This is a beautiful coffee cup and saucer made by Coalport in 1840, which was the Rococo Revival period. The set is decorated with a warm beige ground with gilt floral patterns and beautiful hand painted landscapes. It was made in the famous "Adelaide" shape and would have belonged to a large tea service. The pattern number is 3/777, which dates it to about 1840.
 
I have several items in this pattern available, please see separate listings for the teacups, coffee cups, a milk jug and cake plate; each item has unique hand painted landscapes.
 
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 was made in the early Victorian period, which was the period of the Rococo Revival. It would have belonged to a large tea service. Its shape is called "Adelaide", after the much-loved Queen Adelaide, wife of King William IV, who ascended to the throne in 1832. Adelaide was known to be a good and amiable person who had a positive influence on her husband King William, who was known to be a difficult person and not endowed with the necessary diplomatic skills for a King. She also was a loving aunt to Victoria, who had an otherwise rather loveless childhood, so it only made sense that Coalport honoured this popular Queen with a porcelain shape named after her.
 
This set is potted with beautifully moulded rims and a very pleasing shape. The decoration consists of a warm beige ground with floral gilt sprigs all around. The centre of both the cup and the saucer carries a beautiful and very finely hand painted landscape. This set would have belonged to a very exclusive tea service given the amount of 22Kt gold used as well as the landscapes; each item in the service would have had its own unique landscape, all painted by a highly skilled artist.
 
The set is unmarked, as was often the case with items of this period, except the pattern number 3/777.

CONDITION REPORT Both cup and saucer are in good antique condition with some minor flaws:  both items have crazing; the coffee cup has a short firing crack coming off the rim, there is a faint crack through well of saucer just above the painted image; and part of the outside of the coffee cup is quite rubbed (the rest of the set is not).
 
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): cup 8.8cm (3.5"), saucer 14.3cm (5 5/8").