Liverpool has a secret. I write about it in my latest column in Homes & Antiques: the Herculaneum Pottery, which emerged in the early 19th Century and made some of Britain's most beautiful Neoclassical porcelain, as well as a huge quantity of useful items made of earthenware. These pieces are probably all over the world but often not recognised as Herculaneum did not mark its porcelain, and the excellent pieces are usually mis-attributed to other, more famous factories. Hercu

You may know that I like collecting pieces from H & R Daniel, the rather short-lived factory headed up by Henry Daniel and his son between 1822 and 1846. Henry Daniel was the Spode art director before opening his own factory, and even while still at Spode he was responsible for some of the most beautiful porcelain designs ever made.⁠ ⁠ As I live in a small London flat, space is running out so I am reluctantly letting go of some treasures... creating an opportunity for the Dan

A while ago I showed you a stunning pair of porcelain figures by Derby, called Juno and Jupiter. The two gods flew through the sky in their chariots, Juno with her peacock and Jupiter waving a handful of lightning. Today I have the pair again, but in a very different shape. This Juno was made by the Bow Porcelain factory in about 1765 and you see Juno with an eagle by her side, which is Jupiter in one of his favourite disguises. In Roman mythology Juno and Jupiter, or Hera an