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An Extremely Rare Coalport Porcelain Specimen Plate for the Emperor of Russia Dessert Service, John Rose & Co., Coalport, 1844-1845
Estimate
15,000 - 25,000 USD
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Description
- the reverse applied with several contemporaneous tags, the first a printed retailer's tag of John Rose & Co., Coalport, Shropshire; the second, a paper tag on which is written in longhand We finished this Dessert Service for the Emperor of Russia Nicholas I, the early part of 1845, and forwarded the same in May; also with applied rectangular tags identifying the Crosses of the three Orders and the printed number 18
- Porcelain
- diameter 9 1/4 in.
- 23.5 cm
circular with shaped rim, the center painted with the Badge of the Order of St. Andrew, the border decorated with the Crosses of the Orders of Saint George, Saint Alexander Nevsky, and Saint Vladimir alternating with military, musical, and liberal arts trophies within shaped, gilded cartouches, all against a bright green ground.
Condition
Overall good condition
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
The present lot is an early design for the famous Emperor of Russia Dessert Service Queen Victoria presented to Nicholas I in 1845 and represents a fascinating, previously unpublished view into the process of designing the important political gift from one monarch to another. The Queen ordered the original sixty-two piece dessert service after Nicholas' 1844 official visit; but it was delivered in 1845. While the finished service is well known for its blue ground and far less exuberant ornament, Coalport historian Michael Messenger describes a similar, or perhaps the same, plate with a green ground and the Order of St. Andrew at center being exhibited at Goode & Co. Galleries in London in 1898. It has been suggested that the composition of the paintings within the reserves should be attributed to the artist W. Cook (1800/01-1876), a factory painter known for his flowers in the Sèvres style and this early design certainly offers proof for this proposition. On the service, see The Wass Collection. Catalogue of a Collection of Royal, Historical Armorial China and Coronation Glass, London, 1898; Michael Messenger, Coalport, 1795-1826, Woodbridge, 1995, pp. 220-222; and, Lydia Liakhova, "English Lessons: British Ceramics at the Russian Court between the Congress of Vienna and the Crimean War," Pinakoteka 18-19, pp. 157-163.