This is a stunning shell dish made by H&R Daniel in about 1827. It is made in the popular Shrewsbury shape and has a beautiful white and red ranunculus in the centre. This dish would have belonged to a large dessert service.
We have several items of this service for sale, please see second picture and separate listings.
Due to the stress cracks this dish is sold As Found (A/F) at a reduced price.
The H & R Daniel porcelain factory was founded by Henry Daniel, son of a family of master colour makers. He headed up the decoration department in the famous Spode factory where he oversaw all the beautiful early Spode decorations. In 1822 he opened his own factory with his son Richard, creating a truly iconic body of work with the most subtle colours and beautifully painted flowers and landscapes.
The Daniel factory was the last true cottage industry among the English potteries, resisting the increase of industrialisation and mass production. This resulted in extraordinary and unrivalled quality, but it probably also led to the factory having to close its doors in 1846 because it could no longer compete with others who did modernise. Daniel porcelain can be hard to identify as the factory was only around for about two decades, and Daniel items have therefore become true collectors' items.
This dish is potted in the Shrewsbury Shape, which was first designed in 1826 for the Earl of Shrewsbury and went on to become one of the most desired shapes of the Daniel factory. The decoration consists of encrusted moss green and gilded grape sprigs, an intriguing gilt pattern of interlinked rings, and a beautiful flower painting in the centre. The handle consists of a beautifully shaped gilded shell.
The dish is unmarked except a nearly washed off pattern number 4339, which dates it to 1827.
CONDITION REPORT The dish is in fair antique condition and structurally sound, however it has several stress cracks coming off the rim and a faint star crack in the bottom - it might not hold any liquids. It is crazed and there are a few flakes off the flower painting, 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 23cm (9") X 22cm (8.5").
H & R Daniel shell dish, Shrewsbury shape, red white ranunculus, ca 1827 A/F
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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!
