Art Deco Porcelain Butterfly Dish with Handle

Continental Europe | c.1920s–1930s

A beautifully modelled porcelain serving or trinket dish formed as a stylised butterfly, featuring twin compartments divided by an elegant central gilt handle.

Finished in a striking turquoise marbled glaze with iridescent depth, the interior panels are decorated with hand-painted floral bouquets, framed by fine gold gilt outlining throughout.

The butterfly form, combined with bold colour and symmetry, places this piece firmly within the Art Deco period, when novelty shapes and decorative tableware were highly fashionable across continental Europe.

📐 Details

• Origin: Continental Europe

• Date: circa 1920s–1930s

• Material: Glazed porcelain

• Form: Twin-compartment butterfly dish

• Decoration: Marbled turquoise glaze, hand-painted florals, gilt detailing

• Width: approx. 17–18 cm (see photos)

• Markings: Green printed wreath mark to base (see images)

• Condition:

  • Very good vintage condition

  • Light wear to gilt consistent with age

  • No chips or cracks observed

🏛 Curatorial Note

Butterfly-form dishes were popular decorative accents during the interwar period, reflecting the era’s fascination with symmetry, nature motifs, and decorative optimism.

Pieces such as this were used for sweets, bonbons, trinkets, or as dressing-table ware — and today remain highly displayable objects suited to cabinets, sideboards, or curated shelves.

📦 Shipping

Carefully packed and shipped Australia-wide.
Local pickup available from Northam Secondhand, WA.