This beautiful plate was made by Coalport in about 1840 and would have belonged to large dessert service with the pattern 4/412, which we know has been done in many different colours, all with flowers painted by Stephen Lawrance, one of Coalport's finest flower painters of the era.
We have two more plates available in this design, one in identical colour way and one slightly different, please see separate listings; I would be happy to offer some discount on the purchase of several.
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.
Stephen Lawrance was one of Coalport's most talented flower and fruit painters and worked at Coalport between 1820 and 1845. He decorated many tea, dinner and dessert services as well as vases and plaques, often creating flower and fruit studies that show particular grace and personality.
This plate has a beautifully moulded rim picked out in gilt and pale yellow; a dark cobalt blue band with three finely printed and hand coloured flower reserves, and a large hand painted flower study of a pink ranunculus in the centre.
CONDITION REPORT The plate is in excellent condition with no damage other than a small chip off the underside of the rim, and no crazing or repairs; it has very minimal wear.
The plate is unmarked, as is normal for items of this period, but we know that this is pattern number 4/412, which dates it to the year 1840. There is a collectors label on the back.
DOCUMENTATION: An image of a dessert service in this pattern is shown in plate 145 in Geoffrey A. Godden's "Coalport & Coalbrookdale Porcelains"; the pattern is described with several images on pages 284-285 of Michael Messenger's "Coalport 1795-1926".
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 (diameters): 23.5cm (9.25").
