Chamberlain s Worcester Orphaned Porcelain Coffee Cup, Dragons, circa 1810

This is a very charming orphaned coffee cup made by the Bow Porcelain factory in about 1755. The cup is decorated in a Chinese "famille rose" peony pattern. This cup would have been part of a large tea service, and the tiny size shows how expensive coffee was in the 18th Century. The Bow Porcelain Factory was one of the first potteries in Britain to make soft paste porcelain, and most probably the very first to use bone ash, which later got perfected by Josiah Spode to what is now the universally used "bone china". Bow was the main competitor of the Chelsea Porcelain Factory, but where Chelsea made very fine slipcast porcelain, Bow made a different soft paste porcelain that tended to be softer and could be pressed into moulds. Bow served a larger public generally at lower prices. The factory was only in operation between 1743 and 1774, after which the tradition got incorporated into some of the later famous potteries such as Worcester and Derby. The cup is unmarked, which is normal for Bow items of this era. Condition report the cup is in excellent condition without any damage or repairs. There are various glazing imperfections, which are quite normal for porcelain of this era. Antique British porcelain...

This is a stunning tea service made by New Hall in circa 1795. The service is made of hybrid hard paste porcelain and decorated in a bold Chinoiserie pattern of large flower sprays. The service consists of a teapot with cover, a milk jug, a slop bowl, and six tea bowls with saucers. This service has provenance; it came from the collection of David Redstone, the well known porcelain expert who wrote leading books on Bow and Chelsea porcelain. The New Hall factory started as a cooperative of several Staffordshire potters making use of the porcelain license of Bristol Porcelain...