This is a beautiful coffee can and saucer made by Flight, Barr & Barr between 1813 and 1840 - but most probably around 1815. It has a peach ground with a very charming gilt strawberry pattern.
I have several items of this pattern available, please see separate listings in the "Worcester" section of the shop.
Flight, Barr & Barr was the continuation of the famous Worcester Porcelain Company. In fact the factory went through various partnerships and names, most of which involved either the name Barr, Flight, or both (or double!). This confusing period in the factory's existence is often called the "Flight & Barr" period. Eventually the factory absorbed some of its spin-offs and was turned into the Royal Worcester, which became very famous in the late 19th and 20th Centuries. During the late 18th and entire 19th Century they were among the leaders of china production, producing exceptionally finely painted and sculpted forms.
This set is nicely shaped in a straight shape and has a beautiful pinched handle, characteristic for Flight and Barr. It has a delicately coloured peach ground and a beautiful, very fine gilt pattern of strawberry sprigs. This peach ground colour is rare as it was very difficult to produce; if the kiln temperature was only slightly too high or too low, the colour would come out an ugly brown and the items would have to be thrown away. Given that kilns were fired on coal fires, you can imagine how hard it was to achieve this beautiful colour and it would only have been done for the most exclusive sets. The pinched handle is typical for Flight and Barr.
The items are unmarked, as is common for the Flight Barr & Barr coffee cans.
CONDITION REPORT The set is in excellent antique condition without any damage, repairs or crazing. It has some wear to the rims, 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 (diameters): coffee can 6.2cm (2.5"); saucer 14.3cm (5.6").
SHIPPING I ship worldwide from the UK. I am happy to combine shipping charges on multiple items - please contact me to discuss. In principle I do not make a profit on shipping although for simplicity's sake I charge flat shipping fees. If the fee charged greatly exceeds the actual cost I will gladly refund you the difference - at the same time if it is slightly lower I will gladly make up the difference. Please note that due to the pandemic shipping costs have generally gone up steeply, and although I use only the most reliable couriers, there can sometimes be some delays.
Coffee can, Flight Barr and Barr, peach with gilt strawberries, ca 1815
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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!
