Worcester Porcelain Teacup, Blue Scale Japanese Kakiemon, 1st Period circa 1765

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Worcester Porcelain Teacup, Blue Scale Japanese Kakiemon, 1st Period circa 1765

About the Item

This is a rare and beautiful teacup and saucer made by Worcester circa 1765 in their First or the "Dr Wall" period. The set is decorated in the famous "blue scale" ground with very fine Japanese Kakiemon-style paintings in the wheat sheaf pattern. Worcester was one of the first potteries in Britain to create items in porcelain. Alongside other great potteries such as Derby, Chelsea and Bow, they pioneered a new industry that would grow out to be huge in the following century. This cup and saucer are from the first period, which is often called the "Dr Wall" period after its founder. In later years Worcester went through many different ownerships and styles, and ultimately it became the Royal Worcester factory that only finished operation in the early 21st century. This teacup and saucer are very finely potted in early porcelain; it has a slightly cream/grey hue as it contains no or very little bone ash. The design is an imitation of the Japanese Kakiemon style, which usually contains garden scenes in very finely painted bright red and green. The set has a scale blue ground, and you can clearly see why this is called "scale blue"; it consists of a pattern that looks like fish scales. This is to hide the fact that at the time they were not able yet to create a smooth blue ground; this way the fact that the blue colour, applied under the glaze, was runny (or "flow blue") is nicely taken advantage of. The set displays some extraordinarily fine painting and gilding; the set is also very finely potted and weighs next to nothing. The teacup is marked with the underglaze flow blue square Worcester mark. Condition report The cup and saucer are in excellent condition except a faint star crack in the saucer, which is only clearly visible on the underside, not the face. There is slight rubbing to the gilt on the rim of the teacup; otherwise there is no wear, damage or repairs. Antique British porcelain is never perfect. Kilns were fired on coal, 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.e. 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. Dimensions (diameters) teacup 7.5cm (2.8"); saucer 13.3cm (5.25").

Creator:
1st Period Worcester Dr. Wall (Maker)
Dimensions:
Height: 1 in (2.54 cm)Width: 1 in (2.54 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Style:
George III (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Porcelain,Hand-Painted
Place of Origin:
England
Period:
1760-1769
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1765
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. In good condition; slight star crack in saucer, very little wear.
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: A-WOR191stDibs: LU4805118971042