On offer is a coffee cup and saucer made by Rockingham in about 1832. The set is decorated with a gilt seaweed pattern and beautiful little flower posies.
We have various teacups and saucers available, please see separate listings or ask us!
Although the Rockingham pottery started some time in the mid-18th Century, when we say "Rockingham" it mostly means the Rockingham pottery as it was run between 1826 and 1842, creating high quality bone china table ware. The pottery rose to fame when King William VI ordered a huge dinner service containing 200 pieces. It took 600 people 7 years to complete this service, and by the time it was finished the King died. It ended up being used for the first time at the subsequent coronation of Queen Victoria in 1837. In the end, the undertaking, although it brought important business from all British aristocracy, had ruined the pottery and it never recovered. It closed it doors in 1842. This story serves to show the status, artistic sophistication and capacity of the Rockingham pottery in the 1830s.
The set is made of sturdy, thickly potted bone china. The design is cream coloured with gilt seaweed all over and beautiful small hand painted flower bouquets.
CONDITION REPORT Both items are crazed, have some light wear and a little yellowed. However, the set is still good for use and there is no other damage.
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) coffee cup 8.3cm (3.25"), saucer 14.6cm (5.75").
