Period: Mid-Victorian
Maker: Davenport
The intricate gilt scrolls and fleur-de-lis on this Victorian cup and saucer by Davenport are reminiscent of medieval illuminated manuscripts. The ‘Gothic Revival’ was one of the most influential styles of the 19th Century and drew inspiration from the arts and architecture of Europe’s medieval past. It flowed into the Arts & Crafts movement that rejected industrial mass production in favour of the beauty of lost handcrafts and natural materials.
One can also detect the influence of Islamic arabesques in the interwoven tendrils, stylised leaves and flowers, and heart-shaped motifs. A slightly earlier ‘Islamic’-style Copeland cup and saucer that we also have on sale makes an interesting comparison. Art and design in Britain during the second half of the 19th Century drew eclectically from all manner of global regions and historical sources.
The Staffordshire firm of Davenport operated for almost a century, from 1794, a year before the death of Josiah Wedgwood, to 1887, on the cusp of Art Nouveau. At its commercial apogee in the mid 1840s, Davenport was one of the largest potteries in the world, with four separate factories as well as a glassworks. Vast quantities of its products were exported worldwide, particularly earthenware. Davenport porcelain remained of good quality right up until the firm’s demise, which expert Terence Lockett blamed on ‘a failure of management, a decline in entrepreneurial expertise’ by the Davenport family.
The pattern number, 3372, is painted on the bottoms of the cup and saucer and indicates a date of around 1860. There is also the printed stamp DAVENPORT LONGPORT. Longport was an area of Stoke-on-Trent where Davenport was based.
CONDITION Very good. There are no cracks, hairlines or repairs. There is a small amount of gilt rubbing in the decoration around the saucer well.
Saucer diameter: 14.4 cm
Cup height: 6.3 cm; width including handle: 9.3 cm
Net weight: 255 g
Medium: Bone china (porcelain)
Origin: Longport, Staffordshire Potteries, England
