This is a stunning vase with cover made by Coalport between 1851 and 1861. The vase has beautiful gilt rope details and sublimely hand painted flowers by the famous painter William Cooke.
 
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. In this period, the 1850s, the factory called itself "Coalbrookdale" (as it had done for a short while at the beginning of its existence) and this can be seen in the mark, which is a CBD diagram. Many of the Coalport items, of either factory, are now collectors' items.
 
William Cooke (often also spelled "Cook") was one of Coalport's top painters, together with John Randall whom he co-created a lot of items with; Cooke painting flowers and Randall painting birds. Cooke worked at Coalport for most of his working life between 1843 and his death in 1876. He did not sign his items and his name is not often mentioned in the pattern books, but his style is unmistakable; the flowers are often identified as "painted in wet-looking enamels". Cooke emulated the French Sèvres style perfectly.
 
This vase is has an intriguing robust style with gilt rope handles and a finial consisting of rings. The vase is painted with huge and very spectacular flowers by William Cooke. It further has a beautifully gilded foot and charming gilt details on the sides, which interact with the bold flower paintings. Every detail of this vase has been thoroughly thought through and was executed with the greatest attention to detail. 
 
The vase and cover are both marked with the CBD diagram that was used between 1851 and 1861.
 
CONDITION REPORT Both vase and cover are in perfect antique condition without any damage, repairs or crazing, and only a very small number of small scoffs to the gilt, 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  16.5" tall, 7.5" X 6.5" in diameter.