The Project Gutenberg EBook of Chats on English China, by Arthur Hayden This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license Title: Chats on English China Author: Arthur Hayden Release Date: May 9, 2018 [EBook #57124] Language: English Character set encoding: UTF-8 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA *** Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net COMPANION VOLUME BY THE SAME AUTHOR CHATS ON ENGLISH EARTHENWARE With Coloured Frontispiece and 150 Illustrations and Tables of over 200 Illustrated Marks. CONTENTS CHAPTER I. How to Collect: A Chapter for Beginners II. Early Ware III. English Delft IV. Stoneware V. Early Staffordshire Ware—Thomas Whieldon: His Contemporaries and Successors VI. Salt-glazed Ware, Staffordshire VII. Josiah Wedgwood VIII. The School of Wedgwood IX. Leeds and other Factories X. Transfer-printed Ware XI. Staffordshire Figures XII. Swansea and other Factories XIII. Lustre Ware XIV. Late Staffordshire Ware Index CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA BOOKS FOR COLLECTORS With Frontispieces and many Illustrations. CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA. By Arthur Hayden. CHATS ON OLD FURNITURE. By Arthur Hayden. CHATS ON OLD PRINTS. (How to collect and value Old Engravings.) By Arthur Hayden. CHATS ON COSTUME. By G. Woolliscroft Rhead. CHATS ON OLD LACE AND NEEDLEWORK. By E. L. Lowes. CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA. By J. F. Blacker. CHATS ON OLD MINIATURES. By J. J. Foster, F.S.A. CHATS ON ENGLISH EARTHENWARE. (Companion volume to “Chats on English China.”) By Arthur Hayden. CHATS ON AUTOGRAPHS. By A. M. Broadley. CHATS ON PEWTER. By H. J. L. J. Massé, M.A. CHATS ON POSTAGE STAMPS. By Fred. J. Melville. CHATS ON OLD JEWELLERY AND TRINKETS By MacIver Percival. CHATS ON COTTAGE AND FARMHOUSE FURNITURE. (Companion volume to “Chats on Old Furniture.”) By Arthur Hayden. CHATS ON OLD COINS By Fred. W. Burgess. CHATS ON OLD COPPER AND BRASS. By Fred. W. Burgess. CHATS ON HOUSEHOLD CURIOS. By Fred. W. Burgess. CHATS ON OLD SILVER. By Arthur Hayden. CHATS ON JAPANESE PRINTS. By Arthur Davison Ficke. CHATS ON MILITARY CURIOS. By Stanley C. Johnson. CHATS ON OLD CLOCKS AND WATCHES. By Arthur Hayden. CHATS ON ROYAL COPENHAGEN PORCELAIN. By Arthur Hayden. CHATS ON OLD SHEFFIELD PLATE. (Companion volume to “Chats on Old Silver.”) By Arthur Hayden. BYE PATHS OF CURIO COLLECTING. By Arthur Hayden. With Frontispiece and 72 Full page Illustrations. 21s. net. LONDON: T. FISHER UNWIN, LTD. NEW YORK: F. A. STOKES COMPANY. WORCESTER VASE. From the Collection of the late Lady Charlotte Schreiber in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Reproduced by permission of the Board of Education. CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA {v} BY ARTHUR HAYDEN AUTHOR OF “CHATS ON ENGLISH EARTHENWARE,” “CHATS ON OLD SILVER,” ETC. Bloor Derby Teapot WITH 150 ILLUSTRATIONS T. FISHER UNWIN LTD LONDON: ADELPHI TERRACE First Edition 1904 Second Edition 1906 Third Impression 1907 Third Edition 1909 Fifth Impression 1910 Sixth Impression 1912 Seventh Impression 1917 Eighth Impression 1919 Fourth Edition 1920 (All rights reserved) TO JOSEPHINE HAMILTON PREFACE TO FOURTH EDITION A certain amount of necessary revision has been given to the volume. The prices obtained at public auction for representative examples have been brought up to date, and ten new illustrations have been added. ARTHUR HAYDEN. September, 1920. PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION This edition has been slightly revised and corrected. Throughout the volume many new illustrations appear in place of {vi} {vii} {viii} {ix} those in the first edition, and their selection has been made in order to show more clearly the characteristics of the china as dealt with in the letterpress. In addition to these, twenty new illustrations have been added, and I have to acknowledge my indebtedness to Messrs. Wedgwood & Sons, by whose courtesy I am enabled to reproduce examples from their museum at Etruria, and fine examples after Flaxman, including specimens of dinner-ware which are now being manufactured by the firm from the old designs by that artist. I have similarly to acknowledge my obligation to Messrs. W. T. Copeland & Sons, of Stoke-upon-Trent (the successors of Spode), for several illustrations of the ware from their factory, and to Messrs. Minton for some fine specimens of their productions. It is my hope that this improvement will make the volume more useful as a practical working handbook for the collector. To the great number of enthusiasts who have written to me in connection with this volume and with the Dilettante pages in the Lady’s Pictorial, I tender a grateful and appreciative acknowledgment. ARTHUR HAYDEN. March, 1906. AUTHOR’S NOTE In regard to English Earthenware, which appeals to a wide circle of collectors, I have, in response to many readers who have written to me on the subject, prepared a companion volume to this, entitled “Chats on English Earthenware.” The subject is treated from a collecting point of view, and a large number of carefully selected photographic reproductions of typical examples illustrate the letterpress. Those who are interested in the outline sketch of English Earthenware given in the concluding chapters of this volume, and desire greater detail, will find a completer record in the companion volume. A. H. January, 1909. BOW TEAPOT. With leaf as spout, and grape-vine handle. PREFACE This little volume has been primarily written with a view to enable the possessors of old china to determine the factories at which their ware was produced. A modest attempt has been made to show that the china-shelf is a record of men’s triumphs and failures, and the fantastic shepherds and shepherdesses, lustrous bowls, queer printed dishes, and bizarre decorated jugs, may be regarded by a reflective mind as so many symbols representing something less perishable than {x} {xi} the clay of the potter. These “Chats” originally appeared in the pages of Our Home. In collecting them in volume form I trust that they will appeal to a wider circle of readers. Never was a greater interest taken in Art, and the growth of popular literature has developed a taste for objects of art in the home. The china-shelf is now regarded as worthy of keen and discriminating study. Its treasures, often heirlooms, have been brought into the light of day, and amateur collectors can now be numbered by thousands. I am enabled to include a useful feature in the list of prices obtained at recent sales, by kind permission of the proprietors of the Connoisseur, whose “Sale Prices,” published monthly, is most valuable to the collector. It is hoped that the Bibliography of works on china and pottery may be of use to those who wish to study the subject more deeply, and a copious Index will prove useful for ready reference. The “Chats” relating to Lustre Ware, Old English Mugs, and Wedgwood are not upon English china, but deal with earthenware; they are included in the volume in order to increase its scope and usefulness. My thanks are due to Mr. W. G. Honey, of Cork, for kindly allowing me to reproduce specimens from his collection which was exhibited at the Cork Exhibition. I am indebted to Mr. A. Merrington Smith, Fine Art Dealer, of Lowestoft, for information concerning the recent unearthing of moulds and fragments of china on the site of the old factory at Lowestoft, a discovery of very great value. By permission of the Coalport Company I am giving specimens of their modern productions and some of their marks not published before. ARTHUR HAYDEN. CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE xi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xv BIBLIOGRAPHY xxi GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED xxiii CHAT I. OLD DERBY 1 II. CHELSEA CHINA 27 III. THE BOW CHINA FACTORY 49 IV. OLD WORCESTER 67 V. PLYMOUTH AND BRISTOL CHINA 91 VI. THE LOWESTOFT FACTORY 111 VII. COALPORT 133 VIII. SPODE AND HIS SUCCESSORS 149 IX. NANTGARW AND SWANSEA 163 X. MINTON 179 XI. OLD ENGLISH EARTHENWARE 191 XII. LUSTRE WARE 219 XIII. LIVERPOOL WARE 235 XIV. WEDGWOOD 247 INDEX 279 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Frontispiece. Worcester Vase. From the Collection of the late Lady Charlotte Schreiber in the Victoria and Albert Museum. {xii} {xiii} {xiv} {xv} Chat I.—Old Derby. PAGE Bloor Derby Teapot v Early Crown Derby Cup and Saucer 3 Old Derby Marks 7 Derby Figure Group 9 Crown Derby Pastille-burner 11 Crown Derby Mug and Saucer 13 Bloor Derby Marks 16 Crown Derby Vase and Bloor Derby Pastille-burner 17 Later Derby Marks 20 Chat II.—Chelsea China. Chelsea Figure 27 Figure of Carpenter 29 Chelsea Vase in British Museum 31 Chelsea Marks 34 Chelsea Marks 35 “Foundling” Vase 38 Derby-Chelsea Marks 39 Chat III.—The Bow China Factory. Bow Vase, with Cover Facing page 48 Bow Inkstand 49 Bow Figure 50 Bow Marks 53, 54 Bow Plate and Teapot 56 Bow Cups 57 Bow Marks 60 Chat IV.—Old Worcester. Early Blue and White Worcester Plate Facing page 66 Old Worcester Transfer-printed Group 67 Old Worcester Marks 70 Old Worcester, King of Prussia Mug 73 Worcester Dish 77 Flight and Barr Marks 78 Chamberlain Marks 78 Kerr and Binns Marks 79 Grainger, Lee and Co. Marks 79 Scent-bottle (Chamberlain) 80 Grainger, Lee and Co. Vases 81 Chat V.—Plymouth and Bristol China. White Porcelain Goat Facing page 90 Salt-cellar, Plymouth 91 White Porcelain Dish, Plymouth 94 Vase, Plymouth 95 Plymouth Marks 96 Bristol Porcelain 97 {xvi} Bristol Vase and Cover Facing page 98 Bristol Marks 100 Bristol Cup and Saucer from Edmund Burke’s Service 102 Bristol Vase 103 Chat VI.—The Lowestoft Factory. Lowestoft, Panels of Dish (detail) 111 Lowestoft Sauce-boats, with Fragment of Mould 113 Blue and White Delft Marriage Plate 114 Old Lowestoft Cups and Saucers 117 Dated Lowestoft Mug 118 Interior of Old Lowestoft Factory (Digging for Moulds) 122 Toy Teapot and Cream Jug 123 Dated Lowestoft Mugs and Jug 125 Lowestoft Blue and White Jug 128 Inkstand 129 Chat VII.—Coalport. Two-handled Cup, richly gilded 133 Old Coalport—Covered Cup and Saucer 135 Caughley, Old Blue Mug 137 Early Marks 139 Coalport Vase 141 Coalport Marks 142 Latest ditto 143 Old Coalport Vase 145 Chat VIII.—Spode and his Successors. Copeland Vases 149 Spode Plates 151 Spode Pastille-burner 152 Spode Marks 154 Spode Plate 155 Copeland Marks 156 Copeland Plates 157 Chat IX.—Nantgarw and Swansea. Swansea Vase 163 Nantgarw Plates 165 Nantgarw Dish 167 Fine Swansea Vase and Cover Facing page 170 Swansea Marks 171 Swansea Plate 172 Swansea Vase (Dillwyn’s Etruscan Ware) 173 Chat X.—Minton. Minton Vase Facing page 178 Minton Dish 181 Minton Marks 182 Minton Vase 183 Later Minton Marks 184 {xvii} {xviii} Lion Ewer (Henri II. Ware) 185 Minton Candelabrum 186 Majolica Plaque 189 Chat XI.—Old English Earthenware. Bust of Prince Rupert 191 Sunderland Jug 193 Old Jug—John Bull 198 The Vicar and Moses 199 Sunderland Frog Mug 203 Old Delft Mug (dated 1631) 206 Group of Old English dated Ware 209 Old Puzzle Jug 212 Marks on Mason’s Ware 216 Group of Mason’s Jugs 217 Chat XII.—Lustre Ware. Silver Lustre Jug 219 Copper Lustre Jugs 221 Group of Copper Lustre Ware 222 Copper Lustre Bust 223 Copper Lustre Jugs 225 Copper Lustre Jug 226 Silver Lustre Sugar-bowl 227 Silver Lustre Jugs 228 Silver Lustre Teapot 229 Silver Lustre Jug (White Decoration) 231 Gold Lustre Jug 232 Chat XIII.—Liverpool Ware. Liverpool Delft Punch Bowl 235 Old Liverpool Tiles 237 Early Liverpool Marks 240 Liverpool Marks 241 Old Liverpool Mug 243 Old Liverpool Jug (two positions) 244 Liverpool Mug 245 Chat XIV.—Wedgwood. Wedgwood Dinner Plates 247 Wedgwood. Jasper Cup and Saucer 249 Whieldon Tortoiseshell Ware 251 Wedgwood Terra-cotta Vases 256 Wedgwood. Jasper Vase 258 Blue Jasper Vase and Pedestal 259 Plaque designed by Flaxman. Mercury uniting the hands of England and France 260 Portland Vase 261 Wedgwood and Bentley Mark 269 Old Wedgwood Teapot 271 Wedgwood Plaque. Designed by Lady Diana Beauclerk Facing page 278 {xix} Additional Plates in Third Edition. Bow Teapot page xi Derby Figure of Peacock Facing page 20 Chelsea Figures of Birds ” ” 34 Chelsea Figure and Candlestick Facing page 40 Pair of Bow Figures ” ” 54 Bow Cups ” ” 60 Worcester Plate ” ” 68 Pair of Worcester Vases ” ” 70 Rare Lowestoft Coffee-Pot ” ” 120 Additional Plates in Fourth Edition. 1920. Derby Cups and Saucers Facing page 22 Chelsea Dishes ” ” 36 Chelsea. Pair of Groups, Dancing Figures ” ” 42 Bow. Figure of Britannia ” ” 52 Bow Teapot, Chinese Style, and Plate page 56 Worcester Teapot Facing page 68 Worcester Mug, Transfer printed ” ” 76 Lowestoft Jug (1772), Mug (1792) page 125 BIBLIOGRAPHY General.—Catalogue of Specimens of British Pottery and Porcelain in the Museum of Practical Geology. 1876. (Out of print.) (This Collection is now at the Bethnal Green Museum.) Marks and Monograms on Pottery and Porcelain. William Chaffers. (The last edition, 1901, contains over 3,500 Potters’ marks of all the well-known European and Oriental factories.) Ceramic Art of Great Britain. 2 vols. Llewellyn Jewitt. 1878. The China Collector’s Pocket Companion. Mrs. Bury Palliser. (Containing marks only—arranged in order.) Old English Pottery. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Freeth. (Morgan, Thompson, & Jamison.) English Porcelain. A. H. Church. 1904. English Earthenware. A. H. Church. 1884. Art of the Old English Potter. By M. L. Solon. History of Old English Porcelain. By M. L. Solon. 1903. History and Description of English Porcelain. By Wm. Burton. Cassell & Co. 1902. History and Description of English Pottery. By Wm. Burton. 1906. Examples of Early English Pottery. John Eliot Hodgkin, F.S.A., and Edith Hodgkin. 1891. Pre-Wedgwood English Pottery (Solon Collection). Connoisseur, December, 1901; February, 1902. Pottery and Porcelain, A Guide to Collectors. F. Litchfield. 1900. Catalogue of English Porcelain at British Museum. R. L. Hobson. 1905. Guide to English Pottery and Porcelain at British Museum. R. L. Hobson. 1910. Catalogue of Schreiber Collection at Victoria and Albert Museum. B. Rackham. 1915. {xx} {xxi} {xxii} Particular. Bow, Chelsea, and Derby Porcelain. William Bemrose. 1898. Bristol, Two Centuries of Ceramic Art in. Hugh Owen. 1873. Chelsea China. Connoisseur, March, 1903. Bow Porcelain. Burlington Magazine, vol. xxv., 1914. Bristol Porcelain. Burlington Magazine, vol. xx., 1912. Old Derby China Factory. John Haslem. 1876. Liverpool, The Art of Pottery in. Joseph Mayer. 1855. Liverpool Catalogue of Pottery and Porcelain. P. Entwistle. 1907. The Liverpool Potters. C. T. Gatty. 1882. Lowestoft. Connoisseur, April, 1903; October, 1903. Queen, Christmas number, 1903. Lady’s Pictorial, Dec. 30, 1905. Lowestoft China. By W. W. R. Spelman. (Jarrold, Norwich.) 1906. Lustre Ware. Connoisseur, November, 1902. Saltglaze Teapots, Old English. Connoisseur, February, 1903. Staffordshire Potteries, History of the. S. Shaw. 1829. Swansea and Nantgarw, The Ceramics of. William Turner. 1897. Toby Jugs and their Near Relatives. Lady’s Pictorial, Jan., 1906. Transfer Printing on Pottery. Burlington Magazine, vol. vi., 1904-5. Wedgwood, Life of Josiah. Miss Meteyard. 1865. —— Memorials of Miss Meteyard. 1874. —— Connoisseur, May, 1903. —— A. H. Church. (Portfolio Monograph.) Worcester China. A Century of Potting in the City of Worcester. R. W. Binns. 1877. Worcester China. A Record of the Work of Forty-five Years (1852-1897). R. W. Binns. 1898. Old Worcester. Connoisseur, October, 1902. Worcester Porcelain. R. L. Hobson. 1910. GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED Biscuit.—The first stage of china after being fired. It is white and porous, and ready for decoration. Its surface resembles that of an ordinary clay pipe. China.—A term used to include all porcelains. Earthenware.—All ware that, in contradistinction to porcelain, is not translucent. Glaze.—The glassy substance applied to the surface of pottery and porcelain. Lead Glaze.—The porcelains of Bow, Chelsea, and other early factories contained as much as 40 per cent. of oxide of lead. Modern chinas contain less than half that, and some glazes are “leadless.” As to the terrible results of the use of this glaze on the health of the potters, see Report of Professors Thorpe and Oliver to Home Office on subject (C. 9207, 1899). Over-Glaze Decoration.—Decoration after the surface has received its transparent glaze. This decoration admits of a wider range of colours. On hard paste, such as Plymouth, it stands flat on the surface; on soft paste, such as Bow, it is partly incorporated. Under-Glaze Decoration.—Decoration applied to the unglazed surface when in biscuit state; the whole is then covered with transparent glaze and refired. Ironstone China.—A term invented by Mason, who took out a patent for his ware. It is not china, but is a heavy class of earthenware highly decorated. It was generally adopted by other Staffordshire makers. Moulds.—The models from which china is made. These are of plaster of Paris. Opaque.—Incapable of transmitting light. This distinguishes pottery from porcelain. Paste.—The body or material of which porcelain is made. {xxiii} {xxiv} Hard.—China which, on being broken, shows a sparkling surface like that of a flint stone, and is impervious to any staining by colour applied to it. Plymouth and Bristol and New Hall are the only true hard- paste porcelains of this country. Soft.—China which, on being broken, shows a porous surface capable of absorbing colour. Porcelain.—Commonly called china; is distinguished from pottery by being translucent. True Porcelain is made from a mixture of two minerals—petuntse, or “china stone,” and kaolin, or “china clay,” with nothing artificially added; e.g., Chinese, Dresden, Plymouth, and Bristol chinas. Glassy Porcelain, containing an artificial admixture of glass to give the paste translucency; e.g., Chelsea, Bow, Nantgarw, Pinxton. Bone-ash Porcelain, of which Spode’s china is an example. Pottery.—A term used to include all the earthenwares. Printing.—Formerly, in old chinas, all the coloured decorations were painted. Now, by use of various mechanical devices, women and girls are employed to transfer printed patterns on modern china. Transfer-printing.—A process used at Liverpool by Sadler and Green, and at Worcester, in which the design from an engraved copper plate was transferred to specially prepared paper and applied to the ware. Black and brown were the main colours used (see Illustrations, pp. 244-5 and facing p. 76). Translucent.—Transparent. All porcelains, when held up to a strong light, are translucent, in varying degree, according to thickness of paste. I OLD DERBY EARLY CROWN DERBY CUP AND SAUCER. In Victoria and Albert Museum. CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA I OLD DERBY {xxv} {1} {3} It is not too much to hope that the eyes of some reader will stray into these pages as a wanderer in a strange land, one whose interest in china has never been awakened. We hope to lure such a wight with sweet cajolery. If perchance we can get him to examine one or two dainty specimens of old blue china we shall have him enmeshed in our toils. If he be an artist he will not escape from the enchantment of Derby and of Worcester. If he be a mere business man, here is an item from Messrs. Christie’s catalogue of a sale on January 14, 1902: “Coffee-pot and cover, Worcester. Painted with figures, birds, and flowers, in colours in Chinese taste, and with alternate dark-blue scale-pattern panels—£28 7s.” And this, mark you, is an ordinary item selected at random, a business sample, if you will. Mr. Andrew Lang, in one of his “Ballades in Blue China,” has cunningly put into rhyme a poet’s reason for his love of china:— “There’s a joy without canker or cark, There’s a pleasure eternally new; ’Tis to gloat on the glaze and the mark Of china that’s ancient and blue, Unchipped all the centuries through, It has passed, since the chime of it rang, And they fashioned it, figure and hue, In the reign of the Emperor Hwang.” We should be less than human if we did not point the moral by quoting the delicious sentences of a City man (one can hardly imagine Charles Lamb a City man journeying daily to Leadenhall Street!) concerning— “Those little, lawless, azure-tinctured grotesques that, under the notion of men and women, float about, uncircumscribed by any element, in that world before perspective—a china teacup.... Here is a young and courtly mandarin handing tea to a lady from a salver—two miles off. See how distance seems to set off respect. And here the same lady, or another —for likeness is identity on teacups—is stepping into a little fairy boat, moored on the hither side of this calm garden river, with a dainty, mincing foot, which, in a right angle of incidence (as angles go in our world), must infallibly land her in the midst of a flowery mead—a furlong off on the other side of the same strange stream!” And now, having brought you thus far, reader, will you not journey with us and learn something of the magic and the mysteries of old china? We are a goodly company, and if you have a fine eye, a pretty fancy for your own taste, and a keen zest for a bargain, join hands with us. Derby holds a high place in the history of British porcelain, inasmuch as it was here that its manufacture was matured, and the ability and perseverance of three generations of the Duesbury family raised the productions to the level of those of the great European factories. It is generally believed that the manufacture of china first sprang into existence at Derby in 1750, about a year or so before the works at Worcester were established. There is a tradition that the first maker was a Frenchman, who lived in a small house in Lodge Lane, and who modelled and made small articles in china, principally animals—cats, dogs, lambs, sheep, &c.—which he fired in a pipemaker’s oven in the neighbourhood. About this time there were some pot works on Cockpit Hill belonging to Alderman Heath, a banker, and the productions of the Frenchman, probably a refugee, having attracted notice, an arrangement was made between him and Heath and Duesbury by which the manufacture of porcelain would be carried on jointly. This man’s name, to whom the absolute honour of commencing the Derby China Works belongs, was Andrew Planché. A deed exists by which a partnership for ten years was entered into by the three above named. Planché found the skill and secret knowledge, Heath the money (£1,000), and Duesbury the ability to carry out the scheme. Besides this deed there is no other record of the Frenchman, as the firm became known as “Duesbury and Heath,” and apparently the usual fate of the poor inventor overtook Planché. William Duesbury was of Longton Hall, in Staffordshire, and was the son of a currier. By trade he was an enameller. Entries in the family Bible, in the possession of the Duesburys, prove that in 1755 he removed to Derby to carry on the newly-acquired business “in ye art of making English china, as also in buying and selling all sorts of wares belonging to ye art of making china.” Records of the kinds of china manufactured and sent to London are interesting. There were blue fluted boats, mosaic boats, sage-leaf boats, fig-leaf sauce-boats, octagon fruit plates, vine-leaf plates, coffee cups, flower vases, blue strawberry pots, standing sheep, cats, honeycomb jars, coffee-pots, butter-tubs, Chelsea jars, teapots, figures of Mars, Minerva, &c., Spanish shepherds, candlesticks, and, of course, many varieties of plates and dishes, and cups and saucers. Once or twice the name of the firm appears as “Duesbury and Co.,” but it is more usually “Duesbury and Heath.” Finally, it became Duesbury only. {4} {5} {6} {7} 1750. Earliest Mark (In gold). Under Royal Patronage. 1773. Marked in blue. 1782-1830. Early—marked in puce. Later—blue, red, green, & black. OLD DERBY MARKS. Coming to the marks which were used, in our illustration we have arranged them in chronological order, the earliest being at the top. The mark used in the earliest days is not certain, but in all probability the letter D, when in gold, is one of the first used. It is, however, exceedingly rare to find a piece thus marked. This letter D may equally stand for Derby or for Duesbury. From 1770 to 1773, the script initial D and the anchor known as the Derby-Chelsea or the Duesbury-Chelsea mark was introduced, as William Duesbury had purchased “the Chelsea Porcelain Manufactory, and its appurtenances and lease thereof,” on February 5, 1770, and made this addition to the Chelsea anchor. This mark of the Derby-Chelsea period is usually in gold, and was used both at the factory at Chelsea and at Derby. Examples of this period are of comparative rarity, and are eagerly sought after by collectors. The Derby-Chelsea marks are given in the “Chat” on Chelsea (p. 39). The works at Chelsea were not finally discontinued till 1784, when they were destroyed by Duesbury, the kilns and every part of the factory pulled down, and what was available sent off to Derby. About the year 1773, a D and a crown were used. This mark is mostly in blue, but sometimes in puce, light red, or green. This crown was added by Royal permission, because the factory had been honoured by Royal patronage. Will my readers note that in the earlier pieces of Derby and Crown-Derby china the crown is carefully jewelled; in the later productions of the Duesbury period the mark was rudely executed, and the crown was hastily pencilled. {8} DERBY FIGURE GROUP. Lady and gentleman dancing. Decorated in rich colours and gilded. Of the introduction of the cross daggers and six spots, about the year 1782, there is the tradition that it was a defiance to all manufactories except three, viz., those of Sèvres, Dresden, and Berlin. {11}