Introduction
The Tango range from Royal Doulton in the 1930’s must exemplify the best in Art Deco design. The very simple, almost stark, design together with the sharp angular lines make it instantly recognisable and frequently imitated. The registration number, 776716, suggests that the patern was introduced in about 1932.
This page contains a lot of speculation, conjecture and plain guesswork and is an ongoing project. Additional information, preferably accompanied by pictures, is always welcome.
The
shapes may have been influenced by the work of Clarice Cliff
and the coffee can is similar to designs by Susie Cooper.
Others, particularly those with round and ear handles may have
been blanks from other ranges decorated in the Tango pattern to
meet demand. One, in particular, which is quite distinctive
with half cylinder and quadrant handles is the Casino design
used in other patterns from 1932.
The design appears to be applied by black or red transfer and then colour highlights, gilding and banding added afterwards by hand brush. All this was overglaze so is prone to wear particularly at the edges and ridges.
The bottom
marks consist of the Royal Doulton factory stamp, the Lion,
Crown and Knot (usually in green), the word “TANGO”
in black or colour, a design number (hand written in black
paint) and some painters marks. Sometimes there is an impressed
number in the china base itself, usually on flat items like
plates and saucers. This is a variable number of digits and the
values seen suggest that it might be the date of firing. There
is a also usually a number in green next to the crown factory
stamp. Add this to the year 1927 to get the date the article
was finished for sale. The design number also sometimes has a
pair of digits after it; I once thought that this might be the
year of painting but they are too random and inconsistant.
There is also at least one very rare set of glassware with the same pattern. I have described this at the end of the page.
Apart from some items that I own, these descriptions are taken from auction catalogues. The price estimates are based on observations over a couple of years and may vary according to colour and, especially, condition. Cups are rarely seen on their own. The segregation into Tea, Coffee and Dinner Services is pretty arbitrary as the items were available individually and could be made up into sets at the customer’s choice. The naming of items is also arbitrary as they could be used for a variety of purposes. The items numbers in the tables below are my own scheme and do not reflect any pattern numbers used by Royal Doulton. I have done this to make identification clearer in correspondance.
Note that the Royal Doulton figurine called “Reflections—Tango” is unrelated to this series.
Fine Bone China
There are two predominant colour designs with at least three other lesser known versions. In all cases the china is fine, white and almost translucent, as fine bone china always is.
- Red transfer with Black and Gold (Red/Black/Gold in table below), as illustrated above. This is the classic range and the one I prefer. The red is distinctly pinkish though not quite crimson and usually shows a bottom mark V1482 in black paint.
Black transfer with
Gold (Black/Gold/Gold in table below), as shown here,
may have commanded a premium price at the time. It usually
shows a bottom mark of V1481 in black paint. Later examples
may be marked V2373.- A very unusual coffee service has been seen with a Gold transfer with a touch of green on an all over Black field (Gold/White/Green in table below). I once thought that this was a later issue, perhaps late 1950’s, but the bottom marks have been seen dating a set at 1935-36 and marked H4271 which suggests that it was a completely different line.
- Red transfer with two shades of Blue (Red/Blue/Blue in table below) bottom marked V1483 in black. This colour scheme is rare, perhaps appearing on eBay once a year and is sometimes called Purple because of the effect of the mixture of blue paint and red transfer. I originally thought it was from the heavier weight series but the partern number confirms it as bone china. Examples have beed seen dated 1938.
Another
variety has come to light in Canada which the owner describes
as lettuce green and rich orange
(Black/Green/Orange in the table below.) This is
on a black transfer and which has been picked out in
checkerboard fashion. The bottom mark is V1474 in black and
is dated, both impressed and by paint mark, as 1934.
Other
colours may exist but are even rarer and it is uncertain when
they were produced.
If you are looking for a similar design but with a thicker cream earthenware then see below.
The Tea Service (Bone China)
| Item | Thumbnail | Description | Diameter | Height | Colours seen | Price estimates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC1 |  |
Tea cup, pointed handle | 89mm (110mm with handle) | 70mm | Red/Black/Gold, Black/Gold/Gold, Black/Green/Orange, Gold/White/Green | Pair or trio with saucer and plate £30–£40 |
| BS1 |  |
Saucer for tea cup, double dimple | 143mm | 24mm | Red/Black/Gold, Black/Gold/Gold, Black/Green/Orange | £3–£6 |
| BC2 |  |
Tea cup, round handle. Example seen was dated 1950. | Black/Gold/Gold | Pair or trio with saucer and plate £20–£30 | ||
| BS2 |  |
Deep saucer for tea cup, single dimple | 155mm | Black, Gold on Balck, Black/Green/Orange | ||
| BP1 |  |
Tea plate, round | 178mm | 16mm | Red/Black/Gold, Black/Gold/Gold, Red/Blue/Blue | £8–£10. A blue pair fetched £77 |
| BP2 | Small tea plate, round | 155mm | Black/Gold/Gold | |||
| BV1 |  |
Cake plate, round | 224mm (245mm with handles) | 24mm | Red/Black/Gold, Black/Gold/Gold | £20–£30 |
| BJ1 |  |
Milk jug, rectangular base with pointed handle | 84mm (145mm with handle and spout) | 73mm | Red/Black/Gold, Black/Gold/Gold | £25–£40 |
| BG1 |  |
Sugar bowl, oval with rectangular base | 105mm x 129mm | 65mm | Red/Black/Gold, Black/Gold/Gold | £25–£40 |
| BJ2 |  |
Milk jug, oval base with pointed handle | Red/Black/Gold, Black/Gold/Gold, Gold/White/Green | £25–£40 | ||
| BG2 | Sugar bowl, oval base with straight sides | Red/Black/Gold, Black/Gold/Gold | £25–£40 | |||
| BP3 | Lemon plate | 125mm | Black/Gold/Gold | |||
| BB1 | Fruit bowl with wide square brim and round bowl | 240mm | 70mm | Red/Black/Gold | ||
| BV2 | Sandwich plate, rectangular | Red/Black/Gold, Black/Gold/Gold | £20+ | |||
| BP4 |  |
Tea plate, square | 145mm | Red/Black/Gold | Rarer than the round plate. | |
| BT1 |  |
Tea pot, small with ear handle and lid with a flatish top to the knob | 135mm (200mm from spout to handle) | 165mm | Red/Black/Gold, Black/Gold/Gold, Red/Blue/Blue | £65 |
| BG3 |  |
Sugar bowl, round (possibly had lid) | 85mm | 50mm | Red/Black/Gold, Black/Green/Orange | |
| BJ7 | Milk jug, pointed handle | 80mm | 75mm | Red/Black/Gold | ||
| BJ8 | Milk jug, ear handle | Black/Green/Orange | ||||
| BJ3 | Water jug, pointed handle | 135mm | Green? | £20 | ||
| BJ4 |  |
Water jug, round handle | Black/Gold/Gold |
The Coffee Service (Bone China)
| Item | Thumbnail | Description | Diameter | Height | Colours seen | Price estimates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC3 |  |
Coffee can, straight sides with round handle | 65mm (without handle) | 60mm | Red/Black/Gold, Black/Gold/Gold, Red/Blue/Blue | pair £30 |
| BS3 |  |
Saucer for coffee can (larger single indentation than the tea saucer) | 115mm | Red/Black/Gold, Black/Gold/Gold, Red/Blue/Blue | ||
| BC4 |  |
Demi-tasse Coffee cup, sides curved in with round handle | 55-60mm (70mm with handle) | 55-58mm | Gold/White/Green | |
| BS4 |  |
Saucer for demi-tasse coffee cup | 113mm | Gold/White/Green | ||
| BG4 |  |
Sugar bowl, round base, straight sides | Black/Gold/Gold | |||
| BG5 |  |
Sugar bowl, round base | 90mm | Red/Black/Gold, Black/Gold/Gold, Gold/White/Green | pair £65 | |
| BJ5 |  |
Cream jug, round base and handle | 75mm | Red/Black/Gold, Black/Gold/Gold | ||
| BJ6 |  |
Cream jug, tall with round base and handle | 125mm | Red/Black/Gold, Black/Gold/Gold, Gold/White/Green, Red/Blue/Blue | £100 | |
| BT2 |  |
Coffee pit, tall with round handle and lid with a pointed top to the knob | 210mm | Red/Black/Gold, Gold/White/Green, Red/Blue/Blue | £150 | |
| BV3 |  |
Bon-Bon dish | 55mm x 85mm | 10mm | Red/Black/Gold, Black/Gold/Gold | £45 |
Cream Earthenware
This is a
heavier weight china giving pieces a more solid appearence,
though in the best of them, still with grace and style. It is
particularly susceptible to crazing caused by uneven expansion
of the base and the glaze with changes in temperature, though
not to the great detriment of its appearance. There are usually
kiln marks on the bottom of the larger pieces which, at first
sight look like chips but are where the piece was supported
during the firing of the glaze. There are two predominant
colour designs with other lesser known versions. In all cases
the base is thicker than the bone china above, creamish and
definitely opaque and no gilding is used in the decoration.
The bottom marks are similar to the bone china with the Royal Doulton factory stamp of the lion, crown and cloverleaf in green or black, the word “TANGO” in black or colour, a design number (hand written in black paint) and some painters marks. Date numbers are sometimes not present but some pieces have the impressed firing date, usually four digits; month and year.
In addition to the transfer design, some pieces show a typical deco embossed fan design picked out in colour paint; examples seen include the tea pot and milk jug.
Black transfer with
Vermilion and Black (Black/Orange/Orange in the table
below). Again, this is the classic range but does not mix
well with the bone china, largely due to the difference in
the shade of red which is orangish. It usually shows a bottom
mark of D5502 in black paint.- Black transfer with Green and Black (Black/Green/Green in the table below). The green is a distinctly blueish verdigris colour. It usually shows a bottom mark of D5503 in black paint.
Black transfer with Blue
(Black/Blue/Blue in the table below). The blue is a
bright cobalt but only a few examples have been seen, one in South Africa. There was some speculation that it may be a copy but the bottom marks are good and all seen are dated 1937. It usually shows a bottom mark of D5564 in black paint.
It is becoming apparent that these pieces are often mixed and matched so that you see, for instance, straight sided fruit bowls being matched with casino vegetable dish lids and other such combinations. It is almost impossible to determine if they were marketed together, selected and purchased deliberately or just some unbroken pieces put together because the pattern matched. I will try and record such combinations here but some are almost certainly not original.
The Tea Service (Cream Ware)
| Item | Thumbnail | Description | Diameter | Height | Colours seen | Price estimates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CC1 |  |
Tea cup. Note the subtle differences to the bone china version. Colour to inside rim and straighter drop to base meaning a different mould. | Black/Green/Green, Black/Orange/Orange | |||
| CS1 | Saucer for tea cup | Black/Green/Green, Black/Orange/Orange | ||||
| CP1 |  |
Tea plate, square | 145mm | Black/Green/Green, Black/Orange/Orange | ||
| CP6 | Tea plate, round | 160mm | 15mm | Black/Green/Green, Black/Orange/Orange | ||
| CV1 |  |
Cake plate, rectangular | 210mm x 180mm | Black/Green/Green | ||
| CJ1 |  |
Milk jug, oval broken-rim base with pointed handle | 135mm from spout to handle | 90mm | Black/Orange/Orange, Black/Green/Green, Black/Blue/Blue | |
| CJ2 |  |
Tall Milk jug, oval broken-rim base with pointed handle | 120mm | Black/Green/Green, Black/Blue/Blue | ||
| CJ4 | Tall Milk jug, oval broken-rim base with pointed handle like CJ2 but even taller | 160mm | Black/Green/Green | |||
| CG1 |  |
Two handled sugar dish with oval broken-rim base | 145mm long | 60mm | Black/Orange/Orange | |
| CG2 |  |
Conical sugar dish with no handles and an oval broken-rim base | 120mm | 75mm | Black/Green/Green | |
| CG3 |  |
Small conical sugar dish with no handles and an oval broken-rim base | 90mm | 45mm | Black/Green/Green | |
| CV2 |  |
Sandwich plate, rectangular | 330mm x 150mm | Black/Green/Green | ||
| CVd |  |
Cake plate, round (design as BV1) | 224mm (245mm with handles) | 24mm | Black/Orange/Orange | |
| CT1 |  |
Tea pot, oval broken-rim base, pointed handle and lid with square knob | 240mm from spout to handle | Black/Green/Green | ||
| CX1 |  |
Ash tray with match holder. This one is a slight anomaly as the transfer is in red with the central dot black. The bottom mark is D54*7. | 115mm x 90mm | 80mm | Red/Black/Black | |
| CT2 |  |
Butter dish with cover | 150mm x 125mm (plate), 120mm x 90mm (cover) | Black/Green/Green | ||
| CC2 |  |
Cup with two pointed handles, possibly for beef tea. The saucer may be the same as above. Has also been seen with a small Casino lid but I don't know if it belongs. | 100mm | 80mm | Black/Orange/Orange |
The Dinner Service (Cream Ware)
| Item | Thumbnail | Description | Diameter | Height | Colours seen | Price estimates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CP2 |  |
Dinner plate | 264mm | 23mm | Black/Orange/Orange, Black/Green/Green | £15 |
| CP3 |  |
Fish/desert plate | 247mm | 21mm | Black/Orange/Orange, Black/Green/Green | |
| CP4 |  |
Side plate | 193mm | 16mm | Black/Orange/Orange, Black/Green/Green | |
| CP5 | Entreé plate | 210mm | Black/Orange/Orange, Black/Green/Green | |||
| CB1 | Large soup bowl with rim | 265mm | 45mm | Black/Orange/Orange | ||
| CB2 |  |
Medium soup/desert bowl with rim | 240mm | 38mm | Black/Orange/Orange | |
| CB3 |  |
Small soup/fruit bowl without rim | 190mm | Black/Green/Green, Black/Orange/Orange | ||
| CV3 | Soup dish, with handles and plate | 260mm | Black/Green/Green | £8 + £12 | ||
| CB4 |  |
Soup cup with two round handles and saucer | 120mm (saucer 160mm) | Black/Green/Green | ||
| CV4 | Serving plate, small oval | 260mm long side | Black/Orange/Orange, Black/Green/Green | |||
| CV5 | Serving plate, medium oval | 325mm long side | Black/Orange/Orange, Black/Green/Green | |||
| CV6 |  |
Serving plate, large oval | 386mm x 311mm | 41mm | Black/Orange/Orange, Black/Green/Green | |
| CV7 | Serving plate, huge oval | 435mm long side | Black/Orange/Orange | |||
| CV8 |  |
Vegetable dish, with lid (with casino handle). Sometimes seen without the side handles, perhaps like CVc below. | 300mm | Black/Orange/Orange, Black/Green/Green | £70–£90 | |
| CVb | Vegetable dish, with lid (casino handle) as CV8 but smaller | 220mm (270mm with handles) | Black/Orange/Orange | |||
| CV9 |  |
Soup tureen, with plate, lid (with casino handle) and ladle | 270mm or 310mm? | Black/Orange/Orange, Black/Green/Green | ||
| CVa |  |
Sauce tureen, round with plate, lid (casino handle) and ladle similar to CV9 but smaller | 140mm x 190mm | 75mm | Black/Orange/Orange, Black/Green/Green, Black/Blue/Blue | |
| CJ3 |  |
Gravy jug, round with quadrant (Casino) handle | 111mm (175mm with handle and spout) | 75mm | Black/Orange/Orange, Black/Green/Green | |
| CB5 |  |
Serving fruit bowl with frilled edge | 240mm | 75mm | Black/Green/Green | |
| CB6 |  |
Individual fruit bowls with frilled edge | 160mm | 45mm | Black/Green/Green | |
| CX2 |  |
Egg cups, in a set of four on an indented flat dish with shell pattern handles | Black/Orange/Orange, /Black/Green/Green | |||
| CX3 |  |
Watercress bowl (I am told). This is a doughnut shaped bowl sitting on a perforated upper dish (13 holes) above a solid dish to collect water. | Black/Green/Green | |||
| CVc |  |
Large, straight sided fruit bowl. Also seen with a casino lid as a vegetable dish. | Black/Orange/Orange |
The Coffee Service (Cream Ware)
A coffee service produced to match this range for after dinner coffee served at the table. This is similar to the cans of the bone china range, a little smaller but heavier.
| Item | Thumbnail | Description | Diameter | Height | Colours seen | Price estimates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CC3 |  |
Coffee can, straight sides with round handle | 53mm | 57mm | Black/Orange/Orange, Black/Green/Green | pair £35 |
| CS3 |  |
Saucer for coffee can | 100mm | 18mm | Black/Orange/Orange, Black/Green/Green |
Glassware
I had only come across one example of this in a museum until five came up for auction on eBay in May 2008 and the decanter a little later. The decoration seems to be a black transfer and vermilion paintwork in a similar fashion to the creamware series of china but definately a different transfer as there is a white background to the lines.
| Item | Thumbnail | Description | Diameter | Height | Colours seen | Price estimates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G1 |  |
Short cocktail glass | 75mm | Black/Orange/Orange | £30–£80 | |
| G2 |  |
Cocktail decanter | 200mm | Black/Orange/Orange | A bargain at £60 |
There are also other designs which are clearly influenced by, or use the same moulds as the iconic tango tea service. A few examples are shown here.
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