This is a fabulous large dessert service made by E.J. Ridgway around 1870. The service has a dark fuchsia pink ground and printed and hand coloured flower festoons. It consists of a high tazza, three round low comports, two oval low comports, one low square comport, and 14 plates.
Ridgway was one of the pioneers of English china production alongside other great potters such as Spode, Davenport, Minton, Coalport and others and they created very high quality tea and dinnerware. Ridgway had a tradition of a very wide-ranging offer of china products, anything from the most sublime dinnerware to humble toilet pots. It is notoriously difficult to identify their wares and this is one reason their beautiful tea and dinner wares are often underestimated.
The Ridgway family was large and operated several factories over several generations, which all made different types of wares. In 1866 Edward John Ridgway opened a factory in the Bedford Works where he produced very high quality earthenware, stoneware, jetware and jasperware. This dessert service is a great example of the strong earthenware Ridgway made; although there is some wear and light damage throughout, the pieces have survived remarkably well and are still excellent for use 150 years later.
All items are unmarked ecxept the pattern number 7536.
CONDITION REPORT The service is in very good condition and excellent for use. Some items have crazing, however this is a very superficial type of crazing and many of those items still ring well when tapped; there are some minor chips and short cracks, some plates are a bit chafed on the rim, and there are two repaired chips; however all these items are still good for use and none of the damage stands out. There is some light wear overall, as visible in the pictures. Please feel free to ask for more detailed 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 tazza 32.5cm X 28cm (12.5" X 11") and 16cm (6.25") high; round low comports 26cm X 22.3cm (10.15" X 8.75") and 7cm (2.75") high; oval low comports 29.3cm X 23.2cm (11.5" X 9.15") and 5.2cm high (2"); square low comport 27.2cm X 24cm (10.75" X 9.5") and 4.5cm (1.75") high; plates 22.5cm (8.75") diameter.
E.J. Ridgway dessert service, fuchsia pink, floral festoons, ca 1870
PLEASE NOTE THAT CURRENTLY THERE ARE SHIPPING DELAYS DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, THE TIME OF YEAR AND BREXIT. WE WILL GET YOUR ITEM SAFELY TO YOU BUT IT MIGHT TAKE MORE TIME THAN USUAL!
Your item will be shipped after receipt of funds, unless agreed otherwise in writing.
We will ship your items within a maximum of 2 working days after payment (usually quicker). We cannot be held responsible for delivery times once the item has been shipped as this is at the shipper's discretion and, in case of international delivery, can be subject to customs delays, weather, holidays and/or political instability.
If your delivery failed to appear or was damaged in transit, please let us know as soon as possible and, in case of damage, provide us with pictures of the damaged item and/or packaging. Cut off dates for this are 14 days after shipping, or 2 days after a damaged delivery. We will need to comply with shippers' regulations in order to follow up the issue, but it is vital that you let us know what is wrong as soon as possible. We will do anything we can to follow up faulty deliveries but cannot be held responsible if we have not been notified within the required time period.
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!
Cancellations can only be accepted before the item has been shipped. Once an item has been shipped, the transaction cannot be cancelled anymore.
Returns need to be requested within 2 days of receipt of the item and completed within 14 days from the date they have been agreed in writing.
If you want to return an item because you changed your mind, you will be responsible for the return shipping. For international deliveries, this will need to be a fully tracked shipping mode. The item is expected to be received back in the same state it was sent - any damage due to insufficient packaging will be your responsibility. We will only pay for return shipping if we have mutually agreed that the item did not satisfy your expectations. A refund will be made immediately after receipt of the item.
You are subject to the EU Consumers Rights Act, which protects your rights buying over the internet.
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!
