This is an boldly decorated sucrier with cover made by Rathbone in about 1825 and decorated in the famous pattern 1088, which was a pattern done by a factory often called the "Blue V-Factory". We don't know who or what was behind this factory, and even whether it was a factory or simply a decorating studio, but there are many patterns applied to blank items of various other factories, often marked with a blue "v".
Rathbone was one of the many potters in the early 19th Century, working alongside famous potters such as Spode, Ridgway, Wedgwood and others in Staffordshire. The pottery was run by several members of the Rathbone family, and it was only in operation between 1812 and 1835; it was most probably closed due to the death of its owners.
This sucrier and cover were potted in the sturdy style of the late 1820s. The decoration is exquisite: bold gilt and periwinkle blue artichoke pattern on a cobalt blue ground, with fine gilt foliage in between. The "Blue V-Factory" was well known for its very fine gilt decorations on a cobalt blue ground, and this is a superb example.
There is no marking on the sucrier and cover, other than the pattern number 1088 and the blue v's.
CONDITION REPORT The set is in excellent antique condition without any damage, repairs or crazing and only some rubbing and a tiny bit of discolouration around the foot rim and the handles, 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 (diameters): 18cm (7") between the two handles, 13cm (5") tall incl. finial.
