This is a very charming "breakfast" teacup and saucer with a plate, made by Derby / Bloor Derby between 1806 and 1825. It is likely that the set was potted between 1806 and 1825, then decorated and brought to the market around 1825.
A breakfast cup is a large teacup for milky tea in the morning.
The Derby Porcelain Company, later called Royal Crown Derby, is currently the oldest British porcelain factory still in production. The Derby pottery was one of the most prominent potteries right from the start of English porcelain production in the mid 1700s to today, and the factory went through many iterations. In the 1820s, it was called "Bloor Derby" as it came under the ownership of Robert Bloor. The company was in financial trouble and Bloor had to find a way to turn it around. He found a huge stock of less-than-perfectly potted items that had been rejected. As he had no money left, Bloor decided to decorate and sell all these items. You can see some of the glaze imperfections on this set and it is crazed, but the decoration is stunning nevertheless. Against expectation, the new range of colourful wares became very popular with the general public and the sales secured the future of the company, which is still around today.
The plate is marked with the Derby mark used between 1806 and 1825, as well as the gilders number 9; the cup and saucer are marked with the Bloor Derby mark that was introduced in 1825.
CONDITION REPORT The set is in good antique condition, however all items are crazed and there is some light wear and scratches, as visible in the pictures.
Antique British porcelain is never perfect. Kilns were fired on coal in the 1800s, and this meant that china from that period can have some firing specks from flying particles. British makers were also known for their experimentation, and sometimes this resulted in technically imperfect results. Due to the shrinkage in the kiln, items can have small firing lines or develop crazing over time, which should not be seen as damage but as an imperfection of the maker's recipes, probably unknown at the time of making. Items have often been used for many years and can have normal signs of wear, and gilt can have signs of slight disintegration even if never handled. I will reflect any damage, repairs, obvious stress marks, crazing or heavy wear in the item description but some minor scratches, nicks, stains and gilt disintegration can be normal for vintage items and need to be taken into account.
There is widespread confusion on the internet about the difference between chips and nicks, or hairlines and cracks. I will reflect any damage as truthfully as I can, i.e. a nick is a tiny bit of damage smaller than 1mm and a chip is something you can easily see with the eye; a glazing line is a break in the glazing only; hairline is extremely tight and/or superficial and not picked up by the finger; and a crack is obvious both to the eye and the finger. Etcetera - I try to be as accurate as I can and please feel free to ask questions or request more detailed pictures!
DIMENSIONS to be added
Bloor Derby breakfast cup with plate, gilt with purple flowers, ca 1825
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We always aim to have happy customers so if you have an issue with or questions about your item, please contact us and we will do anything we can to resolve the issue with you!
