Product Details

Wedgwood Pale Blue Jasperware 1974 Mother's Day Annual Plate — "Mother and Child" — the FOURTH year in Wedgwood's beloved annual Mother's Day series, and one of the most sought-after early years for collectors. Beautifully detailed scene: a robed mother holding her infant up to her face, with an older child playing a flute beside her among foliage. Cartouche below reads "MOTHER 1974". The classical figural patterns from 1972–1975 are the collector-prized end of the series — much more visually compelling than the floral patterns Wedgwood moved to in later years. SPECS: • Approximate diameter: 6.5" (standard annual plate size) • Approximate weight: 9.1 oz • Pale blue-dipped jasperware ('Wedgwood blue') with applied white sprigged relief • Pattern: Mother holding infant, child with flute, flora; "MOTHER 1974" cartouche; laurel border • Backstamp: WEDGWOOD / MADE IN ENGLAND / 74 (impressed; '74' = 1974 year code) • Date: 1974 HISTORY: The 1974 Mother's Day plate is the fourth in Wedgwood's annual series (launched 1971). The classical figural compositions of the early years — mother with child, sewing lessons, tender domestic scenes — drew directly from the same neoclassical vocabulary that John Flaxman Jr. helped establish for Wedgwood in the 1770s–80s. The post-1929 Wedgwood dating system uses the last two digits of the year as the date code, so "74" reads as 1974 directly. Pale blue is the iconic 'Wedgwood blue.' Early-series plates (1971–1975) consistently outperform mid-series and late-series plates on the secondary market because the classical figures appeal to a broader audience than the floral-only later years. CONDITION: Excellent display condition. Strong saturated pale blue color, beautifully crisp white relief detail throughout the figural composition (no smearing or flaking on the figures, drapery, or flora), backstamp clearly impressed and legible. Standard age-appropriate wear.