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Chamberlains Worcester Ink Stand Writing Set, Orange, Gilt Neoclassical, ca 1810

About the Item

This is a splendid three-well ink stand or writing desk set made by Chamberlains Worcester in about 1810. The ink stand contains a stand with a pen holder or candle holder in the shape of a serpent's mouth, and three removable wells; one for ink, one pounce pot (or sand shaker) to blot wet writing, and one open pot that could be either a second ink pot or a sponge holder. The stand has a beautiful Neo-Classical design of rich gilt foliage and lozenges, and a band of sprigs on an orange ground, and a pleasing diapered shape. Ink stands, or writing desk sets, were a common sight in 19thC studies; a full set would hold ink (sometimes two pots, for different colours), one or several pens, sand or "pounce" to shake over wet writings to dry them, a sponge to clean the pen, and sometimes also a candle to melt wax for a seal. The Chamberlain factory was founded in the 1780s by Robert Chamberlain, who was responsible for the decoration department in the famous Worcester pottery during the Dr Wall period. He set up his own factory with his son Humphrey, initially buying up stock from Turner's Caughley factory for decoration, but then around 1794 starting to produce their own porcelain. By the year 1800 they had built up a strong reputation, producing wonderful tea and dinner ware for the British and European nobility and becoming a mighty competitor of both the Worcester/Flight & Barr and Grainger factories. In the 1840s the factory merged back with Worcester, which later also bought Grainger and was formed into the later Royal Worcester. The dish is marked with the hand written red Chamberlains Worcester mark. Provenance: Frank Herrmann Collection. There is a Sotheby's label with the pot, as well as a card describing it, and writing on the underside, showing a further rich provenance that is now hard to trace back but shows that the pot has been in the USA (as a date of 11/16/64 with the name "Berg" is written on the underside), and a shop sticker with the price of £360 showing that the pot has been for sale in a British antiques shop. An example of a very similar ink stand can be seen in plate 309 of Geoffrey A. Godden's book "Chamberlain-Worcester Porcelain 1788-1852". CONDITION REPORT in good antique condition, without any damage or crazing and just some rubbing throughout. Antique British porcelain is never perfect. Kilns were fired on coal in the 1800s, and this meant that china from that period could have some firing specks from flying particles. British makers were also known for their experimentation, which sometimes 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: 16cm X 11.5cm and 9.5cm high (6.25" X 4.5" and 3.75" high).
  • Creator:
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 3.75 in (9.53 cm)Width: 6.25 in (15.88 cm)Depth: 4.5 in (11.43 cm)
  • Sold As:
    Set of 4
  • Style:
    Regency (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1810
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. In excellent condition; some light wear, no damage, crazing or repairs.
  • Seller Location:
    London, GB
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: LW-CHA021stDibs: LU4805141818582

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