Derby Dinner Plates

This is a very rare plate from the famous "Earl of Camden" service made by the Derby Porcelain Company in 1795. The service was painted with typical English roses by William Billingsley, one of Britain's most famous painters, and responsible for exactly this type of rose painting on British porcelain. There are more items available in this pattern, see separate listings. To keep these items together we'd be happy to offer a discount on multiple purchases - please ask! The Derby Porcelain Company, later called Royal Crown Derby, is currently the oldest British porcelain factory still in production. The Derby pottery was one of the most prominent potteries right from the start of English porcelain production in the mid 1700s to today, and the factory went through many iterations. In the 1820s, it was called "Bloor Derby" as it came under the ownership of Robert Bloor; this factory later closed but its legacy was continued under the ownership of a group of employees, and later this was merged into a new factory called Royal Crown Derby, which is still in operation today and still carries forward some of the oldest patterns that have made it famous over the centuries. William Billingsley was a brilliant but notoriously difficult man who left behind a trail of debts, broken hearts and mystery - but he was also one of the most important people in the history British porcelain. Billingsley revolutionised the way British decorators painted flowers; he added a freedom and artistry that now singles out British flower painting, and he created a new technique for painting roses, which you can see in this design. Billingsley worked at Derby, Worcester and Mansfield. He also set up his own potteries in Pinxton and Nantgarw and created some of the best porcelain ever made, but racking up great debts, before running off in the dead of night and ending his days at Coalport painting flowers. Items painted by William Billingsley are rare and very much in demand - together with Thomas Baxter's work they are probably among the most desired pieces of British porcelain. The Earl of Camden service was a huge service ordered by Lady Camden in 1795. It had to be produced under great, and unrealistic, time pressure and was notoriously late, much to Lady Camden's chagrin. She wanted the service to be produced by only the best artisans and therefore William Billingsley was tasked with painting all items - but it is thought that when it was clear the deadline was impossible to make, he enlisted the help of John Brewer for some of the last items, such as the ice pails. This plate shows the typical "Billingsley" roses: a beautiful naturally flowing garland of English roses interspersed with buds, trailing around a crisp gilt ribbon. The way the roses link into each other, the way each individual one is completely different, the light effects achieved by rubbing out some of the pink paint, and the very fine buds and foliage all point to these being from Billingsley's hand. The piece has a rich provenance; it bears labels from the Doris Wheatley Collection, the Daniel Collection, Derek Gardner...

Each plate in this set of ten Derby dinner plates was hand painted with exquisite flowers in England circa 1825-1830. In the center of each plate, we see a loose bouquet of flowers, ...

A set of six English hand-painted porcelain dishes made by Derby in the early 19th century, circa 1810. The dishes have an exquisite combination of floral and geometric design featur...

A very fine Derby porcelain dessert plate c.1815. Deecorated by Thomas Steel with a panel of fruits in a wicker basket on top of a marble table. T...

This exceptional blue and white set of Royal Lily Pattern dinner dishes was made in England in 1877. The dozen dinner plates are beautifully painted in und...

A set of six English hand-painted Derby porcelain dishes made in the early 19th century, circa 1810. The dishes have a dramatic combination of floral and geometric design featuring l...

'The Shepherd's Daughter' painted Derby Porcelain plate by James Rouse English, early 20th century Dimensions: Height 2cm, diameter 24.5cm Of circular form, this fine Derby porcelain...

A set of five Derby dishes made in England, circa 1810. The brilliant colors of the border: red, orange, and blue combine in an exquisite vine-like pattern. The green flowers, gilded...

The "Sprig" pattern was the favorite porcelain pattern of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France; It was the height of style in Paris and London in the late 18th and early 19th centuries....

Derby porcelain botanical dessert service including pair of fruit coolers, Pattern 115, Twenty-seven pieces (27 pieces), 1790-1800 (Ref: ...