Period: Regency
Maker: Coalport Porcelain Works (John Rose & Co.)
The hand painting on this beautiful Coalport shell dish is of the original Blackfriars Bridge in London. St. Paul’s Cathedral and the spires of other churches built by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of 1666 can be seen in the background.
The first Blackfriars Bridge opened in 1769. It was designed by Robert Mylne in an Italianate style and was built of Portland stone with nine semi-elliptical arches. It was the third crossing of the River Thames within central London, after London Bridge and Westminster Bridge. It was demolished in 1860 and replaced with the present road bridge as well as a railway bridge.
The name Blackfriars derives from a Dominican priory that had once stood on the site of the northern bridgehead.
On the back of the dish, handwritten in red enamel, is the subject of the painting, the name of the artist, and the date it was painted: ‘Blackfriars Bridge / Maryanne Bloxam / 1825’. Although barely discernible, there is also an impressed numeral ‘2’ used by Coalport between 1815 and 1825.
From the Coldwell Collection
Condition The sides of the dish are faceted and there is stacking wear along the ribs, extending into the bottom of the painting. There is also some rubbing along gilt edges. See photos. No cracks or restoration.
Length: 24.2 cm; Width: 22.4 cm
Net weight: 467 g
Medium: Bone china (porcelain)
Origin: Coalport, Shropshire, England
For background on the factory, see Coalport Porcelain Works (John Rose & Co.) in Makers & Artists
