Behind the Scenes of The V&A Series

The V&A Series features four of Richard’s favourite patterns from the vast V&A archives, but reimagined with playful and contemporary twists; Tree of Life, Mythical Beasts, Dragon Flower and Georgian Lilies. But how exactly are we able to recreate these intricate designs in our bone china? 

Through the silk screen printing process, we can guarantee consistency of both print and colour, allowing us to produce multiple products that will all be identical in finish. Similarly to all of our bone china collections, we work with a team of highly skilled craftspeople based in Stoke-on-Trent to produce the transfers ready for application on the ceramics. 

A screen is made for each layer of colour, meaning the more colourful the pattern… the more complex the printing process! For example, the particularly detailed Dragon Flower and Mythical Beasts patterns require 3 different screens in order to print the red, gold and blue aspects onto the transfer. 

The screens are made using polyester and steel meshes, and each is unique with altered weaves and grades depending on the design. They are then stretched, coated and exposed before being ‘spotted’; a process done by hand to tidy up any imperfections before the designs are transferred to the bone china.

The transfers are applied to the saucers and mugs purely by hand; delicately slipped on in water before being stretched and hand brushed to perfectly fit the bone china before going in to be fired. The mugs at this point are complete, but the saucers need a little extra touch… a hand-painted border around the rim, which transforms from a dull brown to an elegant gold after a second firing. It’s details like these which highlight the exceptional work and skill of our craftspeople, truly defining what it means to be ‘handmade’.

Those of you with a beady eye may also notice the signature Richard Brendon diamond on the base of the handle of our mugs; a consistent feature across all of our mugs to remind you of your Richard Brendon experience! 

The V&A Series speaks to many of the key values held by Richard Brendon, truly portraying our commitment to look to both the past and future for inspiration, using only the best materials whilst working with teams of tremendous skill to curate pieces that will be enjoyed and admired by generations to come.

Shop the collection through the link on our homepage.