Antique Coalport Reticulated Cabinet Plate with Hand-Painted Wild Horses, 1870

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Intricate reticulated pierced work defines the shaped rim of this Coalport porcelain cabinet plate. The lobed outer border alternates cut-out … Read more Intricate reticulated pierced work defines the shaped rim of this Coalport porcelain cabinet plate. The lobed outer border alternates cut-out diamond apertures with shaped reserves finished in deep cobalt blue enamel. Each blue ground section is overlaid with raised gilt floral sprays, scrolling foliage and burnished line borders, creating a scalloped, layered frame around the central well. The circular centre features an engaging hand-painted landscape depicting two wild equines—rendered with the distinctive features of wild horses or Asiatic onagers—bounding across an open plateau. Executed in naturalistic earthy tones, the animals are caught mid-stride against a backdrop of soft grassy mounds, rocky terrain and slender palm trees beneath an open, pale blue sky. Produced circa 1870, the plate demonstrates the fine bone china potting and elaborate gilt finishing characteristic of Coalport's Victorian decorative output. While it carries no factory stamp, the reverse shows the handwritten pattern number 7/969 in gilt. Fractional pattern marks in this style were standard recording practice at Coalport from the mid-nineteenth century, identifying specific decorative variations and borders. with a diameter of 23 cm, the plate was designed primarily for display in a collector's cabinet or on a stand rather than table service, as evidenced by its pierced openwork rim and unrubbed decorative surface. The plate is in excellent condition, with no chips, cracks, crazing or repairs to the delicate pierced border. The painted central vignette remains clear and unabraded, and the raised gilding retains strong, bright coverage across the rim with only minimal age-related handling wear to the foot rim. See less