Coffee Cup with Famille Rose decoration, Bow Porcelain, circa 1750

A coffee can, decorated with chinoiserie painting of typical motifs in the famille rose palette. Bow was the first of the English porcelain manufacturers, and produced some excellen...

Small pot with loop handle, curved spout and domed cover with ball finial, the body painted after the Famille rose with chrysanthemum, flowers and leaves, all from mauve rocks on gre...

This is a very charming orphaned coffee cup made by the Bow Porcelain factory in about 1755. The cup is decorated in a Chinese "famille rose" peony pattern. This cup would have been part of a large tea service, and the tiny size shows how expensive coffee was in the 18th Century. The Bow Porcelain Factory was one of the first potteries in Britain to make soft paste porcelain, and most probably the very first to use bone ash, which later got perfected by Josiah Spode to what is now the universally used "bone china". Bow was the main competitor of the Chelsea Porcelain Factory, but where Chelsea made very fine slipcast porcelain, Bow made a different soft paste porcelain that tended to be softer and could be pressed into moulds. Bow served a larger public generally at lower prices. The factory was only in operation between 1743 and 1774, after which the tradition got incorporated into some of the later famous potteries such as Worcester and Derby. The cup is unmarked, which is normal for Bow items of this era. Condition report the cup is in excellent condition without any damage or repairs. There are various glazing imperfections, which are quite normal for porcelain of this era. Antique British porcelain...

We kindly suggest you read the whole description, because with it we try to give you detailed technical and historical information to guarantee the authenticity of our objects. Rare porcelain soup service by Meissen in Biedermeier style; the set consists of 12 cups with two handles and saucer; the various pieces are made of fine white hard porcelain hand-painted with the decoration "Pink Roses" enriched on all items with sumptuous decorations in relief not painted. Unlike the simple and quite common "Pink Roses", this model is very rare, prestigious, and sought after, therefore even more expensive; in fact, the objects with this relief decoration, much more particular and detailed than others, were fired three times, while those with only the "Pink Roses" decoration only twice. Moreover, the execution of this ornamental motif with delicate and graceful flowers was entrusted only to the most experienced and skilled painters, those in possession of the prestigious diploma obtained at the "School of Drawing of Meissen" established since 1764. The edges of the cups and saucers are scalloped and finished in pure gold as are the handles. All pieces bear the original Meissen trademark (two crossed swords) and from the enclosed list it can be stated with certainty that our service was produced between 1934 and 1944; moreover, on the objects the model is handwritten (61/106), this wording makes the artifacts even more precious and appreciated as they preserve all the characteristics of the author's calligraphy. Meissen porcelain was created in the castle of Albrechtsburg, in Meissen, a small town in Saxony near Dresden, in 1710, at the behest of Augustus the Strong (1670-1733), Prince-Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, who wanted to start production after the studies and experiments of his alchemist Bottger. Bottger discovered the formula for porcelain, in fact at that time, only the Chinese and Japanese had the recipe to create this wonderful material; Meissen was, therefore, the first porcelain produced in Europe! Bottger never revealed his formula to anyone, only a certain stage was known to the workers; we do not know, even today, in what proportions the different components are mixed; this is the great secret that allowed the famous brand to be considered the best in the world, Meissen porcelain is given the nickname of "white gold"! Through the years, Meissen has perfected its hard-paste products with high-temperature firing during its glazing. Meissen's porcelain patterns have been copied by many other manufacturers around the world such as Royal Copenhagen, Dresden, Herend, and many others, but Meissen's porcelain glaze maintains its quality over time and is superior to all (plates will not scratch with prolonged use of cutlery!). This is why even old Meissen...