Late 18th Century Ceramics

A dark brown-glazed pearlware bough pot with pierced cover and applied decoration, made by Wedgwood circa 1785. The development of a whiteware body had been a goal of ceramicists ac...

This set of six plates, crafted by John Turner around 1795, features the exquisite Imari color palette of iron red, cobalt blue, and radiant gold. The color combination creates a vib...

This is a hard paste porcelain coffee cup, by New Hall, dating to the late 18th century George 111rd period, circa 1790. The piece is well potted on a low foot with a plain loop h...

This is a very good hard paste porcelain early Coffee Can or cup with a loop handle, hand decorated in the Royal Lily pattern by Worcester during the Barr p...

A rare Meissen Marcolini Porcelain Chinoiserie incense burner vase and cover, made for the Chinese market, circa 1800, blue cross swords and star mark, Pressnummer 58 A Museum Quality Piece. Painted in the sought after famille rose palette with sprigs of indianische Blumen and enriched in gilding, the simulated pierced body supported by four feet painted with stylized dragons, the pierced cover with a Buddhist lion finial. 10" high x 6" wide x 6" deep The shape of this piece, which appears to be unrecorded in the literature, is inspired by similar Chinese porcelain censers from the Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period (1654-1722). An example in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated by Li Yi-hua in Qing Porcelain of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Periods from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, pl. 65. Another in the British Museum, London (museum no. PDF, A.812) is catalogued as a perfume-holder. These porcelain examples are in turn inspired by ancient Chinese bronzes from both the Shang (1600-1046 BC) and the Zhou (1046-246 BCE) dynasties, an example of which was sold anonymously by Christie's New York, 22 March 2019, lot 1601. This chain of inspiration tracking backwards from the 19th century to antiquity provides a clear example of how ceramics, and indeed other mediums, are able to influence and motivate the works of later generations. For a Meissen porcelain snuff...

This rare and charming pair of 18th-century French creamware lions was made circa 1790. Each lion reclines atop a tall rectangular base decorated with rich cobalt-blue swags, bright yellow tassels, and vivid green trim. The forms are bold and expressive. The lions' open mouths are painted in soft pink, and their manes are rendered in vibrant yellow and lined with dark brown, lending them an animated, almost theatrical presence. The lions rest on what appear to be stylized, draped cushions, adding a sense of comfort and reality. Their wide-eyed expressions and exaggerated features give the pair a whimsical character that blends elegance with humor—a hallmark of late 18th-century French design. Unmarked but unmistakably French in style, these figures make a striking decorative statement. Whether placed on a mantel or console, they command attention and offer a playful counterpoint to more serious classical forms. Dimensions: 6.5 inches tall x 6.75 inches long x 4.5 inches wide Condition: Excellent Price: $2,300 Decoration: Painted in yellow, cobalt, green, pink, and brown with molded drapery and tassel detail Material: Creamware pottery Style: French Neoclassical with Folk Art elements Origin: France Date: Circa 1790 Key Features - Rare pair of large 18th-century creamware lion figures - Expressive hand-painted decoration with bold color contrasts - Tall bases decorated with molded and painted swags and tassels - French origin, circa 1790 - Whimsical and animated expressions add charm and visual interest Background of creamware Creamware is the name given to a type of earthenware pottery initially made from white clays from Dorset and Devonshire combined with an amount of calcined flint. Creamware was first produced in England sometime before 1740. Foremost among the pioneers of creamware in the Staffordshire Potteries was Thomas Whieldon. The young Josiah Wedgwood partnered with Thomas Whieldon from 1754 to 1759. When Wedgwood left to set up his own business, he immediately directed his efforts to developing creamware. Around the same time, in the mid-18th century, French potters developed their creamware known in France as "Faience Fine...

This is a hard paste porcelain Tea Bowl and Saucer by New Hall, dating to the turn of the 18th century, George 111rd period, circa 1800. Both pieces are decorated over-glaze with ...

18th Century Wedgwood & John Flaxman, Blue Jasperware "Dancing Hours" Plaque, England, circa 1790 This exquisite late 18th-century Wedgwood blue jasperware plaque from the "Dancing ...

Large & Very Fine Chinese Export Punch Bowl, with Painted & Gilt decoration in the Mandarin palette. Jingdezhen region, China ca. 1780.

This is a hard paste porcelain waste or slop bowl by New Hall in a hand painted Chinoiserie figure pattern No. 20, dating to the late 18th century, circa 1790. The bowl is well potted on a mid depth foot. The decoration is hand-painted using bold enamels in a charming chinoiserie figure pattern, number 20, showing a Lady with a parasol being presented a flower by a young man, all by a fence in a garden setting. The inner rim has a repeated border pattern and the inside base has a hand painted flower bud sprig which is worn and faded. This is a recorded New Hall pattern No 20. Overall a charming 18th Century Bowl...

Maiolica sugar bowl Antonio Ferretti Manufacture Lodi, Circa 1770-1780 Maiolica polychrome decorated “a piccolo fuoco” (third fire). It measures 3.54 x 4.52 x 3.54 in (9 x 11,5 x 9 cm) Weight: 0.394 lb (0.179 kg) State of conservation: small and slight chips on the edges. The small sugar bowl has a swollen and ribbed body resting on a flat base. The cap-shaped lid follows the rib of the container and is topped with a small knob in the shape of a two-colored fruit. The sugar bowl is painted “a piccolo fuoco” (third fire) with the characteristic floral motif of bunches and isolated semis. An example which closely corresponds to this one is kept at the Civic Museum in Lodi (G. Gregorietti, Maioliche di Lodi, Milano e Pavia, Catalogo della Mostra, Milano, 1964 n. 137). This decorative style represented a strong point of the Lodi factory, which established itself thanks to the vivid nature of the colors made possible by the introduction of a new technique perfected by Paul Hannong in Strasbourg and later introduced by Antonio Ferretti to Italy. The production process, called “piccolo fuoco” (third fire), allowed the use of a greater number of colors than in the past; in particular, the purple of Cassius, a red made from gold chloride, was introduced. Its use allowed for many more tones and shades, from pink to purple. The Ferretti family started their maiolica manufacturing business in Lodi in 1725. The forefather Simpliciano started the business by purchasing an ancient furnace in 1725 and, indeed, we have evidence of the full activity of the furnaces starting from April of the same year (Novasconi-Ferrari-Corvi, 1964, p. 26 n. 4). Simpliciano started a production of excellence also thanks to the ownership of clay quarries in Stradella, not far from Pavia. The production was so successful that in 1726 a decree of the Turin Chamber came to prohibit the importation of foreign ceramics, especially from Lodi, to protect internal production (G. Lise, La ceramica a Lodi, Lodi 1981, p. 59). In its initial stages, the manufacture produced maolicas painted with the “a gran fuoco” (double fire) technique, often in turquoise monochrome, with ornamentation derived from compositional modules in vogue in Rouen in France. This was also thanks to the collaboration of painters like Giorgio Giacinto Rossetti, who placed his name on the best specimens next to the initials of the factory. In 1748 Simpliciano made his will (Gelmini, 1995, p. 30) appointing his son Giuseppe Antonio (known as Antonio) as universal heir. After 1750, when Simpliciano passed away, Antonio was directly involved in the maiolica factory, increasing its fortunes and achieving a reputation on a European level. Particularly important was the aforementioned introduction in 1760 of the innovative “a piccolo fuoco” (third fire) processing, which, expanding the ornamental repertoire with Saxon-inspired floral themes, was able to commercially compete with the German porcelains that had one of its most renowned offerings in the naturalistic Deutsche Blumen. Antonio Ferretti understood and promoted this technique and this decoration, proposing it in a fresher and more corrective version, less linked to botanical tables, both with or without contour lines, as well as in purple or green monochrome. After efforts to introduce more industrial production techniques to the sector succeeded, even the Ferretti manufacture, in the last decade of the eighteenth century, started heading towards decline despite its attempts to adapt production to neoclassical tastes. In 1796 the Napoleonic battle for the conquest of the Lodi bridge over the Adda definitively compromised the furnaces. Production resumed, albeit in a rather stunted manner, until Antonio's death on 29 December 1810. (M. L. Gelmini, pp. 28-30, 38, 43 sgg., 130-136 (for Simpliciano); pp. 31 sgg., 45-47, 142-192 (for Antonio). Bibliography G. Gregorietti, Maioliche di Lodi Milano e Pavia Catalogo della Mostra, Milano, 1964 n. 137; C. Baroni, Storia delle ceramiche nel Lodigiano, in Archivio storico per la città e i comuni del circondario e della diocesi di Lodi, XXXIV (1915), pp. 118, 124, 142; XXXV (1916), pp. 5-8; C. Baroni, La maiolica antica di Lodi, in Archivio storico lombardo, LVIII (1931), pp. 453-455; L. Ciboldi, La maiolica lodigiana, in Archivio storico lodigiano, LXXX (1953), pp. 25 sgg.; S. Levy, Maioliche settecentesche lombarde e venete, Milano 1962, pp. 17 sgg.; A. Novasconi - S. Ferrari - S. Corvi, La ceramica lodigiana, Lodi 1964, ad Indicem; Maioliche di Lodi, Milano e Pavia (catal.), Milano 1964, p. 17; O. Ferrari - G. Scavizzi, Maioliche italiane del Seicento e del Settecento, Milano 1965, pp. 26 sgg.; G. C. Sciolla, Lodi. Museo civico, Bologna 1977, pp. 69-85 passim; G. Lise, La ceramica a Lodi, Lodi 1981; M. Vitali, in Storia dell'arte ceramica...

Late 18th century partial dessert service in the ever popular and elegant Willow pattern. This is one of the prettiest sets we've ever had the pleasure to offer. The ceramic is so ...

Albarello wand cover with polychrome decoration called “al tacchiolo” of foliage with stylized flowers. Marked under the base: “N° 49" 18th century. Height: 15 cm incl lid, diameter ...

A very good Porcelain Coffee Can with a ring handle, hand decorated with an orange and gilt pattern by Worcester during the Barr period, fully marked to...

This is a good, very early, rare blue and white coffee cup in the "Boy on a Buffalo" pattern, probably from the factory of Josiah Spode, stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, England, made...

Maiolica tureen Antonio Ferretti Manufacture Lodi, circa 1770-1780 Maiolica polychrome decorated “a piccolo fuoco” (third fire). It measures 9.05 x 12.59 x 9.05 in (23 x 32 x 23 cm) ...

This is a rare coffee cup and saucer in ‘The Traveller’ or ‘One Legged Duck’ blue transfer printed, hand gilded pattern by John Turner & family, of Lane End, Longton, Staffordshire. ...

This is a hard paste porcelain waste or slop bowl by New Hall in a hand painted Chinoiserie figure pattern number 20, dating to the late 18th century, Circa 1790. The bowl is well...

Maiolica tureen “allo struzzo” (ostrich decoration) Milan, Felice Clerici or Pasquale Rubati factory, circa 1750-1780 Measures: 9.25 in x 12.79 in x 10.23 in (cm 23.5 x cm 32.5 x cm 26) lb 4.78 (kg 2.17) State of conservation, a felûre consolidated inside with slight edge chipping restored. In Milan in the 18th century two Majolica warehouses were opened, the first, by Felice Clerici, in 1745, the second in 1756 by Pasquale Rubati. Traditionally this type of decoration has been attributed to the Pasquale Rubati factory. In reality the motif “allo struzzo”, one of the clearest examples of how the taste for chinoiserie met with considerable success during the 18th century, had been produced, in specimens of greater or lesser quality, by both Milanese manufactories. This Maiolica tureen has a swollen and ribbed oval bowl, rests on an extroflexed foot and shows stirrup handles. The tri-color ornament, in the typical tones of Japanese "Imari" decorations, shows an idealized oriental landscape that develops around a perforated rock and has a willow tree with long lance-shaped leaves framing the long-legged bird figure. The ornamentation is enhanced by decorative elements such as butterflies, small florets and a vase with a thin flowery stem. The lid is ribbed with a pear-shaped knob on top. The decoration was called in the Milanese manufactories "allo struzzo" (ostrich decoration) and this refers to the oriental figure Xian He or the crane, symbol of longevity, here losing its symbolic value. It is hypothesized that among some 16th century engravings...

This is a hard paste porcelain coffee can & saucer duo by New Hall, hand decorated with their Chinese figure pattern number 421, dating to the English George 3rd...

This is an antique piece produced in Tuscany at the end of the 18th Century following the Rustic style. The expression of the antique craftmenships of the Tuscany artisans is well s...

This is an antique piece produced in Tuscany at the end of the 18th Century following the Rustic style. The expression of the antique craftmenships of the Tuscany artisans is well s...

This is an antique piece produced in Tuscany at the end of the 18th Century following the Neoclassical style, mixed to the antique craftmenships of the Tuscany artisans which used ma...

Two pairs of maiolica baskets Antonio Ferretti Manufacture Lodi, circa 1770-1790 Maiolica polychrome decorated “a piccolo fuoco” (third fire). Measures: A) Height 3.54 x 6.69 x 9.84 in (9 x 17 x 25 cm); B) Height 3.93 x 7.48 x 11.02 in (10 x 19 x 28 cm). Total weight 4.85 lb (2.200 kg) State of conservation: A) One of the smaller baskets has some areas of restoration, the other slight chipping from use; B) One of the larger baskets is intact and the other shows a clearly glued break. The mold with which the baskets were forged simulates a wicker weave. The two larger works have high, vertical walls, with branch-shaped handles penetrating the weave. The painted decorations, small polychrome flowers applied only externally, highlight the points where the weaves intersect. The decision to leave the center of the basket devoid of decoration is highly unusual, but given the size and complexity of the shape, as well as the quality of the enamel, it is possible to hypothesize that it represents a precise choice in manufacturing or for a particular client. The two smaller baskets have small, twisted handles and, on the outside, reproduce more decisively the characteristic wicker weave, obtained through thin molded lines. The interior exhibits a rich, typical decoration of naturalistic flowers: a bunch centered around a main flower and secondary stems accompanied by small “semis”. The exterior of these works is also adorned with small little flowers where the weaves intersect. The size and morphological characteristics of the baskets confirm their attribution to the Lodi factory of Antonio Ferretti between 1770 and 1790, during its most successful period; by this point his original reworking of the "Strasbourg" decoration, known as "old Lodi", had achieved great fame even outside Italy. This decorative choice represented a strong point of the Lodi factory, which established itself thanks to the vivid nature of the colors made possible by the introduction of a new technique perfected by Paul Hannong in Strasbourg and which Antonio Ferretti introduced in Italy. This production process, called “piccolo fuoco” (third fire), allowed the use of a greater number of colors than in the past; in particular, the purple of Cassius, a red made from gold chloride, was introduced. Its use allowed for many more tones and shades, from pink to purple. The Ferretti family had started their maiolica manufacturing business in Lodi in 1725. The forefather Simpliciano had started the business by purchasing an ancient furnace in 1725 and, indeed, we have evidence of the full activity of the furnaces from April of the same year (Novasconi-Ferrari-Corvi, 1964, p. 26 n. 4). Simpliciano had started a production of excellence also thanks to the ownership of clay quarries in Stradella, not far from Pavia. The production was so successful that in 1726 a decree of the Turin Chamber came to prohibit the importation of foreign ceramics, especially from Lodi, to protect internal production (G. Lise, La ceramica a Lodi, Lodi 1981, p. 59). In its initial stages, the manufacture produced maolicas painted with the “a gran fuoco” (double fire) technique, often in turquoise monochrome, with ornamentation derived from compositional modules in vogue in Rouen in France. This was also thanks to the collaboration of painters like Giorgio Giacinto Rossetti, who placed his name on the best specimens next to the initials of the factory. In 1748 Simpliciano made his will (Gelmini, 1995, p. 30) appointing his son Giuseppe Antonio (known as Antonio) as universal heir. After 1750, when Simpliciano passed away, Antonio was directly involved in the maiolica factory, increasing its fortunes and achieving a reputation on a European level. Particularly important was the aforementioned introduction in 1760 of the innovative “a piccolo fuoco” (third fire) processing, which, expanding the ornamental repertoire with Saxon-inspired floral themes, could commercially compete with the German porcelains that had one of its most renowned offerings in the naturalistic Deutsche Blumen. Antonio Ferretti understood and promoted this technique and this decoration, proposing it in a fresher and more corrective version, less linked to botanical tables...

Very large albarello with polychrome decoration called “al tacchiolo” of foliage with stylized flowers. Marked under the base: “N°20 Pesaro, 18th century. Fabbrica Casali Callegari ...

An 18th century European ceramic pitcher, most probably from Germany, with glazed decoration in blue colour representing flowers on a beige background. It has most probably been used...

A set of four early Wedgwood creamware Neoclassical dessert dishes made circa 1780. Sir William Hamilton’s Collection of Etruscan, Greek and Roman an...

A good rare Prattware pottery model of a baby's cradle. Decorated with orange and blue intersecting circles throughout the body and embellished ye...

This pair of blue and white porcelain saucers was made by Caughley in England circa 1785. Painted in underglaze blue, they show a lovely chinoiserie scene of a mother and son in a lu...

Maiolica puerperal cup Antonio Ferretti Manufacture Lodi, Circa 1770 - 1780 Maiolica polychrome decorated “a piccolo fuoco” (third fire). It measures: 4.3 x 6.8 x 5.3 in (11 x 17,5 x 13,5 cm) Weight: 0.78 lb (358 g) State of conservation: some closed pass-through fêlures on the cup, barely visible on the outside. Some use chips on the edge of the lid, two of which are more marked. From about the mid-sixteenth century, the puerperal soup tureen or puerperal cup became one of the most popular wedding gifts in central Italy. As an auspicious symbol, it replaced the birth table (“desco da parto”) which, on the occasion of high-ranking marriages, from the thirteenth century, had been painted by famous artists, especially in Tuscany. In France this same tureen is called "écuelle de mariée", as it is given to spouses as a sign of fertility. During the eighteenth century this custom spread even outside Italy to all social levels. Depending on availability and rank, it was made of different materials: precious metals, maiolica, porcelain, glass, pewter, etc. Beginning in the mid-twentieth century, the custom of this symbolic homage gradually disappeared, although famous designers such as Gio Ponti and Giuseppe Gariboldi, even as recently as the 1940s, revisited a model of a small puerperal soup bowl for the Ginori and, also in Italy in 1940, in a national competition for young potters, one of the themes of the test was indeed a modern model of a puerperal cup as an auspicious gift. This particular cup was also called a "service cup" or "puerperal vase" or "stuffed cup" - the windows were sealed with straw to prevent drafts of air for women in labor. In the eighteenth century the line of the puerpera cup was simplified, so much so that it took the form of a small tureen with two handles - the typical broth cup...

Two large French Faience dishes and two smaller from the city of Strasbourg in hand painted floral decoration. They are approximately from around...

A rare 9" Lambeth Delft plate: "An English Delftware tin-glazed charger attributed to the Abigail Griffith London Lambeth pothouse. Great decorative blue and white delftware- boldly ...

An 18th century Wedgwood creamware double salt cellar. The form consisting of two basket (or pail-form) bowls joined at the rim and connected by ...

Pair of maiolica tureens Antonio Ferretti Manufacture Lodi, circa 1770-1780 Maiolica polychrome decorated “a piccolo fuoco” (third fire). a – 8.66 x 11.02 x 7.48 in (22 x 28 x 19...

Circa 1770 Delft blue & white plate. Central handled & footed basket vase overflowing with flowers, surrounded by alternating repetive floral vases & natura...

Pair of antique English blue and white chinoiserie square bowls by Caughley, each one with scalloped edges with gilt borders. Unmarked, ...

Five oval maiolica dishes with pierced edge Manufacture of Pasquale Rubati Milan, 1770-1780 Three small oval dishes 10.23 in x 7.67 in (26 cm x 19.5 cm) Two large oval dishes 10.82 in x 8.85 in (27.5 x 22.5 cm) lb 3.5 (kg 1.8) State of conservation: intact The five dishes of different sizes have an oval shape, a mixtilinear edge and a molded polylobed shape with a surface enriched with a relief weave motif extending to the brim and forming a perforated basket...

A late 18th or early 19th century English Prattware baby's cradle in a rare large size. Decorated with an overall basket weave pattern and a yello...

Chinese Export pseudo-tobacco-leaf pattern platter, circa 1770.

A 19th century French bisque porcelain figurine of a couple seated and engaged in a conversation. The figurine is marked on back and ...

Chinese export porcelain Fitzhugh pattern tureen, cover and underplate, 18th century. Very Unusual and rare pattern, beautifully hand painted in green enamels and 24-karat gold, havi...

This finely decorated Qing-period rose medallion or rose mandarin bowl is beautifully hand-painted with four vignettes depicting courtly scenes.

Covered bowl, perhaps for soup, in black basalt with ‘Etruscan’ encaustic painting.

Black basalt, with rope handle and encaustic decoration of lines & anthemion, in imitation of early Greek pottery. Early encaustic examples are rar...

With domed cover with gilt lemon finial on a conforming base with two handles.

This is a good porcelain TRIO of a Tea Cup, Coffee Cup and saucer by the Derby factory, made during the George 111rd period, circa 1795. The pieces are well potted in the Hamilton...

Majolica flower pot "crescent" decorated in manganese Pasquale Rubati Factory Milan, c. 1770 4.92 in x 8.66 in x 5,31 in 12.5 cm x 22 cm X 13.5 cm Weight: 2.29 lb (1039 g) State of conservation: intact with slight chipping due to use in relief parts A rare example of a flower pot "a mezzaluna" produced by the manufactory of the refined painter Pasquale Rubati, who opened a factory in Milan in 1756 to compete with Felice Clerici...

Chinese Export Rose Canton Mandarin pattern porcelain cider jug with double or cross strap handles. There are court scenes in the most colorful hues. The bor...

This is an early porcelain trio comprising a vertically fluted coffee can, tea cup and saucer, all in a hand painted and gilded pattern, which we attri...

A most attractive and unusual teapot in black basalt, moulded with basket-weave decoration and interlocking arches. Exhibited: Wedgwood, Master Potter ...

Antique Delft tin glaze charger, circa 1760-1780.   

Chinese Export Porcelain Hunt Pattern Punch Bowl. Late 18th century. Restorations. 4.75” h. x 11.25” diam.

An excellent cider mug with oak leaf decoration, and a silver rim, most likely Sheffield plate.

Nice hand painted Porcelain charger in the Imari palette using underglaze cobalt bleu and iron red. Japan, Edo period, late 18th century.

A rare and stunning example of neo-classical decoration on an ordinary househuld object: a teapot. The decoration is restrained yet lively, and makes excellent use of classical figur...

This is an antique personal tea set. A Chinese, Qing dynasty ceramic bowl and saucer set, dating to the Georgian period, circa 1800. Delightfully original set, with charming blue a...

These sets of Delft Dutch plates would be a lovely addition to a dining room or would make beautiful decorations displayed on a wall or resting on a buffe...

Cyclicrical tea canister in engine-turned black basalt, with raised decoration. Unmarked, but the quality and finial clinch the attribution.