This is a beautiful breakfast tea service made by John Rose at Coalport between 1803 and 1807. It consists of a teapot with cover and stand, a sucrier with cover, a milk jug, and two teacups and saucers. The set is decorated with the very famous "Finger and Thumb" pattern in bright Imari style.
A small tea service for two like this one is often called a "breakfast set".
Coalport was one of the leading potters in 19th and 20th Century Staffordshire. They worked alongside other great potters such as Spode, Davenport and Minton, and came out with many innovative designs. When we say "Coalport" we usually think of the one Coalport factory that became famous, but in its beginning years there were two factories, one run by John Rose and the other by his brother Thomas Rose. Thomas Rose went into partnership with Robert Anstice and Robert Horton and they were located directly opposite John Rose, across the canal. The brothers' factories had much in common with each other and they shared many different shapes and patterns. Ultimately, the John Rose factory proved more profitable and John Rose bought Thomas' factory in 1814, making it the one Coalport factory that became so famous. Many of the Coalport items, of either factory, are now collectors' items.
The service is made of very early porcelain, from before the time that bone china became the standard; you can see that the porcelain is slightly greyish.
This type of pattern was called the "Japan" style, and it was imitating the beautiful Imari style from Arita, Japan. The style became very popular in the early 19th Century.
The "Finger and Thumb" pattern probably has nothing to do with thumbs or fingers, but is an ancient Japanese design. The "fingers" are probably clouds or mist (kasumi in Japanese). This element in Japanese decorations beautifully creates depth in a composition, sometimes forming the ground for more detailed decorations. It can be found in decorations from as early as the late Heian era in the 13th century, and has often been used in kimono designs.
This pattern was also done by Chamberlains Worcester. This John Rose version is a very gracious variant with finely drawn shapes.
The items are unmarked, as is usual for that era.
An image of an exact same tea service can be found in plate 40 in Geoffrey A. Godden's book "Coalport & Coalbrookdale Porcelains". Godden dates this set to between 1803 and 1807.
CONDITION REPORT The set is in near-perfect antique condition without any damage or repairs and only minimal wear. One teacup has crazing in the bottom, otherwise the set is free from crazing. There is a firing fault in the bottom of the teapot, however this is not a crack so the pot is fine to use.
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 teapot stands 15cm (6") high incl. stand and finial and measures 25cm (9.75") between handle and spout; sucrier 13cm (5") wide and 14cm (5.5") high incl. finial; milk jug 12cm (4.75") from handle to mouth and 10cm (4") high; (diameters) teacups 7.8cm (3"); saucers 13.5cm (5.25").
Coalport John Rose breakfast tea service, Finger and Thumb pattern, 1803-1807
PLEASE NOTE THAT CURRENTLY THERE ARE SHIPPING DELAYS DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, THE TIME OF YEAR AND BREXIT. WE WILL GET YOUR ITEM SAFELY TO YOU BUT IT MIGHT TAKE MORE TIME THAN USUAL!
Your item will be shipped after receipt of funds, unless agreed otherwise in writing.
We will ship your items within a maximum of 2 working days after payment (usually quicker). We cannot be held responsible for delivery times once the item has been shipped as this is at the shipper's discretion and, in case of international delivery, can be subject to customs delays, weather, holidays and/or political instability.
If your delivery failed to appear or was damaged in transit, please let us know as soon as possible and, in case of damage, provide us with pictures of the damaged item and/or packaging. Cut off dates for this are 14 days after shipping, or 2 days after a damaged delivery. We will need to comply with shippers' regulations in order to follow up the issue, but it is vital that you let us know what is wrong as soon as possible. We will do anything we can to follow up faulty deliveries but cannot be held responsible if we have not been notified within the required time period.
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!
Cancellations can only be accepted before the item has been shipped. Once an item has been shipped, the transaction cannot be cancelled anymore.
Returns need to be requested within 2 days of receipt of the item and completed within 14 days from the date they have been agreed in writing.
If you want to return an item because you changed your mind, you will be responsible for the return shipping. For international deliveries, this will need to be a fully tracked shipping mode. The item is expected to be received back in the same state it was sent - any damage due to insufficient packaging will be your responsibility. We will only pay for return shipping if we have mutually agreed that the item did not satisfy your expectations. A refund will be made immediately after receipt of the item.
You are subject to the EU Consumers Rights Act, which protects your rights buying over the internet.
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!
