Dish

In the late 1700s there was a great demand for the proven blue-and-white porcelains of the Worcester and Caughley factories. Demand increased after the East India Company discontinued the import of Chinese porcelain tableware in 1791. Surviving miniature toy services give a good idea of their practical elegance.

Physical description

Toy dish of soft-paste porcelain painted with blue enamel. Oval with a wavy rim. Decorated with two ships and a lake scene. Decorative border. Base unglazed.

Place of Origin

Caughley, England (made)

Date

ca. 1780 (made)

Artist/maker

Caughley Porcelain Factory (manufacturer)

Materials and Techniques

Soft-paste porcelain painted with blue enamel

Marks and inscriptions

'S' [Inverted]

Dimensions

Length: 10.2 cm, Width: 8.3 cm

Object history note

Part of a toy tea service C.197 to EE-1921.

Historical significance: Towards the end of the 18th Century, English porcelain factories began making affordable sets of blue and white tableware, pionerred at Worcester and soon taken up at Caughley and elsewhere. Only toy services now survive complete.

Descriptive line

Toy dish of soft-paste porcelain painted with blue enamel, Caughley Porcelain Factory, Caughley, ca. 1780.

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

Hildyard, Robin. European Ceramics. London : V&A Publications, 1999. 144 p., ill. ISBN 185177260X

Materials

Soft-paste porcelain

Techniques

Painted

Subjects depicted

Border; Ships; Lake

Collection code

CER

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