Flight, Barr & Barr Worcester Porcelain Armorial Plate, Crest of Pullar Circa 1830

Details

Description

Flight, Barr & Barr Worcester Porcelain Armorial Plate, Crest of Pullar
Circa 1830

A Worcester porcelain armorial plate from a … Read more Flight, Barr & Barr Worcester Porcelain Armorial Plate, Crest of Pullar
Circa 1830

A Worcester porcelain armorial plate from a Flight, Barr & Barr dessert service, made around 1830 for the Pullar family, whose crest, a falcon holding a leafy sprig in its beak and standing on a crimson cap of maintenance turned up ermine, is painted at the center. The crest sits in a crisp white reserve ringed with burnished gold, and around it runs a broad salmon-colored border gilded all over with vermicelli, the dense, wriggling scrollwork gilding that was a Worcester signature, the whole finished with gold bands at the rim and well.

The salmon and gold palette is warm, sophisticated and unexpectedly easy to live with. Hang it as a single accent in a hallway or powder room, mix it into a wall of English porcelain plates, or let it sit on a stand in a bookcase or on a mantel, where the vermicelli gilding catches the light. It also makes a handsome dessert plate for the guest who appreciates the real thing.

Dimensions
Diameter: 8 1/2 inches (21.6 cm)

Marks
Unmarked. Individual pieces from Flight, Barr & Barr services of this period are frequently found without a factory mark.

Provenance
Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge

References
Henry Sandon, Flight and Barr Worcester Porcelain, 1783–1840, Barrie & Jenkins, London, 1978, Plate 176, for other pieces from this service.

Historical Context
Flight, Barr & Barr (1813–1840) was the last partnership of the original Worcester porcelain factory, and its George IV and William IV wares, with their rich colored grounds and elaborate gilding, are among the finest English porcelain of the period. Armorial services painted with a family’s crest were the most personal commissions a factory received, and this plate shows the Worcester painters and gilders at their best. See less