Decorative Tray, Hand-Painted Yellow & Peach Roses, Artist Signed, Porcelain, American Vintage 1980

Someone sat down in 1980 with a brush and a porcelain tray and painted roses — yellow and peach, soft and full — and then signed their name.

• Artist: Signed (appears to read Ruth Ermkell), dated 1980
• Material: Porcelain (decorative use recommended; may not be food safe)
• Dimensions: Approx. 10.5"L × 7"W × 1"H
• Origin: USA
• Era: 1980
• Condition: Excellent vintage. Please review all photos — all sales final.

The tray itself is unmarked porcelain, rectangular and elegantly proportioned. The artistry is the point: the roses are confident, the composition unhurried, the palette perfectly suited to a vanity, a dresser, a bedside table, or a shelf that collects beautiful things. A one-of-a-kind piece that cannot be replicated.

A genuinely lovely gift for anyone who appreciates handmade objects, floral art, or the romance of the handcrafted.

Hand-painted porcelain like this grew out of the china painting movement, a popular home craft through much of the 20th century in which hobbyists and trained artists alike bought blank porcelain pieces and decorated them by hand, often through local classes or guilds. Signing and dating a finished piece, as done here, was a point of pride — a small act that turned a blank into a keepsake.

Browse our shop for more hand-painted vintage trays and decorative porcelain to round out your collection.