This is a very rare and romantic cabaret "solitaire" tea set, serving one - a perfect gift for Valentine's Day! The set was made between 1792 and 1804, and it consists of a large tray, a teapot with cover, a sucrier with cover, a milk jug, a slop bowl and a teacup with saucer. The set is decorated with a pink ground and gracious trailing gilt foliage in the Neoclassical taste.
Flight & 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.
The set is unmarked except a hand painted Flight & Barr mark on the underside of the tray that was used between 1792 and 1804. The teapot has a BADA customs label from 1948 on the underside.
PROVENANCE: Charles Dawson Collection
CONDITION REPORT The set is in perfect antique condition except the cover of the teapot; the finial has been broken and was re-attached with a screw, and there is a faint star crack next to it. The finial is slghtly loose but well secured. The gilding has some rubbing here and there, and there is some kiln grit from production baked into the glazing here and there.
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 tray 37cm X 26cm (14.5" X 10.25").
