This pattern is not for the birds
Some porcelain patterns are so famous that they rarely come up in the market, even though they were made in great numbers. But if you would own dishes in this wonderful pattern by Coalport, would you want to sell them?
This is "Pattern 759", one of Coalport's best liked patterns from the period between 1815 and 1825. I first encountered it when I ran into a set of 10 gadrooned plates (you can see it here) that completely overwhelmed me. That set of plates turned out to be the first dessert set that I bought and sold, and it was responsible for my falling in love with dessert services ever since.
Since then, I have had many cups, saucers, plates, dishes and even letter racks in this pattern. Whenever I find a "759" piece that is in good condition I buy it, and usually they get snapped up quickly - so I never get to enjoy them for long! Today, after a long pause of having none, I am offering a beautiful pair of oval dishes for sale.
This famous pattern is in the typical style of around 1820, but it has a much earlier origin. Chelsea and Worcester already used cobalt blue in the 18th Century (then called "mazarine blue"), but they were not able to apply it evenly so they often "scaled" it like a fish skin, thus hiding the imperfections - you can see it here in this beautiful Worcester plate, which is also available. In the early 19th Century a way to apply this colour evenly under the glaze was invented, and it quickly became the most popular ground colour.
Cobalt blue pairs beautifully with gilt, and if you leave out white reserves filled with flowers, landscapes or birds, the effect can be dramatic.
Coalport designed this wonderful pattern in about 1810 and over the next 15 years they made countless tea, dinner and dessert services with it. The shapes of the items changed over the years: from simple rims to richly gilded gadrooned rims, but the pattern never really changed although there are slight variations. What is amazing about it is the variety of birds and flowers; there are no two panels the same, ever.
I am showing many of the items that I've had over the years, and one of my clients kindly let me use a wonderful picture of her Thanksgiving table (see below). And of course there are the two dishes available today.
Where to find stock
You can find all my available items here. If you want to stay up to date with new additions, find me on Instagram, where I put up pictures with a story several times a week.
Happy weekend, and listen to some birdsong! 🦜🎼🌸
This week's new treasures:
