Royal Doulton Tango

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 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 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 on Black 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 (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 (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, Green/Orange	Pair or trio with saucer and plate £30–£40
BS1		Saucer for tea cup	143mm	24mm	Red, Black, Green/Orange	£3–£6
BC2		Tea cup, round handle. Example seen was dated 1950.			Black	Pair or trio with saucer and plate £20–£30
BS2		Deep saucer for tea cup	c145mm		Black
BP1		Tea plate, round	178mm	16mm	Red, Black, Blue/Blue	£8–£10. A blue pair fetched £77
BP2		Small tea plate, round	155mm		Black
BV1		Cake plate, round	224mm (245mm with handles)	24mm	Red, Black	£20–£30
BJ1		Milk jug, rectangular base with pointed handle	84mm (145mm with handle and spout)	73mm	Red, Black	£25–£40
BG1		Sugar bowl, oval with rectangular base	105mm x 129mm	65mm	Red, Black	£25–£40
BJ2		Milk jug, oval base with pointed handle			Red, Black	£25–£40
BG2		Sugar bowl, oval base with straight sides			Red, Black	£25–£40
BP3		Lemon plate	125mm		Black
BB1		Fruit bowl with wide square brim and round bowl	240mm	70mm	Red
BV2		Sandwich plate, rectangular			Red, Black	£20+
BP4		Tea plate, square	145mm		Red	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	£65
BG3		Sugar bowl, round (possibly had lid)			Red
BJ3		Water jug, pointed handle		135mm	Green	£20
BJ4		Water jug, round handle			Black

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, Blue/Blue	pair £30
BS3		Saucer for coffee can (larger single indentation than the tea saucer)	115mm		Red, Black, Blue/Blue
BC4		Demi-tasse Coffee cup, sides curved in with round handle	55-60mm (70mm with handle)	55-58mm	Gold on Black
BS4		Saucer for demi-tasse coffee cup	113mm		Gold on Black
BG4		Sugar bowl, round base, straight sides			Black
BG5		Sugar bowl, round base	90mm		Red, Black, Gold on Black	pair £65
BJ5		Cream jug, round base and handle		75mm	Red, Black
BJ6		Cream jug, tall with round base and handle		125mm	Red, Black, Gold on Black, Blue/Blue
BT2		Coffee pit, tall with round handle and lid with a pointed top to the knob		210mm	Red, Gold on Black, Blue/Blue
BV3		Biscuit tray, small	55mm x 85mm		Red	£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 (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 (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 (Blue in the table below). The blue is a bright cobalt but only one example has been seen at an auction in South Africa. There was some speculation that it may be a copy but the bottom mark was good and dated 1937. The pattern code is not known..

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.			Green, Orange
CS1		Saucer for tea cup			Green
CP1		Tea plate, square	145mm		Green
CV1		Cake plate, rectangular	210mm x 180mm		Green
CJ1		Milk jug, oval broken-rim base with pointed handle	135mm from spout to handle	90mm	Orange
CJ2		Tall Milk jug, oval broken-rim base with pointed handle		120mm	Green
CG1		Two handled sugar dish with oval broken-rim base	145mm long	60mm	Orange
CV2		Sandwich plate, rectangular	330mm x 150mm		Green
CT1		Tea pot, oval broken-rim base, pointed handle and lid with square knob	240mm from spout to handle		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	Orange
CC2		Cup with two pointed handles, possibly for beef tea. The saucer may be the same as above.	100mm	80mm	Orange

The Dinner Service (Cream Ware)

Item	Thumbnail	Description	Diameter	Height	Colours seen	Price estimates
CP2		Dinner plate	264mm	23mm	Orange, Green	£15
CP3		Fish/desert plate	247mm	21mm	Orange
CP4		Side plate	193mm	16mm	Orange, Green
CB1		Large soup bowl	265mm	45mm	Orange
CB2		Medium soup/desert bowl	240mm	38mm	Orange
CB3		Small soup/fruit bowl	190mm		Green
CV3		Soup dish, with handles and plate	260mm		Green	£8 + £12
CB4		Soup cup with two round handles and saucer	120mm (saucer 160mm)		Green
CV4		Serving plate, small oval	260mm long side		Orange
CV5		Serving plate, medium oval	325mm long side		Orange, Green
CV6		Serving plate, large oval	386mm x 311mm	41mm	Orange
CV7		Serving plate, huge oval	435mm long side		Orange
CV8		Vegetable dish, with lid (with casino handle)	300mm		Orange, Green	£70–£90
CV9		Soup tureen, with plate, lid (with casino handle) and ladle	270mm or 310mm?		Orange, Green
CVa		Sauce tureen, round with plate, lid (casino handle) and ladle similar to CV9 but smaller	140mm x 190mm	75mm	Orangle, Green, Blue
CJ3		Gravy jug, round with quadrant (Casino) handle	111mm (175mm with handle and spout)	75mm	Orange, Green
CVb		Vegetable dish, with lid (casino handle) as CV8 but smaller	210mm		Orange
CX2		Egg cups, in a set of four on an indented flat dish with shell pattern handles			Orange
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.			Green

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	Orange, Green	pair £35
CS3		Saucer for coffee can	100mm	18mm	Orange, 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	Orange	£30–£80
G2		Cocktail decanter		200mm	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.