Date: circa 1810
Period: Regency
Maker: Job Ridgway & Sons
A stunning Imari teacup and saucer, made by Job Ridgway & Sons around 1810.
A simple Imari palette of orange, dark blue and gold is put to richly imaginative effect. The principal flowers would have been taken from original Japanese Imari ware: the brightly coloured Arita porcelain shipped from the Japanese port of Imari to Nagasaki, and thence to Europe. The flower in the centre of the saucer and bottom of the cup is a stylised Japanese tree peony. The round flowers with gilt stamens are a stylised chrysanthemum, emblem of the Japanese imperial throne. The pointed dark orange and gilt petals represent the water lotus, a Buddhist symbol of purity as it emerges unstained form the muddy waters of attachment and desire.
The teacup is of Bute shape. When prime minister of Great Britain (1762-63), the Earl of Bute is said to have suggested the design to Josiah Wedgwood. The profile of a Bute cup resembles a truncated hemisphere. It is essentially a tea bowl with a handle added but lacking a foot rim. At least 20 different potteries made Bute-shape cups between 1780 and 1820. The Earl of Bute’s other notable contribution to history was taxing the American colonists, thus precipitating the American Revolution!
There is no backstamp or pattern number, but the Bute shape and the distinctive handle tell us with certainty that the maker was Job Ridgway & Sons. The cup and saucer were made soon after Job took John and William into partnership and began producing porcelain in 1808. The porcelain is finely potted and the sides of the cup are thin enough to be translucent.
Condition In perfect antique condition. No damage and no sign of wear or use, except for one small surface scratch in the centre of the saucer.
Cup height: 5.7 cm; top rim diameter: 8.5 cm; width with handle: 10.1 cm
Saucer diameter: 13.9 cm
Net weight: 190g
Medium: Bone china (porcelain)
Origin: Stoke-on-Trent, England
For background on the factory, see Ridgway pottery at Cauldon Place in Makers & Artists
