This is a beautiful teacup and saucer made by Coalport in about 1817. The teacup is blind-moulded in the "Dulong" pattern and painted with little floral sprays.
We also have a plate in the pattern available, please see separate listing.
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.
This set is lightly potted in the famous "Dulong" moulding that was popular between 1805 and 1820. This pattern was an imitation of a famous Meissen pattern from 1743, which was made to the order of Dutch merchants, Godefroy and Dulong. Around 1800 this pattern came to England, where Caughley, Coalport and Grainger Worcester took it up for their porcelains. We know from the fine detail that this is a Coalport version of this beautiful moulding.
The set is further decorated with slightly naive, cheerful hand painted flowers, and it bears brown rims rather than gilt - this would have made this pattern appropriate for Puritan (Protestant Christian) customers, who would not eat or drink from gilt because of their religious beliefs.
The set is unmarked, as is usual for this period.
CONDITION REPORT The set is in excellent antique condition without any damage, repairs or crazing, and very little wear. There is a little firing crack in the lower part of the handle, which is from production and does not make the handle unstable.
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) teacup 9.5cm (3.75"), saucer 14.2cm (5.6").
