This is an absolutely stunning tea service made in 1853 by Ridgway. The service consists of a teapot with cover on a stand, a sucrier with cover, a milk jug, a slop bowl, a large cake plates and six true trios, each consisting of a teacup, a coffee cup and a saucer. The teapot has a rather moving dedication to a Mrs Hughes.
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. This set is unmarked, as most Ridgway items, but the reason we know it was made by Ridgway is the pattern number, as well as the shape and the way it was potted; Ridgway made items as elegant as Spode, but usually it was potted a bit thicker.
This tea service is potted in the "foliage" style with moulded acanthus leaves on the outside of each item, picked off in very lavish and stunning gilt. The teapot has a moving personal dedication; it might have been a retirement gift to "Mrs Hughes", but we don't know who she was.
Tividale is a small town in what was known as the "Black Country" in the industrial heart of England; there were countless ironworks in this area. Who was Mrs Hughes in this picture? Was she an ironworks owner, or the widow of an owner?
The dedication reads:
"Presented to Mrs Hughes by the workmen of Tividale Iron Works, August 29th 1853"
and on the back:
"Then dearest friend farewell; if we
should meet on earth no more,
Oh! May we re-united be,
When life's short day is o'er,
Where separation cannot come,
Where love and friendship ever blow."
The set is marked with the pattern number 5/1728.
CONDITION REPORT All items are in perfect antique condition without any damage or repairs and virtually no rubbing. The only item that has some fine crazing is the milk jug.
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: teapot incl. stand and cover: 26.5cm (10.15'') from handle to spout, 15cm (5.75'') wide and 22cm (8.5'') high. Sucrier 20cm (7.75'') wide and 18.2cm (7.25'') high; milk jug 13.5 (5.25'') from handle to mouth and 14cm (5.5'') high; slop bowl 16.5cm (6.5'') diameter and 9.5cm (3.75'') high; cake plate 26cm (10.15'') diameter and 4cm (1.75'') high; teacups 9cm (3.5'') diameter; coffees cups 7.2cm (2.75'') cup diameter; saucers 14cm (5.5'') diameter
Ridgway sublime tea service, gilt foliage with dedication, 1853
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