Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 17

Chelsea-Derby Vase and Cover, Zachariah Boreman and Richard Askew, 1783-1784

About the Item

This is a very rare and stunning vase with cover made by Chelsea-Derby in 1783-1784. The pear-shaped vase stands on a square foot and has two handles with moulded floral chains, and a pointed cover. Set in a gilt striped ground with palmette borders, one side bears a fine landscape by Zachariah Boreman; the other the figure of a muse inscribed HISTORY by Richard Askew. The Derby Porcelain factory has its roots in the late 1740s, when Andrew Planché, a Walloon Huguenot refugee, started making simple porcelain toys shaped like animals in his back yard. In 1756 Staffordshire enameller William Duysbury and banker John Heath started a new porcelain factory with Planché and this was to grow out to the largest factory of its time, buying up the bankrupted Chelsea and Bow factories, as well as the stock of several other workshops including that of James Giles. The combination of various traditions, porcelain making skills and sophisticated clients enabled Duesbury to create one of the best porcelain factories of the 18th and 19th Centuries, which after many ups and downs is still operative today. The period between the purchase of the Chelsea factory in 1770 and ca 1784 is called the Chelsea-Derby era, when many items were created in Derby and decorated in Chelsea. The purchase of Chelsea not only brought in many moulds to Derby, but, importantly, some highly skilled artists, among whom were Zachariah Boreman and Richard Askew. Zachariah Boreman became one of the most celebrated painters at Derby. Born in London in 1738, he arrived at Derby around 1774 after working at Chelsea, and remained until 1794, when he left in frustration with Michael Kean, the owner. Even though Boreman became one of the prime landscape painters at Derby, Kean would not pay him more and this caused Boreman to go back to London and work for the Simms decorating studio until his death in 1810. Boreman was known as a highly respected and likable person, and he became famous for his fine landscapes. His style was most probably influenced by Paul Sandby, the chief drawing instructor at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. His little landscapes are restrained, with often muted brown and green shades; in Boreman's landscapes, less is more although his drawing and stippled brush style is extraordinarily detailed. Richard Askew (ca 1730-1798) was another one of the famous artists who came from Chelsea and then moved to Derby in about 1772. He didn't only work for Chelsea and Derby, but also worked on a freelance basis for many others, and there is evidence that he advertised himself all over Britain and Ireland as a miniature painter. In 1781 Askew returned to London, and later also worked in Birmingham. Askew became known for his many paintings of figures such as muses and, in particular, cherubs. His paintings are usually in the pink tint you can see on this beautiful vase, and they are easily recognisable by their heavy limbs and jowls. This vase would probably have belonged to a garniture of various vases, each with a different muse. This muse is called HISTORY, and she holds a book in one hand, a trumpet in the other. The vase is marked with the inscribed number 69 and a gilt anchor mark on the side of the foot. DOCUMENTATION: A pair of muse and landscape vases in similar style, painted by the same artists, can be seen in colour plate 10 on page 46 of John Twitchett's "Derby Porcelain 1748-1848 An Illustrated Guide". CONDITION REPORT The vase is in excellent condition with only two minor flaws: the cover is invisibly restored, and there are some minor scratches as visible in the pictures. Other than this, there is no damage, repairs or crazing. During production someone accidentally put their thumb into the ridge around the belly of the vase; this dent has been ignored by the maker and gilded over... these little accidents happen to the best of us! Antique British porcelain is never perfect. Kilns were fired on coal in the 1700s, 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. Etcetera - I try to be as accurate as I can and please feel free to ask questions or request more detailed pictures! DIMENSIONS 29cm (11") tall incl. cover; 14.5cm (5.75") wide incl. handles.
  • Creator:
    Chelsea-Derby (Maker),Derby (Maker),Chelsea Porcelain (Maker)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 11 in (27.94 cm)Diameter: 5.75 in (14.61 cm)
  • Sold As:
    Set of 2
  • Style:
    George III (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
    1780-1789
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1783-1784
  • Condition:
    Repaired: invisible professional repair to cover. Wear consistent with age and use. In excellent antique condition, invisible repair to cover, a few minor scratches, otherwise perfect.
  • Seller Location:
    London, GB
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: A-CHE091stDibs: LU4805142630652

More From This Seller

View All
Derby Coffee Cup, Monochrome Sepia Landscapes Zachariah Boreman, ca 1785
By Crown Derby, Derby
Located in London, GB
This is a very rare and stunning coffee cup and saucer made by Derby in about 1785. The set has a white ground with graceful gilding, and two stunning little landscapes painted by Za...
Category

Antique 1780s English Romantic Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Chelsea-Derby Chocolate Cup Set, Gilt Stripes, Puce Flowers, Rococo 1770-1775
By Chelsea-Derby, Chelsea Porcelain, Derby
Located in London, GB
This is a beautiful chocolate cup set made by Chelsea-Derby between 1770 and 1775, which was the Rococo era. The set consists of a cup, a saucer and a cover, and is decorated in a st...
Category

Antique 1770s English Rococo Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

Chelsea Porcelain Frill Vase with Birds, Rococo ca 1760
By Chelsea Porcelain
Located in London, GB
This is a charming frill vase made by the Chelsea Porcelain factory in about 1760. The vase is in the Rococo style and it speaks for itself why this style of vase is called a "frill" vase. This vase has undergone restorations (although it still holds water perfectly) and is therefore offered As Found (A/F) at a reduced price. Chelsea was one of the very early adopters of porcelain in the British china industry. Founded in 1744 the Chelsea pottery was for about 40 years the leading maker of fine chinaware, excelling in their sense of style, perfection and constant innovation and inspiring many following generations of china makers. The company was started by French silversmith Nicholas Sprimont and you can see the influence of the French style of silverware...
Category

Antique 1760s English Rococo Porcelain

Materials

Porcelain

Chelsea-Derby Round Dish, Turquoise with Fine Pink Rose Garlands, ca 1775
By Chelsea-Derby
Located in London, GB
This is a beautiful and rare porcelain round serving dish made by Chelsea-Derby in about 1775. The dish is round and pleasingly lobed, and is decorated in a turquoise rim with gilt a...
Category

Antique 1770s English George III Porcelain

Materials

Porcelain

Crown Derby Porcelain Plate, Puce Cherubs by Richard Askew, Georgian ca 1785
By Crown Derby
Located in London, GB
This is a beautiful Crown Derby plate made in about 1785. The very charming decoration of a puce putto is by Richard Askew. The Derby Porcelain factory has its roots in the late 174...
Category

Antique 1780s English Georgian Dinner Plates

Materials

Porcelain

Derby Porcelain Coffee Cup, Artichoke Pattern in Turquoise, Georgian ca 1785
By Derby
Located in London, GB
This is a beautiful coffee cup and saucer made by Derby in about 1785. The set has the distinctive "artichoke" moulding and a bright turquoise ground with the white artichoke surface...
Category

Antique 1780s English George III Tea Sets

Materials

Porcelain

You May Also Like

18th Century Derby Porcelain Vase with May Blossom Decoration
By Derby
Located in Downingtown, PA
Derby Porcelain Shaped Vase with May Blossom Decoration, circa 1770-1775 The four-sided shaped Baluster vase and cover with square-shaped neck and foot is designed with a design of multiple applied tightly packed May blossoms or Mayflowers (Schneeballen) with yellow stamen and a tint of aqua blue to the edge of each flower while the ground behind has a light purple wash creating a stunning effect after the Meissen Schneeballen...
Category

Antique 1770s English Georgian Porcelain

Materials

Porcelain

Fine Derby Porcelain Vase C.1815 Decorated in the Manner of Thomas Steele
By Derby
Located in Exeter, GB
A very fine Derby porcelain campana shaped vase c.1815. Beautifully painted with two panels of fruit in the manner of Thomas Steele. This artist was one ...
Category

Antique 1810s English Vases

Materials

Porcelain

Set of 3 Large Derby Urns, England 19th Century
By Derby
Located in Atlanta, GA
Set of 3 large Derby Urns, England 19th century.
Category

Antique 19th Century English Urns

Materials

Porcelain

Italy Richard Ginori Doccia 19th Century Porcelain Covered Vase with Landscape
By Richard Ginori
Located in Brescia, IT
This glamorous covered vase or urn, it is painted with natural landscapes. The drawings are so detailed that we can say done in Flemish style. We can see a landscape with houses and castles at the orizont, and in another scene, birds and games. Every scenes looks like a Flemish painting. There are green garlands...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century Italian Neoclassical Porcelain

Materials

Porcelain

Pair of 19th Century English Derby Fruit Coolers with Lids & Liners, ca. 1815
By Derby
Located in Atlanta, GA
Pair of 19th century English Derby Fruit Coolers with Lids & Liners, ca. 1815.    
Category

Antique Early 19th Century English Neoclassical Urns

Materials

Porcelain

Derby Imari Pattern Partners Porcelain Inkwell and Quill Pen Stand
By Derby
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A very fine, rare and unusual antique English Derby partners porcelain inkwell and quill pen holder decorated in the Imari pattern and dating from the early ...
Category

Antique Early 19th Century English George III Porcelain

Materials

Porcelain

Recently Viewed

View All