Derby Oval Dish, Camden Service, William Billingsley Roses on Green, 1795 (2)

This is a very rare oval lobed dish 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. This dish came together with a plate that bears labels that point to a rich provenance: the Doris Wheatley Collection, the Daniel Collection, Derek Gardner...

This is a stunning and extremely rare part dessert service made by Derby between circa 1795 and 1800 in the Regency era. The service is decorated with named botanical studies attributed to John Brewer. The service consists of a lidded sauce comport on a stand, two kidney dishes, two lozenge shaped dishes, one lozenge shaped low footed comport...

This is a good oval shaped serving dish or bowl, made by the Derby factory, hand painted and gilded in a free flowing floral pattern, during the reign of George 111 in the early 19th century, circa 1815.   This is a well potted oval shaped dish or bowl with a vertically fluted and moulded side edge and rim, sitting on a low foot. The piece is beautifully hand decorated in a free flowing manner, in one of Derby's Imari style floral Patterns, with enamels of cobalt blue, burnt orange, pink and yellow, all in varying shades. It has then been hand gilded, with gold detail to some of the flowers, blue leaf, the inner border and the outer rim. The dish has the early Derby...

Antique Derby Porcelain Botanical Salmon-ground Plate, Marsh Hibiscus, by John Brewer after Curtis, The Botanical Magazine, #882, 1806, circa 1815. The Derby Porcelain plate is superbly painted with a Marsh Hibiscus botanical specimen with richly gilded borders with swans and stylized flowerheads on a rich salmon ground.y gilded borders with swans and stylized flowerheads are on a rich salmon ground. The flower is named on the reverse: "Marsh Hibiscus". Diameter: 8 7/8 inches (22.5 cm) Mark: crown, crossed batons, and D mark in red, numerals 4 & 13 in yellow & green inside foot rim. John Brewer, (1764-1816) John was the elder of two brothers who both worked at Derby. Their parents were both artists and from 1762-1767 had studios in London at Rupert Street. Brewer started working at Derby in 1795. He was a talented watercolorist and had never applied his art to porcelain painting. At Derby, he painted a variety of subject matters including plant and flower painting. The Botanical Magazine is one of the oldest - and longest-published - of the British botanical...