This is a stunning and very rare pair of vases made by Coalport in around 1845. The vases have rich gilding in the Persian Revival style, combined with very English floral reserves of freely painted flower bouquets on a puce ground. Incorporated into the gilding on the back of the vases is a very English swan seated on her nest.
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 vases are unmarked, as was common for the period.
Documentation: a very similar pair of vases painted by William Cooke are shown in plate 202 in Geoffrey A. Godden's "Coalport & Coalbrookdale Porcelains". These vases are painted by a different painter and probably from a little earlier, judging on the very milky quality of the porcelain.
CONDITION REPORT The vases are still in beautiful and fully usable condition, but both are crazed (as is normal for Coalport porcelain of that era) and have some wear, including a few flakes off the enamel paintings. One vase has a tiny chip off the foot in the front, and a crack running down the back. In spite of the crack the vase still holds water so these vases can be used safely. They look stunning in spite of their small flaws.
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 25cm (9.9") tall, 13cm (5") wide and 11cm (4.25") deep.
