Posts from the ‘Gill Pemberton’ Category

Oct 6

Denby Arabesque – Some Rarer Items

My post from some years ago about Gill Pemberton and her Arabesque series for Denby c1962 continues to be one of the most read articles on this site. Link here

Recently I got hold of a whole lot of wonderful Denby Arabesque (or Denby Samarkand if you are in the USA). Amongst it were some pieces I haven’t seen in person before, and which seem to be very hard to find these days.

First is the large mug – often referred to as a “Grandmug” because of its size which is around 14cm tall x 7.5cm diameter with a capacity of 350ml. By todays standards this is probably a normal sized mug – but by the standards of the 1960s when this was released, very large.

Denby Arabesque Large Mug

Denby Arabesque Large Mug and Small Coffee Mug Side by Side

Denby Arabesque Large Mug

Then there is the large Hors D’Oeuvre rectangular dish – which was part of a set with 4-6 smaller rectangular dishes – and often originally sold with a teak tray.

Denby Arabesque Hors D’Oeuvre Dish – Large Size

The Celery Dish – is a much coveted item (sorry it is now SOLD), and because of its impressive angular boat shape form, it is a perfect centrepiece dish for a table or console table these days. The same Celery Dish form is also a very popular item from the Chevron series, again designed by Gill Pemberton.

Denby Arabesque Celery Dish

There is quite a wide selection of Arabesque items now for sale in my Etsy store HERE (or from the link in the right hand column). While not a rare item, one of my favourites is this large serving platter, because it shows off the pattern so well.

Denby Arabesque Platter

During the week also I discovered a Denby Arabesque piece posted on Instagram which I never knew existed – an Ice Bucket!. It seems to be very rare (and it was sold very quickly as far as I can see). Photo courtesy of The China Village UK