The flea immortalised
- willa
- Jul 4
- 2 min read
A teacup and a flea can have more in common than one might think... let me explain myself.
From hand painted flowers and landscapes, we are moving on to puce-printed patterns; puce is a colour that was popular both in the 18th and the 19th Century.
The colour "puce" derives its name from the French word for "flea", and it became fashionable in the 18th Century. Apparently, Marie Antoinette loved puce coloured garments, and it became a feature in Parisian fashion. Before long, porcelain decorators also started to paint fine little flowers in puce.
19th Century British porcelain makers quickly embraced this beautiful colour, too. I once had a beautiful teacup by Flight Barr & Barr, which you can see here (it was sold a long time ago), and I still have an orphaned teacup by Rathbone with an adorable shepherdess and her sheep.
In this cup, you can see that puce is also an excellent colour to use for transfer prints and bat prints, and some makers enthusiastically started using it. Samuel Alcock made some wonderful sets in puce.
Today I am introducing a few more beautiful items made by Samuel Alcock, as I keep opening more boxes of the Murray Pollinger Collection. Firstly, I have a charming large teapot, made from earthenware rather than porcelain, with a rich puce printed pattern of rose bushes and exotic birds. The pot has a striking square tripe-fluted shape with a high collar and high foot; a beautiful piece of the Rococo Revival that, although crazed and with some surface wear, is still good for use.
With it, I have a teacup and a milk jug in the "Rock and Rose" pattern, similar to the teapot, with some beautiful free floating peonies to complement the central image of a rosebush emerging from a rock. These two are in perfect condition and made of very fine white porcelain.
Lastly, when opening a new box, I found a little jug in my favourite shade of lilac, with little white crescent-shaped fern sprigs moulded onto the surface. It would serve wonderfully either as a jug or as a little flower vase.
I will keep unpacking items from this wonderful collection - and you can find out more about the man who assembled it here. This is a great opportunity to give these beautiful pieces a new home, and no doubt it would have given Murray pleasure to see these pieces so appreciated!
Where to find things
You can find the full Murray Pollinger Collection here, and you can find all my available stock here. If you always want to see the latest additions, follow me on Instagram... I post pictures and a story several times a week.
Happy weekend everyone!
This week's treasures:
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