This is a beautiful orphaned coffee cup made of pearlware in Staffordshire around the year 1800. It is a mystery who made this cup; it has an interestingly moulded shape with the lower half of the cup smooth and round, and the upper half shaped into panels. It also has a very characteristically shaped handle that is not known anywhere else. The cup is transfer printed in blue with the "conversation" pattern of two figures on a bridge, with pagodas and trees around them.
The cup is unmarked.
CONDITION REPORT The cup is in good antique condition, however, as to be expected from pearlware of this period, it has fine crazing all over the surface. It is still fine to use.
Antique British porcelain or pearlware 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!
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