Dessert Dish
1752-1755 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This oval dish may have been intended for serving food during dinner or the dessert course of a grand meal. Alternatively, it may have been used as a stand for a sauceboat, as silver sauceboat stands of this shape are known. The shape was clearly a popular one at Chelsea, for many of these dishes survive, some painted with botanical or landscape decoration and others with Japanese patterns.
People
Nicholas Sprimont (1716-1773) made silver sauceboats with stands of this shape in 1747-8, before he abandoned his career as a silversmith in order to devote himself to making porcelain at Chelsea. Sprimont was a gifted designer and modeller and probably designed these dishes. A visitor to England said of the Chelsea factory's earliest years that 'an able French artist' supplies 'or directs the models of everything manufactured there'. Sprimont was not actually French, but was from the French-speaking part of Flanders.
Trading
The Chelsea factory aimed at the top end of the market. It sold its wares from the factory site, from factory-run warehouses in the West End of London, through London ceramic dealers and at auction held in London, Dublin and probably elsewhere.
This oval dish may have been intended for serving food during dinner or the dessert course of a grand meal. Alternatively, it may have been used as a stand for a sauceboat, as silver sauceboat stands of this shape are known. The shape was clearly a popular one at Chelsea, for many of these dishes survive, some painted with botanical or landscape decoration and others with Japanese patterns.
People
Nicholas Sprimont (1716-1773) made silver sauceboats with stands of this shape in 1747-8, before he abandoned his career as a silversmith in order to devote himself to making porcelain at Chelsea. Sprimont was a gifted designer and modeller and probably designed these dishes. A visitor to England said of the Chelsea factory's earliest years that 'an able French artist' supplies 'or directs the models of everything manufactured there'. Sprimont was not actually French, but was from the French-speaking part of Flanders.
Trading
The Chelsea factory aimed at the top end of the market. It sold its wares from the factory site, from factory-run warehouses in the West End of London, through London ceramic dealers and at auction held in London, Dublin and probably elsewhere.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Soft-paste porcelain, painted in enamels |
| Brief description | Dessert dish, soft-paste porcelain, painted in enamels, Chelsea Porcelain factory, London, 1752-1755 |
| Physical description | Dessert dish of silver-shell form, soft-paste porcelain, painted in enamel colours with a bridge and castle with trees and rocks in the foreground; singled detached sprays of naturalistic flowers and insects near the edge. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label | British Galleries:
The border pattern here is also found on silver made by the manager of the Chelsea factory, Nicholas Sprimont, originally a silversmith from Liège in Flanders (present-day Belgium). Sprimont's background as a silversmith accounts for the parallels between early Chelsea porcelain and English and continental silver.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by Mr Wallace Elliot |
| Object history | London, Stoner & Evan, 1933. From the C. Borradaile Collection sold at Brighton 08/12/1933 by Wilkinson, Son & Welch (Lot 39 one of a pair). Formerly the Dr. Diamond Collection. The mark is spurious and has been added at a later date to enhance its selling value. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type This oval dish may have been intended for serving food during dinner or the dessert course of a grand meal. Alternatively, it may have been used as a stand for a sauceboat, as silver sauceboat stands of this shape are known. The shape was clearly a popular one at Chelsea, for many of these dishes survive, some painted with botanical or landscape decoration and others with Japanese patterns. People Nicholas Sprimont (1716-1773) made silver sauceboats with stands of this shape in 1747-8, before he abandoned his career as a silversmith in order to devote himself to making porcelain at Chelsea. Sprimont was a gifted designer and modeller and probably designed these dishes. A visitor to England said of the Chelsea factory's earliest years that 'an able French artist' supplies 'or directs the models of everything manufactured there'. Sprimont was not actually French, but was from the French-speaking part of Flanders. Trading The Chelsea factory aimed at the top end of the market. It sold its wares from the factory site, from factory-run warehouses in the West End of London, through London ceramic dealers and at auction held in London, Dublin and probably elsewhere. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.112-1938 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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