Period: Late Victorian
Maker: Powell & Bishop
This dessert comport by Powell & Bishop is a delightful confection of fashionable late Victorian Japonisme and European style. On the plate, the plum tree and blossom and the mock seals, in gilt and enamels, are part of the the late 19th Century craze for Japanese art and design, while the pale green ground is reminiscent of celadon in another aesthetic nod to the Orient. Down below, the equally eye-catching stand is a purely European fancy. The splayed tripod legs resemble Regency furniture modelled on ancient Greek originals. They are crowned with moulded acanthus leaves, picked out in gilt, that support the plate. The legs are embossed with gilt jewels and have imitation gilt carvings. A triform base is moulded to resemble three graduated layers and its lobed and gilded edges echo the plate. A pointed finial, more often encountered on the lids of Regency teapots and sucriers, is a suitably spectacular pinnacle.
The bottom is impressed with the Caduceus mark used by the firm of Powell & Bishop between 1876 and 1878, as well as by the later partnerships of Powell, Bishop & Stonier and Bishop & Stonier. There is also a painted pattern number, ‘a/1369’ with a ‘7’ underneath.
Condition Mint condition. No sign of use or wear.
Diameter: 23.3 cm
Height: 13.4 cm
Net weight: 658 g
Medium: Bone chain (porcelain)
Origin: Stoke-on-Trent, England.
