Paul W. Cook (American, 1924-2016), Mobile Dinner Service

New Castle, Pennsylvania, circa 1951 for Shenango China, (83) pieces decorated with Calder style mobile in black and gray with gray/soft green tinted rim to include (11) dinner plates (all approximately 9 3/4 in. diameter); (10) salad plates (7 1/4 in.); (12) bread and butter plates (5 1/2 - 5 3/4 in.); (6) flat rimmed deep plates (9 1/4 in. diameter, 1 1/2 in. depth); (8) small rimmed bowls (6 1/4 in. diameter, 1 3/4 in. depth); (7) small bowls (4 7/8 in. diameter, 1 1/4 in. depth); (3) oval serving trays (large 13 x 10 1/2 x 1 1/2 in., medium 11 1/8 x 9 x 1 1/4 in., small 9 1/8 x 7 1/4 x 1 in.); (1) oval dish (10 x 4 1/2 x 1 1/2 in.); (2) gravy boats (4 1/2 x 6 3/4 x 2 1/2 in.); a creamer (3 3/4 x 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.); a lidded sugar (4 1/2 x 4 3/4 x 4 3/4 in.); a miniature creamer (2 1/4 x 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 in.); (6) teacups (2 1/4 x 4 7/8 x 3 7/8 in.) and (6) saucers (6 1/8 in.); and (5) small soup/dessert bowls (2 1/4 x 3 7/8 x 3 7/8 in.)with (5) saucers (6 in.), all marked to underside.

The Shenango China Company of New Castle, Pennsylvania, operated from 1901 to 1992. It was one of the largest china manufacturing facilities in the United States, producing custom-branded institutional dining services for the finest hotels, railroad lines, and specialty restaurants. Shenango provided dining services for New York's Waldorf-Astoria and Chicago's Palmer House; and in North Carolina for two historic hotels in the 1950s: the Carolina Inn (Chapel Hill) and the Carolina Hotel (Pinehurst).

Under the Castleton name, Shenango produced one of the most iconic mid-century modern porcelain patterns: designer Eva Zeisel's "Museum" collection for the Museum of Modern Art. Castleton also produced two sets of White House presidential china, for the Eisenhower and Johnson administrations.

"Mobile" was designed by in-house artist Paul Cook in 1951. Directly inspired by the work of Alexander Calder, this whimsical asymmetrical design appears as if in motion. The applied decoration is in shades of black and gray on an off-white ground, with a glazed border in a pale green/gray.

It was originally designed for the "working labs" of the hotel and restaurant management program at the Kellogg Center of Michigan State College. However it was not a copyrighted pattern and was soon bought by hotels, restaurants, and diners across the county. Like most of Shenango's institutional patterns, customers could mix-and-match "open stock" blank forms from a ranges of styles and sizes. It was not sold in sets for home use.

Pieces appear on the market infrequently today, and usually as singles or small groups. This set was assembled over a decade by a dedicated collector. Enough pieces are included to make six complete eight-piece place settings, and slightly smaller service for eight is possible, along with various extras.

Also included are nine scarce serving pieces including three sizes of platters, a matched sugar and creamer set, two gravy/sauce boats, and very rare oblong relish tray and small individual creamer.

Several pieces with light cutlery marks; one dinner plate slightly smaller at 9 in.; hairline wrapping rim of largest oval serving tray, smaller hairline at rim; oval dish with small cracks to rim, possibly as made; nick to foot rims of two small soup/dessert bowls, minute glaze skips at rims of others.