$2,310 / set
H 6.7 in W 3.15 in D 3.15 in
A pair of Mabel Lucie Attwell porcelain figures made by Shelley, English C1930
By Shelley Pottery
Located in Central England, GB
drawings are featured in many advertisements, posters, books and porcelain figures. Shelley Fine Bone
Porcelain
Shelley England Fine Bone China Enameled and Gilt Demitasse Cups and Saucers
By Shelley Pottery
Located in Miami, FL
Shelley England Fine Bone China Enameled and Gilt Demitasse Cups and Saucers Offered for sale is a
Enamel
Exquisite Toy Size Cup and Saucer Set in the Charm Pattern
By Shelley Pottery
Located in St. Petersburg, FL
thin enough to be translucent, similar to Irish Belleek china. Shelley's bone china achieved these
Porcelain
$1,739
H 6.3 in W 20.67 in D 3.35 in
A rare 19th century folk art diorama of two sailing vessels racing at sea.
Located in Central England, GB
This most attractive mid 19th century folk art cased diorama shows a view at sea with a large three mast English ship being chased in a racing situation by a smaller and faster singl...
Other
$845
H 3.55 in W 9.45 in D 2.96 in
20th Century Diorama Folk Art Three Mast Model Ship in a Bottle English, C 1930
Located in Central England, GB
A fine Diorama Folk Art Model ship in a bottle This skilfully made diorama of a three-mast early 19th century sailing ship at harbour with a raised landscape behind and cottages s...
Glass
$669
H 10 in W 17 in D 3 in
French large Art Deco brass and leather table lighter by Polaire of Paris c 1920
Located in Central England, GB
This superb large art deco table lighter is in remarkable original condition. It is a very eye catching 1920s object which is made very solidly from brass with beautifully engineered...
Leather
$749 / set
H 6.75 in W 3.5 in D 3.15 in
Pair of Derby Mansion House Dwarf Figures porcelain, 19th Century
By Derby
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
These are a pair of Derby Porcelain "Mansion House" Dwarfs or "Grotesque Punches" both with incised model numbers and dating to the 19th century. Both figures, male and female are m...
Porcelain
Majolica Iris Basket Sarreguemines, circa 1920
By Sarreguemines
Located in Austin, TX
Large Majolica basket with iris flowers signed Sarreguemines, circa 1920.
Ceramic, Faience
Schramberg Rare Plates Eva Zeisel
By Schramberg Majolica
Located in Sharon, CT
Pair of very rare 'Suprematist' plates produced by Schramberg during the Eva Zeisel era. Stencil decorated in Bauhaus geometric manner. Both signed on bottom.
Ceramic
Mid-Century Modern Vase 'Haiti' by Bodo Mans for Bay Keramik
By Bodo Mans, Bay Keramik
Located in Waddinxveen, ZH
A stunning and rare Bay Keramik floor vase designed by renowned designer Bodo Mans. The decor or pattern is 'Haiti' (1959). BAY Keramik was founded in 1934 by Eduard Bay. At the ear...
Ceramic
$206
H 1.88 in W 2.63 in D 2.19 in
Rare Mason's Ironstone Miniature Cup in Basket Japan Pattern, circa 1825
By Mason's Ironstone
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a miniature Mason's ironstone cup in the Japan basket pattern which we date to circa 1825. Miniature or toy items of Masons ironstone are rare and hard to find today. This ...
Ironstone
Art Deco Shelley Complete Tea Set for 4 +
By Shelley Pottery
Located in Great Barrington, MA
Set your table with this rare and complete teaset with bold Art Deco decoration, made by Shelley. The rare shape of the porcelain screams Art Deco, the colors and pattern complete th...
Paste, Porcelain
A Victorian Scottish silver and agate specimen brooch circa 1890
Located in Central England, GB
This beautiful piece of Scottish late 19th century jewellery has been made in a Celtic style from unmarked silver which has been tested. It is in the form of a shaped circular shiel...
Agate, Silver
Vintage Enoch Wedgwood Porcelain Bowl, Mid-20th Century
By Enoch Wedgwood
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Enoch Wedgwood bowl is an elegant porcelain decorative object, realized during the 20th century and realized by Wedgwood and Co. This very elegant salad bowl is decorated ...
Porcelain
French Faience Pitcher Luneville circa 1940
By Luneville
Located in Austin, TX
French Faience Pitcher signed KG Luneville circa 1940.
Ceramic
An English pewter study of a classical lion, circa 1840
Located in Central England, GB
This rare English pewter study depicts a muscular and handsome male lion. It has been produced with good scale and proportion and is well detailed, particularly to the head, mane an...
Pewter
$1,698
H 1.78 in W 1.78 in D 0.16 in
Archibald Knox for Liberty and Co Silver Buckle, Birmingham, 1902 - 3
By Archibald Knox
Located in Central England, GB
A Rare Archibald Knox for Liberty and Co Silver Buckle A rare silver buckle designed by Archibald Knox for Liberty and Co’s Cymric range. It appears in Dr. Stephen Martin's book, ...
Silver
$1,602 / set
H 6.7 in W 3.55 in D 3.55 in
A pair of 19th century porcelain Mansion House dwarfs by Samson of Paris C 1895
Located in Central England, GB
This superb large and highly decorative pair of 19th century Mansion House dwarfs are in the style of early Derby examples reproduced by the famous French Paris factory Samson who w...
Porcelain
$1,368
H 6.7 in W 5.12 in D 3.15 in
A Italian equestrian specimen marble carved study of a wild stallion and mare
Located in Central England, GB
This remarkable horse sculpture depicts a head and shoulders study of a wild stallion and mare carved meticulously from figured and veined natural marble stone with colours ranging f...
Marble
Today you’re likely to bring out your antique and vintage porcelain in order to dress up your dining table for a special meal.
Porcelain, a durable and nonporous kind of pottery made from clay and stone, was first made in China and spread across the world owing to the trade routes to the Far East established by Dutch and Portuguese merchants. Given its origin, English speakers called porcelain “fine china,” an expression you still might hear today. "Fine" indeed — for over a thousand years, it has been a highly sought-after material.
Meissen Porcelain, one of the first factories to create real porcelain outside Asia, popularized figurine centerpieces during the 18th century in Germany, while works by Capodimonte, a porcelain factory in Italy, are synonymous with flowers and notoriously hard to come by. Modern porcelain houses such as Maison Fragile of Limoges, France — long a hub of private porcelain manufacturing — keep the city’s long tradition alive while collaborating with venturesome contemporary artists such as illustrator Jean-Michel Tixier.
Porcelain is not totally clumsy-guest-proof, but it is surprisingly durable and easy to clean. Its low permeability and hardness have rendered porcelain wares a staple in kitchens and dining rooms as well as a common material for bathroom sinks and dental veneers. While it is tempting to store your porcelain behind closed glass cabinet doors and reserve it only for display, your porcelain dinner plates and serving platters can safely weather the “dangers” of the dining room and be used during meals.
Add different textures and colors to your table with dinner plates and pitchers of ceramic and silver or a porcelain lidded tureen, a serving dish with side handles that is often used for soups. Although porcelain and ceramic are both made in a kiln, porcelain is made with more refined clay and is stronger than ceramic because it is denser.
On 1stDibs, browse an expansive collection of antique and vintage porcelain made in a variety of styles, including Regency, Scandinavian modern and other examples produced during the mid-century era, plus Rococo, which found its inspiration in nature and saw potters crafting animal figurines and integrating organic motifs such as floral patterns in their work.