A SET OF SEVEN MINTONS BONE CHINA DESSERT PLATES 1883

painted with children at various pursuits within a rectangular panel edged in raised gilding, crowned MINTONS globe and seven with retailer THEODORE B. STARR NEW YORK marks printed in puce, impressed MINTONS mark and date cypher for 1883, pattern number G 5215.

Sold, Sotheby's, New York, November 3, 1999, lot 77

All with some minor fine crazing. The plate with the child playing a horn and the other with scythe have several patches of minor discoloration, just about visible from the online catalogue illustration. The plate with the child playing a horn also has an approximate 1-inch hairline crack running down from the rim towards the bottom. The plate with the child stretching his arrow has a semicircle-shaped restored break measuring approximately 4 inches at the rim.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

There were a number of decorators at the Minton factory specialising in child subjects, including Antonin Boullemier, Rebecca Coleman and William Coleman. A pair of plates painted with children playing on seashells within similar gilt borders on the rim is illustrated by Joan Jones, Minton, The First Two Hundred Years of Design & Production, p. 71.