Pair Of Coalport Porcelain Lozenge Dishes, Birds & Flowers Patt.759, 1815 1820

This is a spectacular pair of oval dishes made by Coalport between 1815 and 1820. The dishes bear the famous and very wonderful bird pattern with the number 759. Panels with stunning hand painted birds and flowers are set in a cobalt blue background with rich gilt decoration.

We also have two plates available in this pattern; please see separate listings. This pattern is very desired and doesn't come to the market often, so this is a rare opportunity.

Coalport was one of the leading potters in 19th and 20th Century Staffordshire. They worked alongside other great potters such as Spode, Davenport and Minton, and came out with many innovative designs. When we say "Coalport" we usually think of the one Coalport factory that became famous, but in its beginning years there were two factories, one run by John Rose and the other by his brother Thomas Rose. Thomas Rose went into partnership with Robert Anstice and Robert Horton and they were located directly opposite John Rose, across the canal. The brothers' factories had much in common with each other and they shared many different shapes and patterns. Ultimately, the John Rose factory proved more profitable and John Rose bought Thomas' factory in 1814, making it the one Coalport factory that became so famous. Many of the Coalport items, of either factory, are now collectors' items.

The stunning thing about pattern 759 is that each bird is different, as well as each flower formation. All birds and flowers are painted carefully in their own colours; they are all different species. Each bird is an individual with its own expression; in fact I once had a large dinner service in this pattern and I counted more than 20 of these birds, all of them unique! The flower formations are spectacular too; they reveal many different flowers, all painted realistically with exceptional skill.

CONDITION REPORT The dishes are in beautiful condition without any damage or repairs. They are crazed, as is quite common for Coalport items of this era, and there is slight rubbing on areas of the rim, and some scratches on the surface from use.

The dishes are unmarked, as was often the case with items of this period. However, they have the impressed "2" mark that was used between 1815 and 1820.

DOCUMENTATION: an image of a dish in this pattern can be found in Michael Messenger's book "Coalport" in plate 44, page 97.

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 29.5cm X 19.5cm (11.5" X 7.75").

Condition report:

Good. Wear consistent with age and use. In good antique condition, some crazing and minimal rubbing as visible in the pictures.