Davenport coffee cup and saucer, gilt and hand painted flowers, ca 1825

  
This is a beautifully decorated coffee cup and saucer made by Davenport around 1825. The cup is shaped in the "Old English Fluted" shape, which was very popular around that time. Davenport was one of the pioneers of English china production alongside other great potters such as Spode, Ridgway, Minton, Coalport and others and they created very high quality tea and dinnerware. The set is finely potted in extremely white porcelain. The pattern is similar to a famous Coalport pattern of that time, with gilt meshed panels interspersed with panels with hand painted flowers. The handle of the cup has rich gilding. Except for the pattern number painted on the back (741), this set is unmarked, which is normal for items of this period - retailers wanted to keep it a secret where they had their wares made, so that customers would not go directly to the Potteries! CONDITION REPORT The set is in excellent antique condition without any damage, repairs or significant wear. There are some marks on the glaze on the underside of the saucer, but this does not show any damage or crazing so it must have happened during production (see last picture). Both items ping nicely when tapped.

Antique British porcelain is never perfect. Kilns were fired on coal in the 1800s, and this meant that china from that period can have some firing specks from flying particles. British makers were also known for their experimentation, and sometimes this resulted in technically imperfect results. Due to the shrinkage in the kiln, items can have small firing lines or develop crazing over time, which should not be seen as damage but as an imperfection of the maker's recipes, probably unknown at the time of making.

Items have often been used for many years and can have normal signs of wear, and gilt can have signs of slight disintegration even if never handled. I will reflect any damage, repairs, obvious stress marks, crazing or heavy wear in the item description but some minor scratches, nicks, stains and gilt disintegration can be normal for vintage items and need to be taken into account.

There is widespread confusion on the internet about the difference between chips and nicks, or hairlines and cracks. I will reflect any damage as truthfully as I can, i. A nick is a tiny bit of damage smaller than 1mm and a chip is something you can easily see with the eye; a glazing line is a break in the glazing only; hairline is extremely tight and/or superficial and not picked up by the finger; and a crack is obvious both to the eye and the finger. Etcetera - I try to be as accurate as I can and please feel free to ask questions or request more detailed pictures! DIMENSIONS (diameters): cup 7.5cm (3"), saucer 15cm (6"). The item "Davenport coffee cup and saucer, gilt and hand painted flowers, ca 1825" is in sale since Wednesday, June 5, 2019. This item is in the category "Pottery, Porcelain & Glass\Date-Lined Ceramics\Pre-c. The seller is "rattlethecups" and is located in London. This item can be shipped worldwide.

• Year of Production: ca 1825
• Sub-Type: British
• Colour: White
• Style: Regency
• Material: Porcelain/ China
• Use: Tableware
• Product Type: Cups & Saucers
• Original/Reproduction: Antique Original
• Manufacturer/ Type: Davenport