Period & Date: William IV, circa 1831
Maker: Coalport Porcelain Works (John Rose & Co.)
Both the potting and decoration of this ‘Adelaide’ shape coffee cup and saucer by the Coalport factory of John Rose are of exceptional standard.
Adelaide was queen consort of William IV, king from 1830 to 1837. (The city in southern Australia is also named after her.) The shape is described at length in Michael Messenger’s book on Coalport.* He writes that the undulating rim has ‘a series of paired leaves, small and finely moulded, which the space between each pair was occupied by an extremely cursive double-scroll of foliate character but resembling wings viewed from a head-on position.’ Picked out in fine gilding, these ‘wings’ are actually acanthus leaves, a favourite of Rococo and Regency. The other distinctive feature of Adelaide is its ‘rustic’ handle, an irregular ring that projects well above the rim, with a short thumb rest and a lower strut moulded to resemble a gnarled twig.
On the saucer of this pattern, 2/896, the border reserves are bursting with groups of bright summer flowers, hand-painted in enamels. The grey ground between the flower panels, and inside the cup, suggests a more conservative tone after the exuberance of Regency, but this is adorned with foliate gilding that exudes playful delight. The flowers in the bottom of the cup complete a decorative tour de force.
The pattern number 2/896 is painted in gilt in small script on the bottom of the saucer.
Condition Excellent. No damage or restoration. Small areas of gilt rubbing to rim edge of saucer and to gilt band around foot rim of cup.
Saucer Diameter: 15.2 cm
CupHeight: 8.1 cm; Width, including handle: 11 cm
Weight: 300 g
Origin: Coalport, Shropshire, England
Medium: Bone china (porcelain)
See Coalport (John Rose) in Profiles for background on the factory.
*Coalport 1795-1926, pp 184-188
