On offer is a stunning pair of potpourri vases with covers made by H&R Daniel in about 1840. The vases are in the Rococo Revival style, and have a deep maroon ground and reserves with flowers on the one side and birds on the other.
If you thought you've seen this shape of vases identified as Alcock, Minton, or Madeley... you are right! They have gone through quite a journey as to who made them, but have very recently, after thorough research by H&R Daniel experts, been confirmed to be made by this factory.
Potpourri vases were meant to hold a mix of scented dried flowers and leaves to freshen the air in the often stuffy Georgian or Victorian homes in a time before vacuum cleaners. The lids therefore are perforated to let the scent out.
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.
These vases are of very high quality with a beautifully even ground colour, which was very hard to achieve in those days. The flower and birds paintings are excellently executed and the reserves are surrounded by beautiful tooled gilding. The vases are shaped in the Rococo Revival style, which is famous for its unpredictable, flowing shapes and was very popular between about 1825 and 1850.
The vases are unmarked, which is normal for Daniel items. Brian Smith, the author of "Identifying Daniel Ornamental Wares", shows a vase of the same shape in Journal no.49 of Daniel Ceramic Circle, May 2022. This shape was only recently identified as Daniel and did not make it into the book.
CONDITION REPORT The vases are in excellent condition with only one true flaw: one of the handles has been replaced (see last picture). There is some light crazing here and there, which is not very visible and is common for items of this period. There is only light wear and the images are in perfect condition. Both vases are still good to hold water and flowers.
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 each vase is 25cm (9.75") high, 16cm (6.25") wide and 12cm (4.75") deep.
