Hand-Painted Porcelain Cup and Saucers from Worcester Imari, England, 18th Century, Set of 3

Details

Description

Measurements:
height of saucer and cup: 7 cm; diameter of cup: 8 cm;
diameter of first saucer: 14 cm; diameter … Read more Measurements:
height of saucer and cup: 7 cm; diameter of cup: 8 cm;
diameter of first saucer: 14 cm; diameter of second saucer: 15 cm

item :
fabulous, extremely rare english porcelain cup from around 1750, entirely hand-decorated, made, in our opinion, by the most important english porcelain manufactory of the 18th century, worcester. The decoration features a chinese theme, imitating the imari porcelain, which was sold with great success from england in the 1700s through the east india company. Unmarked underneath, like many english porcelain pieces from this manufactory, especially the older ones.

useful information for evaluating the item:
the most important elements to consider are the following:
1) the quality of the porcelain, very milky, creamy, and full-bodied, unlike german or italian porcelain, a characteristic of all 18th-century english porcelain.
2) the cup is very thin, as you can see from the backlit photo, testifying to its high quality and age.
3) the fabulous execution of the cup's exterior, with its slightly spiral ribs and wavy rim. The saucers are also spiral-ribbed, like the cup.
4) the fabulous hand-crafted decoration. I took many photos to try to show this. The one where it stands out best is the one depicting the red flower on the cup, where the thickness of the hand-glaze is clearly visible. However, if you compare the designs on the saucers and the cup, they are all different. Furthermore, when you look at the decoration with a magnifying glass and move it under a light, you can clearly see the reflections on the paint, which takes on volume and reveals its full thickness. I've taken more than one photo with this effect, and it's quite clear that it's a completely hand-crafted decoration. Even all the individual dots you see, which might lead you to think it's a printed decoration, are actually painted with a brush tip, one by one, to create the nuances. It's amazing, but you can only fully appreciate it by holding the cup and saucers in your hands. In fact, even just touching the decoration with your fingers, you can clearly feel the thickness and volume of the paint. And the point is not only that it's handmade, but that it's a rich, extremely complex decoration, full of tiny dots creating the nuances and countless lines creating the entire rich outer edge of the saucers and the inside of the cup, all executed by hand, it's mind-blowing. But this is precisely the special beauty and great value of this little masterpiece!
5) the porcelain glaze is irregular; when held up to the light, you can even see some undulations on the back of the saucers, caused by an overabundance of the white glaze of the initial biscuit, as well as numerous microscopic black dots, firing irregularities, also on the back of the saucers, obviously the least refined part. These are all characteristic features of very old porcelain.
6) the small red numbers on the bottom of the cup, a classic numbering system of english manufacturers, even in the 19th century, but especially in the 18th century.
7) finally, perhaps the most peculiar feature are the black marks, superimposed during the second firing on the initial decoration, which resemble a chinese ideogram on the decoration itself. Perhaps a kind of signature. This piece has an attribution mark,
i am sure that it is completely authentic and take full responsibility for any authenticity
issues arising from misattribution See less