A31-40F3-B7F2-E8300DE1A562.jpg?v=1791744801"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0850\/3921\/9015\/collections\/E632063A-3A31-40F3-B7F2-E8300DE1A562.jpg?v=1792930006","url":"https:\/\/www.theblueloft.co.uk\/collections\/toleware-painted-folk-art.oembed","provider":"The Blue Loft","version":"1.0","type":"link"}