PORCELAIN & CERAMICS

A beautifully painted Nast porcelain jug with gilt handle c1790. The quality of the paintnig and the gilding is superb on this piece. but perhaps the most interesting thing about this jug is that in the 1850's someone broke the porcelain handle, but valued the jug enough to have this quite beautiful ormolu serpent handle made and fitted as a repair.

A superb Regency period English ironstone wine cooler c1820. Most probably by Masons the piece is of sensational quality and it is rare to find wine coolers with their lids intact. The cobalt ground is richly decorated with flowers and gilding and bears a gilded fleur de lis, symbol of the Regent. The handles are in the form of two lions paws.

A superb pair of English Blue Mazarine chinoiserie ironstone vases attributed to Masons c1820. The front of each is heavily decorated with gilt foliage and flowers and the backs wonderfully painted with enamel and gilt butterflies. The handles take the form of a mutant Regancy dragon which looks more like a seal! Both in perfect condition with minor rubbing to the gilding.

A superb and rare large covered English ironstone vase attributed to Masons c1830. The decoration is gilt and enamel on a cobalt base featuring birds and flowers with a pagoda lid topped with gilt flowers. In good condition.

A British Staffordshire transfer printed chinoiserie plate c1825. By C1800 the Staffordshire potteries had managed to totally dominate the produce of domestic quality blue and white china which lead to the end of the importation of blue and white pieces from china.

An interesting and rare European early transfer plate c1830. Made by Jean-François Boch of Luxembourg who merged with Nicolas Villeroy in 1836 to create the company Villeroy & Boch still in existance today. A fantastic chinoiserie design of people in a pleasure garden with a border of prunus blooms and pheasants.

A superb pair of British ironstone vases attributed to Mason's c1830. Mason's were perhaps the most successful of the British potters to market, produce and popularize Oriental style ceramics. They even introduced a faux Chinese reign mark on some of their pieces from this period.

A wonderful, and slightly eccentric, pair of French Samson Chinoiserie vases in a pagoda shape c1870. The decoration of this charming pair of vases is well executed in colourful enamels and consistes of random Chinese motifs, and a few European flowers, covering the body of the vases. Like Masons in England, Samson was perhaps the best French company at producing it's own version of costly Chinese porcelains, even down to fake reign marks on the base.

A large and superb Samson of Paris Chinoiserie style covered vase c1870. European manufacturers were keep to get on board the desire for Oriental ceramics which by the mid - late 19th cent centered around vases, urns, chargers and floor vases from both Japan and China. This would have been made to undercut the exotic and expensive import and it copies the Chinese style with a hint of Japan and European flowers thrown in and a Chinese Foo Dog finial. The Samson factory produced pieces of very good quality throughout the nineteeth century which are now as desirable to collectors as the Oriental pieces they were copying.

An English creamware coffee pot c1770 decorated with indigo Chinoiserie scenes. A great example of early British manufacturers trying to cash in on the popularity of Chinese imported porcelain.