Dessert Plate
ca. 1773 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
The plate would have been used for eating stewed or fresh fruit, or other sweet foodstuffs, during the dessert course of a grand meal. The waved edge, elaborate enamelled decoration and lavish use of gilding are all characteristic of dessert wares of this date. This service comprised 44 pieces, and was supplied to Philip Egerton, a Cheshire landowner, in 1773.
Trading
The bill for the dessert service indicates that Egerton bought it direct from the Derby porcelain factory site for £33 8s and that the dessert plates cost 13s each. (In the mid-18th century shopkeepers and skilled craftsmen might earn around £1 a week.) Egerton paid his bill seven months after the last item was delivered. This was not unusual, and manufacturers often had to extend credit to private customers for longer periods than this. The Derby factory aimed at the top end of the market and sold most of its wares from factory showrooms in Covent Garden, London. These were handsomely fitted out, and sales were not confined to dealers, but were directed to private customers as well. The term 'warehouse' was used for both exclusive showrooms and warehouses of the modern sort, which stocked large quantities of goods and sold wholesale.
The plate would have been used for eating stewed or fresh fruit, or other sweet foodstuffs, during the dessert course of a grand meal. The waved edge, elaborate enamelled decoration and lavish use of gilding are all characteristic of dessert wares of this date. This service comprised 44 pieces, and was supplied to Philip Egerton, a Cheshire landowner, in 1773.
Trading
The bill for the dessert service indicates that Egerton bought it direct from the Derby porcelain factory site for £33 8s and that the dessert plates cost 13s each. (In the mid-18th century shopkeepers and skilled craftsmen might earn around £1 a week.) Egerton paid his bill seven months after the last item was delivered. This was not unusual, and manufacturers often had to extend credit to private customers for longer periods than this. The Derby factory aimed at the top end of the market and sold most of its wares from factory showrooms in Covent Garden, London. These were handsomely fitted out, and sales were not confined to dealers, but were directed to private customers as well. The term 'warehouse' was used for both exclusive showrooms and warehouses of the modern sort, which stocked large quantities of goods and sold wholesale.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Soft-paste porcelain, painted in enamels and gilt |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | An anchor intersecting the letter D (Painted in gold) |
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
This dessert plate is from a service bought directly from the Derby factory in 1773 by Philip Egerton of Oulton in Cheshire. The service included 24 plates, each one costing the enormous sum of 13 shillings (65p)(27/03/2003) |
| Object history | Made at the Derby porcelain factory |
| Production | A service of this pattern was bought from the Derby factory by Sir Philip Egerton in 1773 |
| Summary | Object Type The plate would have been used for eating stewed or fresh fruit, or other sweet foodstuffs, during the dessert course of a grand meal. The waved edge, elaborate enamelled decoration and lavish use of gilding are all characteristic of dessert wares of this date. This service comprised 44 pieces, and was supplied to Philip Egerton, a Cheshire landowner, in 1773. Trading The bill for the dessert service indicates that Egerton bought it direct from the Derby porcelain factory site for £33 8s and that the dessert plates cost 13s each. (In the mid-18th century shopkeepers and skilled craftsmen might earn around £1 a week.) Egerton paid his bill seven months after the last item was delivered. This was not unusual, and manufacturers often had to extend credit to private customers for longer periods than this. The Derby factory aimed at the top end of the market and sold most of its wares from factory showrooms in Covent Garden, London. These were handsomely fitted out, and sales were not confined to dealers, but were directed to private customers as well. The term 'warehouse' was used for both exclusive showrooms and warehouses of the modern sort, which stocked large quantities of goods and sold wholesale. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.23-1978 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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