Antique English Samson Porcelain Pot-Pourri Urn Date Stamped 19th Century

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Antique English Samson Porcelain Pot-Pourri Urn Date Stamped 19th Century

About the Item

This is a beautiful English Samson 'Derby' pot pourri vase and cover date stamped 1863-1866. The dish is of classical form and features a superbly hand painted panel of seashells, signed Jones, with gilded high lights on a burgundy ground. It has a decorative ormolu acorn finial, pierced borders and is supported on gilt dolphins standing on a tripartite plinth base with painted mark to underside. It is a delightful object which will compliment any interior. Condition: In excellent condition with no chips, cracks or signs of repair, please see photos for confirmation of condition. Dimensions in cm: Height 24 x width 18 x depth 18 Dimensions in inches: Height 9.4 x width 7.1 x depth 7.1 Samson Derby Nottingham Road (Circa 1756-1848) In 1756, three men, John Heath a Derby banker, Andrew Planche a ‘china maker’ and William Duesbury an enameller from Staffordshire, entered into an agreement by which they became “co-partners together as well in the art of making English China as also in buying and selling all sorts of wares belonging to the art of making china”. The trio were not the first to manufacture porcelain in Derby as Planche, the son of a Huguenot immigrant, had been ‘china making’ in the city since about 1750. There has been the suggestion that Planche may have supplied china to William Duesbury (in London) for decorating, and this led to the later partnership referred to above. Whether true or not, the formation of the partnership marks the start of the real history of china manufacture in Derby. John Heath, an Alderman of Derby, was the financier of the venture, contributing £1,000; Andrew Planche the potter, and William Duesbury the artist and motivating force. The factory was established on the Nottingham Road. The partnership was immediately successful and within a short period, large quantities of good quality china were being dispatched to eager markets in London to be sold by their Factor, a Mr Williams, at his warehouse at Craig's Court, Charing Cross. In early-1770 Duesbury and Heath purchased the Chelsea China Works in London from Nicholas Sprimont making them probably the largest china manufacturer in the United Kingdom. Most china making was at Derby with main decoration at the Chelsea factory and Duesbury closed the Chelsea factory in 1784 moving the plant, equipment and most of the staff to the Derby site. The Bow China Works were sold to Duesbury in 1776 and suffered a similar fate. A Royal Warrant from King George III, dated 28th March 1775, appointing William Duesbury and John Heath 'Derby China Manufacturers to His Majesty', and in recognition, the factory adopted a new mark with a crown surmounting the script Duesbury ‘D’ used earlier. William Duesbury died in 1786 and his son, also William continued the business until his death in 1797 at the age of 34. In 1795 ill-health had caused him to form a partnership with Michael Kean, an Irish china painter and designer, and following his death, his widow, Elizabeth Duesbury formed a new business partnership with Michael Kean. The two business partners married in 1798, but the union was shortlived, failing in 1806. The business was advertised as for sale in June 1809, and was eventually sold in December 1811 to Robert Bloor who had been a clerk at Nottingham Road during the period of William Duesbury. Bloor and his brother Joseph managed the business until 1828 when Bloor’s mental incapacity forced the appointment of a manager, James Thomason. In 1844, Thomas Clarke, husband of Bloor’s only granddaughter, had Bloor declared insane and took control of the works. Joseph and Robert Bloor died in 1845 and 1846 respectively and at that point Thomas Clarke disposed of the business selling many of the moulds and other equipment to manufacturers in the Staffordshire potteries. The Nottingham Rd factory finally closed in 1848. King Street (1848-1935) The closure of the Nottingham Road factory could have been the end of porcelain manufacture in Derby, however, a small group of the factory’s workers, marshalled by Sampson Hancock, a flower painter, continued the business from premises at King Street. The book by Twitchett & Bailey ‘Royal Crown Derby’ quotes Sampson Hancock on the origin of the King Street factory: ‘I succeeded Robert Bloor, transplanting the Nottingham Road works to my present factory – King Street. Six working men employed at the old factory put their wits together and started my works – William Locker, James Hill, Samuel Fearn, Samuel Sharp, John Henson and myself’. Although Sampson Hancock was clearly the motivating force, King Street traded as a series of partnerships. According to Twitchett & Bailey, these were: Sampson Hancock died in 1898, but the business continued under the management of his grandson James Robinson, and under the Sampson Hancock name. In 1916 there was an attempt to combine the small King Street business with the much larger Royal Crown Derby Porcelain Co. Ltd operating at Ormiston Rd. The attempt was unsuccessful and the King Street business was then sold to a Mr W. Larcombe who continued the business in partnership (from 1917) with Captain Francis Howard Paget. In the early 1930s Howard Paget and Mrs Padget assumed ownership of the business and in 1935 they sold the enterprise to the Royal Crown Derby Porcelain Co. Ltd, and the King Street premises subsequently closed. Derby Crown Porcelain Co. (1876-1890) The Derby Crown Porcelain Co. was established in 1876 by Edward Phillips and William Litherland and, other than location, had no connection with the earlier porcelain manufacturers in the city of Derby. Phillips, a manufacturer from the North Staffordshire potteries, and Litherland, the proprietor of a porcelain and glass retailer in Liverpool had been associated with the Worcester Royal Porcelain Co. and had been frustrated in their efforts to establish a new porcelain factory in Worcester. Phillips, joint Managing Director at Worcester with Richard Binns was eventually sacked by the Worcester Board of Directors and in June 1875 the pair purchased land adjacent to the Derby Workhouse for a new factory. In December 1876 they were the successful bidders for the Workhouse itself and its extensive surrounds on the Ormiston Road. The limited liability company formed by Edward Phillips and William Litherland was capitalised at £67,850 divided into 160 shares each with a par value of £500. The major shareholders were William Litherland (20 shares), Edward Phillips (15 shares), John McInnes, a Scottish chemist and paint manufacturer (20 shares); and Henry Litherland, a china retailer and William’s nephew (20 shares). Minor shareholders, including John Litherland and William Bemrose, held the remaining five shares. The company was thus well capitalised and within a few years had a workforce of over 400. William Litherland was the first Chairman of the company with Edward Phillips and William Bemrose the inaugural directors. Edward Phillips the Managing Director died in 1881, to be replaced by Henry Litherland and John McInnes acting as joint Managing Directors. John McInnes became the Chairman in 1883 and the McInnes and Litherland families controlled and ran the business until 1927. The right to use the title ‘Royal’ and the Royal Arms was granted by Queen Victoria in 1890 and the company changed, in name only, to Royal Crown Derby Porcelain Co. Ltd.

Dimensions:
Height: 9.45 in (24 cm)Width: 7.09 in (18 cm)Depth: 7.09 in (18 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Ormolu,Porcelain,Gilt,Hand-Painted
Place of Origin:
England
Period:
1860-1869
Date of Manufacture:
1863-1866
Condition:
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: 093261stDibs: LU950613140111