Chelsea and Chelsea-Derby china

Presented to the

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
LIBRARY

by the

ONTARIO LEGISLATIVE
LIBRARY

1980

BY

EGAN MEW

LONDON :TC-# EC -JACK
NEWYORK: DODD MEAD & C9

NOTE

A with so many other of the books of this
series on old porcelains, I am greatly in-
debted to writers who have been before me in
the consideration of the subject. The best
modern books which deal, inter alia, with old
Chelsea chinaware are, it seems to me, the
catalogues by Lady Charlotte and Mr. Charles
Schreiber, Professor Church, and Mr. R. L.
Hobson ; the latter author's work, " Porcelain of
all Countries " ; the volumes on ceramics by
Mr. Moore Binns, Mr. Burton, Mr. Solon; and
Mr. Bemrose's book, "Bow, Chelsea and Derby
Porcelain." There are, of course, many other
and earlier authoritative books, but the research
they contain has become common knowledge
with the passage of time, and in some cases
modern scientific inquiry has altered their con-
clusions.

E. M.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Plate

I. The Minuet Dancers . . . Frontispiece

Page

II. Candlesticks in Bocage . . . .14

III. Chinese Teapot 18

IV. Pair of Hexagonal Vases with Covers . 24
V. The Fortune-Teller 30

VI. Nurse and Child 34

VII. Chelsea Imari Dishes 40

VIII. The Thames Waterman .... 46

IX. Statuettes of Sailor and Girl . . 50

X. The Map-Seller 56

XI. The Shepherd and Shepherdess a la

mode 60

XII. Coloured Milk- Jug ..... 66

XIII. William Pitt and America .... 72

XIV. Statuette with Lace- Work. ... 78
XV. Chelsea-Derby Ewer 82

XVI. Perfume Vase with Statuette ... 88

These illustrations are taken from photographs especially made from the
collections at the British and South Kensington Museums.

CHELSEA AND CHELSEA-
DERBY CHINA

CHAPTER I

ELSEA has long been a name to con-
jure with among the collectors of ceramics,
but I fear the magic has often taken on some
of the qualities of deception. To our day the
whole of the eighteenth century, during which
Chelsea was a delightful out-of-town village, to
which men like Swift went for their health,
and on the road whither footpads were busy, is
always a land of romance and pleasing beauties.
Then especially the art or craft of English porce-
lain-making was in its youth, and the promise
of May was over all the productions of the
Chelsea potters. It is the great period of Walpo-
lania, for the figures of Horace Walpole's friends
and kinsmen were modelled there, and he him-
self became a great collector of the pretty toys

zz

12 OLD CHELSEA

and graceful groups that issued from the factory.
We know the vanity of those—

"Who seek by trophies and dead things
To leave a living name behind,
And weave but nets to catch the wind."

And yet, and yet one is grateful to the
memoirists and collectors who bought these
tentative wares, and tell us something of the
great days of Chelsea.

THE EARLY HISTORY

is not very clearly stated by the many students
of the subject. The first known dated pieces
of Chelsea ware are doubtless those " bee and
goat" jugs which were marked Chelsea in char-
acters and dated 1745. These designs were
probably taken from some silver cream-jugs of
the same pattern dated at the Goldsmiths* Hall
1739. But their style of production does not
suggest that they are the first efforts of a
new factory, and it seems probable that "Old
Chelsea " dates back some five years before 1745.
Against this theory it will be remembered that

PLATE II.— CANDLESTICKS IN BOCAGE

A boy and girl are seen carrying flowers, with a background of a
tree or bocage covered in bloom after the manner of the third period
of Chelsea. The nozzle for the candles is fitted with an elaborate tray,
and the holder is pierced at the sides to give lightness and enable
the housewife to remove candle-ends, a constant difficulty in the
eighteenth century. The figures and trees and bases are painted in
gay colours and gilded, but with tastefulness and restraint.

OLD CHELSEA 15

many foreign workmen who were already accom-
plished in their craft found their way into the
English factories, and brought with them their
methods and their more or less open secrets.
Potters also came from the old-established
earthenware works of Staffordshire to Chelsea,
which appears at that time to have had more
than one not entirely successful factory. In
1750 we are on rather firmer ground, for then
Charles Gouyn is known to have taken over
the freehold of "Great China Row." Already
large quantities of goods were for sale, and the
"undertakers," who proposed to make porcelain
in the Chinese manner, or after the Meissen
style, were already at work. Professor Church
has taken great labour to prove that the first
known Director of the Chelsea works, Charles
Gouyn, as well as the second, Nicholas Sprimont,
were of Flemish rather than of French origin,
as has been sometimes stated. The point is
not of great help to the collector of Chelsea of
to-day, and I think we may be content to owe
the graces of Chelsea ware in its earlier periods
broadly to foreign influence. The wares them-
selves show much the same feeling as the early

16 OLD CHELSEA

wares of France, and the designs as well as
the colours are often taken from the productions
of Sevres and Meissen ; although it will be seen
later that Chelsea could produce both colours
and designs of her own in plenty. Mr. Church
has also sought for the site of the Chelsea
pottery. He says: —

"Although no detailed view or plan of the
works is known to be extant, it has been ascer-
tained that the Chelsea factory was situated at
the river-end and western side of Lawrence
Street; it had a small frontage to the Thames
at the end of what is now called Cheyne Walk.
That a part of the works was situated in the
neighbourhood of Cheyne Row West was proved
in 1843 during excavations previous to building
some new houses there; large quantities of
broken vases and figures were then found. Some
of the baking rooms and ovens have been traced
in the cellars of the Prince of Wales1 Tavern
and adjoining houses. There is extant a portion
of a tea service on which is painted a landscape
including a church, and, adjoining a building like
a factory, a round tower, which might be meant
for a kiln. As the porcelain, though unmarked,

PLATE III.— CHINESE TEAPOT

This piece is evidently intended to reproduce a Chinese example,
for the seated figure is that of a god or immortal, as is shown by the
enlargement of the lobe of the ear. But although the piece is of
interest, it lacks the sense of proportion that inspires even the most
grotesque of Celestial figures. The snake, which winds round the
body of the teapot and erects itself into a spout in the front of the
Chinaman, is not treated in the decorative manner which appeared
natural to the potter of Fuchien, whose work was to some extent
imitated in this class of production of the earliest period of Chelsea.
This piece has the triangle mark incised— a sign at one time considered
common to both early Bow and Chelsea, but now attributed solely
to the latter factory.

OLD CHELSEA 19

is thought to belong to the early Chelsea time,
and as a piece of water, which might be intended
for the Thames, is seen in the middle distance, it
has been contended that we have here a view of
the Chelsea china works. It may be so, but it
teaches us nothing, since the features of the scene
which remain to the present day are entirely
unlike their presentments, and we cannot feel
sure that the factory is more exactly figured."
But the documents which Mr. Bemrose gave
in his work may be said to have fixed the
position of the site.

THE FIRST PERIOD

Whether Gouyn was Flemish, as his name
suggests, or French, as has been stated, the
earliest known productions of Chelsea now
in the Museums have something of the char-
acter of the pseudo-porcelains of St. Cloud.
Figures of a European-Oriental character, and
more or less fully decorated Oriental pieces
intended for the uses of the table, were largely
produced. But pieces of this day were also
frequently put forth without any added colour,

20 OLD CHELSEA

and always without the adventitious use of gold,
which has so often robbed the most charming
porcelains of their artistic merit. These various
wares included the famous bust of the Duke of
Cumberland, who was thought to be a patron,
in a modest way, of the works, and some
groups of a Chinese character. Pieces of this
early period are shown in the illustrations, and
it will be noticed that the differences of this
usually creamy paste and satin-like glaze are
not very marked between early Chelsea and
early Bow. However that may be, the fashion
was for a long while in favour of Chelsea, and
anything that appeared to be well modelled by
Bacon or Roubiliac, the accomplished sculptor,
was at once attributed to the works which
Gouyn started or made famous. The first period,
with several marked characteristics, and often
the triangle sign incised upon the base, is
thought to have ended in 1751, when the

SECOND PERIOD

is distinguished by a difference of texture, and
the embossed anchor became the more usual
mark. This division of Chelsea included many

OLD CHELSEA 21

"sets" of the "old Japan" pattern, which all
potteries found popular, and tea sets and
dishes illustrated with fables from JEsop were
largely made. On page 34 is the agreeable
figure of the nurse from a French model,
which was greatly appreciated, and is now
sought by collectors with no small enthusiasm.
The period, which may be said to have lasted
up to about 1753, produced much of the thickly
made ware, often of Oriental form, which some
writers have thought belonged especially to
Bow. All the work of these early years was
directed by Gouyn, whose labours appear to
have been fairly well rewarded.

CHAPTER II

A CONSIDERABLE change in styles, and
jf\_ a very slight alteration in the actual body
or paste, were brought about by the coming
of Nicholas Sprimont into the Chelsea work-
shops.

His influence may be said to have developed

THE THIRD PERIOD

which begins with 1753 and lasts, roughly
speaking, up to 1758. The anchor in red was
largely used at this time. Various authorities
note that a peculiarity of the porcelains of
about this time is that if you hold a specimen
against a strong light, "moons," or patches
of a greater translucency than the surrounding
mass, will be observed. These are due to
imperfect mixing of the glassy frit with the
other components of the paste. Mr. Hobson,
who has devoted great attention to actual
specimens of Chelsea china, especially perhaps
those in the excellent collection at the British

PLATE IV.— PAIR OF HEXAGONAL VASES WITH COVERS

These are extremely interesting examples of Oriental influence on
Chelsea decoration. They are designed on the Japanese model, and
ornamented in the manner which Kakiemon first made popular in
Hizen in the seventeenth century. The panels are alternately white
and red, the white being decorated with the delicate flowering trees
of the Kakiemon style, and the red panels treated with a spiral pattern
and a single chrysanthemum. These pieces so closely resembled
the Oriental examples that they were often mistaken for them, the
main and most obvious difference being that the Chelsea ware was
of soft paste or artificial porcelain, while the Japanese approximated
closely to the "true" porcelains of the Chinese. These examples,
which measure 10.4 inches in height, belong to the third period of
Chelsea and are marked with a red anchor.

OLD CHELSEA 25

Museum, mentions that with the third period
" began the extensive production of pieces of
every variety, table wares, rococo vases, figures
and smaller objects, such as scent bottles,
Muzz, seals, pendants, toilet boxes, &c. The
painting was at first in the Meissen style-
scattered flowers, birds, insects, and small
landscapes being most usual, in addition to
moulded ornaments, such as frills, scroll and
shell work, and the applied flowers so common
in ornamental porcelain." The colour, too,
became more and more attractive. It is
thought that the mazarine blue was invented
at Chelsea towards the end of this period,
and it is certain that rich body colours, with
"reserves" holding painted pictures after the
gay, graceful, and artificial manner so much in
use first at Vincennes and then at Sevres, were
largely introduced. In fact, a review of the
Chelsea productions of this time, which were
sold in large quantities by auction, does not
display very many especially British qualities.
All our early pseudo-chinawares certainly owe
a great deal not only to foreign designs, but
to workmen and artists who came from abroad,

26 OLD CHELSEA

and helped us— doubtless for a consideration—
to develop our native work. In this period
Chelsea china was well before the public, and
a sixteen days* sale in the Haymarket must
have made it extremely well known to the
virtuosi of a day when elegance of taste was
highly valued — side by side with some rather
less graceful qualities. At this time large
quantities of those dishes and other pieces
which reproduced vegetables — lettuces, aspara-
gus, and so forth — and fruits, including apples,
lemons, and the like, were greatly in vogue.
Elaborate lists have been given of the various
productions put up at these long auctions, but it
is no doubt enough for the present collector to
study the excellent specimens in the Schreiber
and other collections, which give a good idea
of the vast number and varieties of pieces which
were produced under Sprimont's guidance.

Certain changes were made about 1758-59,
and so one may consider that the

FOURTH PERIOD

then began. During the very early days the
porcelain possessed a very soft glaze, and a

OLD CHELSEA 27

slightly wax-like surface, but after 1759 new
forces were at work. Professor Church says :
" From that date all the china made at Chelsea
was, we believe, phosphatic— that is, it con-
tained bone-ash in the body; also the use of
gold in its decoration became at that time
more frequent and more lavish; figures with
gilding upon them are not indeed so much as
mentioned in the sale catalogue of 1756. There
is a frequent peculiarity of the earlier body
which may be named here." He then alludes
to the moon-like discs already mentioned, and
adds: "Sprimont, on succeeding to the owner-
ship and management of the works about the
year 1749, introduced several changes into them,
extending not merely to the forms and decora-
tion of the pieces, but to the substance of the
ware itself. The use of bone-ash at Bow, since
1748, had probably become quickly known to
the Chelsea manager, who, forthwith, followed
this practice."

At this time the work produced is often
transparent, and as near perfection as so ten-
tative an undertaking could hope to approach.
But, as with foreign work, lavish decoration

28 OLD CHELSEA

,

came to the aid of such pieces as had been
tried a little too much by the fire and not
come through unflawed. Fine dark blue was
then used, and many charming colours, based
possibly on the victories of Sevres, were pro-
duced with excellent effect. Some colours
were invented by and belonged alone to Chel-
sea; among those of this period may safely be
mentioned that particular claret colour which,
although perhaps fortuitous, was unknown else-
where. At this time, too, many of the statuettes
which are now so greatly sought came into
being. The curious Pitt which will be found
on page 72, the admirable Wilkes whose very
ugliness made him handsome, and Horace
Walpole's relation and friend Field-Marshal
Conway, are of this time. The boy and girl
with flute on page 60 are also fine examples
of this period, a group in a highly idealistic
vein then, and now, very justly popular with
the enemies of naturalism. Many other greatly
collected styles of ware belong to this time,
but perhaps it will be more convenient to write
of them under the heading of decoration.

PLATE V.— THE FORTUNE-TELLER

In the original this group has a romantic and picturesque air.
The figure of the old man is crowned with a wreath of leaves and
berries ; and his mysterious, serious, and intense attitude convey more
drama than is usual with these pieces. The girl is at once anxious
to know and afraid to learn the future. The group is produced in th*
delicate ivory white of the first period.

OLD CHELSEA 31

THE FIFTH PERIOD

began with 1770, and it continued with varying
fortunes for fourteen years. These are the
last days when the all-absorbing influence of
William Duesbury, and the Derby works which
he conducted so cleverly, was over the whole
concern.

In 1769 the Chelsea factories were under the
management of Francis Thomas, but in the
following year Duesbury took over the whole
affair, and the Chelsea-Derby style began and
flourished. The change is clearly seen in the
examples which still survive, and is shown to
some extent in our illustrations. Specimens of
this period are difficult to place certainly as pro-
duced either at Chelsea or Derby. The qualities
of both works were married, as it were, and
the productions of the last of Chelsea-Derby
period show the characteristics of both the
parent factories.

CHAPTER III

A^iTER glancing at the various historical
periods of the Chelsea works, it is as well
to consider the important point of the

DECORATION

for it is to some extent by this ornament that
you shall know the products of this factory. It
may be almost taken for granted that Oriental
characteristics and patterns, either taken directly
from Chinese pieces or handed on via the ac-
complished painters of Meissen porcelain, were
the beginnings of all English pseudo-china de-
signs. With Chelsea it was certainly so, and
in due time these Chinese and Japanese — or
Indian as they were called — decorations gave
way before the strong influence of French
eighteenth-century art. At that time every one
was neglecting Italy, and looking to France as
the fountain-head of all that was worthy to be

loved.

P

PLATE VI.— NURSE AND CHILD

This statuette reproduces the well-known figures made by BarthS-
lemy de Element, at Avon, near Fontainebleau, in the sixteenth
century, and often attributed to Palissy. In this form it represents
the rare second period of Chelsea. In this example the nurse and
child are very slightly coloured ; in some others the pigments are
much deeper, but the ensemble is charming and fresh. The mark
is a raised anchor, painted red, on an embossed oval shield.

OLD CHELSEA 35

When Frederic the Great was King of Prussia
the whole of the German Empire, with its 300
princes, turned to France for artistic inspira-
tion, and they did not turn in vain. England
was not. so entirely dominated by this form of
hero-worship. We were then satisfied with our
own somewhat clumsy manufactures. But when
the china potteries were started it was the
Continent that supplied us with information and
with artists, at least for a while, and our own
men, like Bacon, the sculptor and R.A., worked
side by side with foreign modellers such as
Roubiliac.

The father of Joseph Nollekens, R.A., the
famous sculptor of the late eighteenth century,
is also said to have modelled many figures for
this factory. But John Thomas Smith, the bio-
grapher of the curious and amusing sculptor,
disposes of the artistic work of " Old Nollekens,"
as Walpole called him, by saying that he
studied under Watteau and that his pictures
were, in point of subject and scenery, somewhat
similar to those of his master, though in other
respects far short of that tasteful artist's feeling.
Smith, however, complicates matters by adding

36 OLD CHELSEA

that Joseph Nollekens modelled for Chelsea;
which is, of course, very possible. Mr. Hobson
says : " It is improbable that transfer printing
was ever practised at Chelsea, and the few
examples of Chelsea ware so decorated are likely
to have been sent across the water to the works
at York House, Battersea, to receive the im-
pressions. The Chelsea ware is almost always
painted in enamel colours when decorated at
all; there are a few examples in the British
Museum collection with landscapes pencilled in
black and washed over with transparent green
enamel, an uncommon style of decoration of
Chinese origin." This is, it may be added, one
of the most attractive styles employed on these
old wares. The painted decoration was gener-
ally from English hands, although the inspiration
was often taken from the productions of foreign
manufactories. Of the actual artists of Chelsea
few are known by name, although close students
of old pieces think that they can sometimes
say such and such examples are decorated by
the same hand. Towards the end of the Chelsea
days, Zachariah Boreman and Askew, Dontil,
Mills, Dyer, and a few others are spoken of

wit:

OLD CHELSEA 37

;hout greatly helping us to attribute their
work. But Donaldson, who, it is pretty well
known, painted some remarkable vases at
Worcester about 1770, would no doubt have
found employment at Chelsea; for, as I have
said elsewhere, artists visited various factories,
and spread the favour of their graceful art
across a wide field.

O'Neale, too, worked for both factories, and
certain pieces are attributed on fairly good
evidence to his skill.

Under the clever superintendence of Sprimont,
a school of young decorators of porcelain was
founded, and it is probably these pupils to whom
we owe much of the coloured work now so
greatly admired.

The various illustrations which follow will
show fairly well how extremely diverse were the
decorations of the thousands of pieces which were
issued during the four periods of Chelsea, and
the fourteen years of the Chelsea-Derby days.
Good gilding is certainly a characteristic of later
Chelsea, and the enamel colours are also well
handled.

The Chelsea-Derby period shows some note

38 OLD CHELSEA

of the classic reticence which was -'then being
felt in all the crafts. The old gaiety and some-
what vague rococo curves and curls were de-
parting, and the pseudo-classic took the place
of much that, if sometimes weak, was still artis-
tically amusing and lively. Lace-work, made
popular — like so many other kinds of porcelain
— by Meissen, was employed, as is shown in
the pleasing figures of "Reading Aloud" and
" Sewing " at the British Museum. New ground
colours were used, and the classic revival dis-
missed the strong colours of the once famous
Chelsea "claret" and dark-blue grounds, and
replaced them with more delicate but thin and
ungenerous washes of light colour.

SOME STATUETTES

Although examples of the true Chelsea bring
larger and larger sums each year under the
hammer, pieces have been so carefully preserved
in far-off country houses and out-of-the-way
corners, that there is still a chance of a " find "
in this direction. Not long ago, in the com-
fortable "drawing-room floor" of a house in
which I had rooms at a small seaside town, I

PLATE VII.— CHELSEA IMARI DISHES

The second period of Chelsea produced many very sophisticated
examples, but in the way of copies of the Oriental these two dishes
are quite remarkable. No doubt the decorator had before him an
early example of Imari ware ; in any case the effect of Japanese work
is complete. The colours are under-glaze blue and over-glaze enamels
and gilding. The flowering chrysanthemum in the middle, and panels
of flowers alternating with what Mr. Hobson calls " lozengy diapers "
on the sides, show every characteristic of the Japanese convention,
and the result is a tour de force in imitation. The mark is an anchor
in blue, which, with the quality of the paste, alone differentiates these
pieces from the early Japanese.

OLD CHELSEA 41

found three perfect figures of the kind in a cabinet
which contained some of the most utter rubbish
that could be brought together. But there are
many more or less successful imitations, and
the gold or red anchor mark to which some
amateurs pin their faith may completely mislead
unless considered in conjunction with the paste,
glaze, and decoration.

The first mention of Chelsea figures appears
about 1750, the year in which began a period of
remarkable productiveness which lasted some
fifteen years. During that time Horace Walpole
saw a set of Chelsea porcelain which the king
was about to present to the Duke of Mecklen-
burg ; it cost £1200, no small sum for his econo-
mical majesty. About then, too, a "lustre "was
made for £600 to the order of the Duke of
Cumberland, who took an especial interest in
the works. And during those years, too,
an enormous quantity and variety of pieces
were put upon the market. Walpole had a
fine collection at Strawberry Hill, as became
so strong a dilettante, and all the world bought
and, what is more important to us to-day, pre-
served this interesting work. The figure pieces,

42 OLD CHELSEA

of course, owed a good deal, artistically speaking,
to Dresden and French designs, but they have
a characteristic of their own which makes for
a greater naturalness and truth. They are, in
fact, a trifle less insincere than the work from
the Meissen factory or from Sevres. Delightful
as are the gay shepherdesses and their friends
and the flower-enclosed swains and lovers, which
bloomed so freely among the products of Chel-
sea, these idealities do not possess the interest
to-day that is to be found in the statuettes
or busts of well-known people. The Chelsea
"George II." is an excellent piece of work.
Field-Marshal Conway was a relation and inti-
mate friend of Horace Walpole, and we may
be sure that, in its day, his statuette was subject
to many family critics. Conway's daughter —
the admired Anna Seymour Darner, to whom
Walpole left Strawberry Hill and £2000 a year
to keep it up — was a sculptor of no mean ac-
quirement, and all her set were sincerely in-
terested in English as well as foreign art, and
would not allow the admirable efforts of Chelsea
towards producing an English porcelain to go
unpatronised.

OLD CHELSEA 43

Among the statuettes and figures are many
which suggest the Meissen influence — such as
the monkeys playing on various instruments,
which had been originally made to caricature
the musicians at the Saxon Court. Many
figures are mentioned in Mr. Nightingale's
notes for a history of ceramics, and Professor
Church gives some of the following, which may
still be seen in various collections, or perhaps
found by some lucky collector in a forgotten
cabinet. There is the Madonna and Child,
standing on a globe and holding a Cross; the
famous map-seller, of which an illustration will
be found on page 56; a cobbler and wife sing-
ing; a group of Europe and Asia, and one of
Africa and America ; Perseus and Andromeda ;
a set of five figures emblematic of the senses.
These early statuettes were either without any
gilding or were very sparingly adorned with
gold. After 1759 the more gorgeously coloured
and the richly gilt figures were extensively
produced. Amongst these may be named many
of the copies of the well-known four quarters
of the globe; the "antique seasons"; the
Welsh tailor and his wife on goats, copied from

44 OLD CHELSEA

the Meissen pair, I presume; Shakespeare,
Milton, and Sir Isaac Newton ; Apollo and the
nine Muses; George III. in a Van Dyck dress
leaning on an altar; Una and the lion, twenty-
seven inches high, and Britannia of the same
height. A copy of this last piece sold in 1875
for £157, ios. Scores of other figures and
groups might be named here — actors and
actresses, politicians, distinguished military and
naval commanders, royal personages (mostly
modelled from contemporary paintings and en-
gravings), and subjects from Greek and Roman
history or mythology. The "Music Lesson"
and the statuette of Lord Chatham are good
examples of these fine pieces. The former
example was probably modelled by Roubiliac ;
it bears the mark of an R stamped in the
paste. Copies or adaptations from the figures
made at foreign factories were often produced
at Chelsea. The group of Jason and Medea,
and the many known examples in the Schreiber
collection, show great variety and beauty-
qualities which make the statuettes and figures
of old Chelsea the especial quarry of the china
hunter.

PLATE VIII.— THE THAMES WATERMAN

The Doggett sculling competition for the coat and badge was
instituted by Thomas Doggett, the actor and dramatic author, in
1715, and is still in existence. This figure, in the first period of
Chelsea work, gives an animated representation of a winner. It is
considered by some judges of old Chelsea to be the boldest and best
and most characteristic of the figures there produced.

CHAPTER IV

IT will be remembered that in mid-eighteenth
century and later the princes of the earth
were fond of making rather elaborate presents
of china to each other and to their friends.
S&vres wares were sent to Saxony, and the
Meissen gifts went far afield. Of course, ce Roy
de Fayence, as the bitter Frederic the Great
called his neighbour of Saxony, was the real
King of Porcelain (not " Fayence," as Frederic
appears to have thought), and all presents of
chinaware sent to Germany must have appeared
poor judged by the Dresden standard. But
this fact did not prevent Queen Charlotte of
England sending her brother, the Duke of
Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a large quantity of the
work of Chelsea, an example of which can now
be seen at the South Kensington Museum.
This waif (part of a candelabrum) from the
Mecklenburg - Strelitz present is elaborately
painted with coloured flowers and butterflies
and scrolls in rich gold upon a bleu du roi
ground. In one of Horace Walpole's letters,

47

I OLD CHELSEA

dated 1763, he says: "I saw yesterday a
magnificent service of Chelsea china, which the
king and queen are sending to the Duke of
Mecklenburg. There are dishes and plates
without number, an epergne, candlesticks, salt-
cellars, sauce-boats, tea and coffee equipages—
in short, it is complete, and costs twelve hundred
pounds ! I cannot boast of our taste," adds the
critical writer of so many amusing and rather
pose letters ; " the forms are neither new, beau-
tiful, nor various. Yet Sprimont, the manufac-
turer, is a Frenchman. It seems their taste will
not bear transplanting." Of course one does not
expect perfect accuracy from a wit, and in this
case it would appear that Walpole was as incor-
rect in regard to the nationality of the maker as
to the tastefulness of the service. But the writer
was above all a man of fashion, and no doubt
the pattern of this particular gift did not con-
form to his latest fad in porcelain. But, as I
have said, other work from Chelsea received his
patronage, and among it those

TOYS AND TRINKETS

of which so large a quantity was made. In the
catalogue of the fine collection brought together

PLATE IX.— STATUETTES OF SAILOR AND GIRL

These figures in action are thought to be of the famous actor
Woodward and Miss Nancy Dawson in the characters of a play of
the period. The lady, who appears to possess a come-hither air, is
charmingly modelled, and the colouring and gilding is in the best
manner of the fourth Chelsea period. The rustic bases with scroll-
work, and the flowers and foliage painted and in relief, are char-
acteristic, while the liveliness and drama in the action of the figures
ives them more the air of Meissen pieces than those of Chelsea,
:h often lack movement and grace.

OLD CHELSEA 51

by Lady Charlotte and Mr. Charles Schreiber,
and given to the nation, there is a note which
quotes some of the advertisements of the period
in regard to a sale in 1754, apparently con-
fined to porcelain toys and the smaller objects
then made at Chelsea. The sale lasted five
days, and included snuff-boxes, smelling-bottles,
"etweis" trinkets for watches; there was also
a large parcel of porcelain hafts, for table and
dessert knifes and forks, "in lots suitable for
jewellers, goldsmiths, toy-shops, china-shops,
cutlers, and workmen in those branches of
business." Another advertisement, which gives
a good idea of the large trade done at Chelsea,
is of the date of 1756, when, in Great Marlborough
Street, is sold " the entire stock of Laumas and
Rolyat, late of Lisbon, merchants, consisting of
one hundred double dozen of Chelsea china knives
and forks, silver mounted, several dozen china
smelling-bottles, mounted in gold and ornamented
with stones of several sorts." Among the toys
and trinkets are to be found a great number
of seals, then in everyday use on the wax and
wafer of the period. Many of these are Conti-
nental in style, and show a motto in French —

52 OLD CHELSEA I

not always entirely correct. For example, there
is the seal in the form of Pulchinello with hump-
back and mask, and the legend "Toujours gay,"
or the green parrot with the engaging promise
"Discret en amour." These, and a thousand
others, are set with a cornelian intaglio with
some further design, such as a dove holding a
branch, or a classical head, or yet a further
motto which tells of UAmitte, or some more
intimate sentiment. A man playing the bag-
pipes, or a lady with a watering-pot, or a Cupid
as a sportsman with his ready bow and quiver,
were among the many delicate painted figures
which were used as handles for these seals.

THE SCENT-BOTTLES

also formed a large department of Chelsea
work for many years. Some were of a double
character, moulded and painted representing
birds, especially the admired exotic parrot.
These little bottles were no doubt used as
presents, and often bore some sweet sentiment
or protestation. One is formed by a Cupid
beside a flowering tree, and the motto, "Point

OLD CHELSEA 53

de roses sans espines"; another was of hearts
and bows and arrows, with a "Je tire au
cceur" thrown in. The pug dog, then a great
favourite with ladies of fashion, was often used,
and the motto, "Fidelle," repeated on so many
pieces that one fears that the age, so unlike our
own, felt the need of this reminder. Designs in
the rather vaguely called Watteau style were
frequently painted delicately on these scent-
bottles, and much ingenuity was shown in
making these elegant trifles attractive and gay.

CANE HANDLES

were considerably the vogue, painted and gilded
in much the same way as the other examples
of this busy department of Chelsea. Many
survive into our own day, and have been
greatly copied in modern hard porcelain, which
is of course very easily distinguished from the
original soft paste.

BRELOQUES

formed yet another department of Chelsea toys.
These small "charms" were often made in the
shape of a face wearing a domino delicately

54 OLD CHELSEA

painted, and with diamond eyes and gold
mounts; usually these pieces were about one
inch in length.

BONBONNlfeRES AND PATCH-BOXES

were made in large quantities, and often de-
corated very elaborately with Battersea enamel,
gold mounts, moss-agates, and other stones.
Many of these contained a welcome addition in
the form of a small but brilliant mirror in the
lid. Phrases and quotations as polite and
affectionate as could well be wished were
painted on them in the usual style. Various
forms of 6tuis were also among the pleasing
trinkets that displayed the skill of the Chelsea
potters and artists in conjunction with the
craftsmanship of workers in gold and jewels.
No doubt the well-known George Moser, the
father of one of the only two lady members of
the Royal Academy, was one of the producers
of these particular toys; but many must have
been employed upon them, and no doubt the
goldsmiths and jewellers mentioned in the ad-
vertisement already quoted bought such pieces

PLATE X.— THE MAP-SELLER

A very characteristic statuette of the third Chelsea period, showing
an idealised figure of the streets. The dress, flowers, and so forth
are painted in bright colours and gold, and the general effect is
decorative. The statuette is probably one of a pair, the other being
the figure of a Jew selling toys. They ware popular among Chelsea
buyers about 1756, They do not appear to have been marked.

OLD CHELSEA

57

in the rough and mounted and decorated them
to please the taste of the day.

The many little objects here mentioned may
be said to have made up the main classes of
toys which the Chelsea works caused to be so
popular in England during the earlier days of
George III.

CHAPTER V

UNLIKE the factories of Meissen or Sevres
and many other Continental works, those
that were started in England in the mid-eigh-
teenth century were largely dependent on the
production of more or less utilitarian pieces.
Without these the works could not have been
carried forward. It is true that the Duke of
Cumberland, and later George III. and his
Queen, sometimes gave large orders, and per-
haps helped the undertaking in other ways;
but the kind of royal patronage of Louis XV.
or the Kings of Poland — owners of the Meissen
factory — was unknown to the English adven-
turers in porcelain. But the large quantities of

DOMESTIC SERVICES

were widely appreciated by the rich, and but for
the heavy cost of production, due to failures in
the firing and so forth, the works should have
continued to prosper for many years. In the

catalogue of " One Year's Curious Productions of

58

PLATE XI.— THE SHEPHERD AND SHEPHERDESS
A LA MODE

Shows a type of group that was immensely popular with the
patrons of Chelsea. The modeller is no doubt the famous Roubiliac,
who did so much to make the factory fashionable. The idyllic
shepherd lad and his " laddess," as Walpole wrote, are seated beneath
the formal and conventional bocage of hawthorn in very full bloom.
He has his arm round her neck — always a great assistance in teaching
the flute. At their feet are two lambs and the sheep-dog. Another
lamb reposes with a delighted air on the lap of the shepherdess. The
base is worthy of so elaborate a simplicity. The scroll-work is un-
usually graceful and richly gilded. The flowers are in high relief
and carefully painted. The mark is the anchor in gold and the R
(Roubiliac) impressed. The height is over 15 inches.

OLD CHELSEA 61

the Chelsea Porcelain Factory" of goods sold
in 1756, which was reprinted by Mr. Read and
often alluded to by writers on the subject,
many of the remarkable tureens and dishes
such as are seen in many collections are de-
scribed at length. These include pieces some-
thing in the same manner as the well-known
tureen in the form of a rabbit eating a cabbage
leaf, which is prominent in the South Kensing-
ton collection. One is described as "Hen and
Chicken" dish and cover on large oval stand,
with sunflower and foliage in relief; another
represented a boar's head or a drake. A
favourite pattern was that of a group of two
doves, which formed the usual dish and cover.
Partridges sitting on their nests, " coloured after
nature," rabbits, swans, and so forth, were also
greatly popular. All these curious old dishes
may be come across from time to time, and judg-
ing by the catalogues of sales of Chelsea, they
must have been made in considerable numbers.
In such a collection as that of the Schreiber,
examples from very many varying sets are
brought together, and the efforts made by the
managers to supply some new thing— often

62 OLD CHELSEA

borrowed from a Continental factory — are very
apparent. Many of the famous sauce-boats in
the form of a double leaf, carefully painted in
colours with insects — these little creatures often
being used to hide a flaw in the piece itself—
in the Dresden style, are still to be happened
upon. Among the more famous of the Chelsea
patterns of dinner service are the Warren
Hastings and the Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The
former is so called because a set was sold
with that remarkable man's effects at Dayles-
ford House in 1818. The pattern is described
as having the border moulded into three panels
of scroll-work separated by a diaper pattern
in low relief; these are painted in colours.
In each of the panels a landscape is carefully
painted. The centre of the pieces shows a
bouquet and detached flowers. The Mecklen-
burg-Strelitz is equally sought for by those
interested in old Chelsea. Notwithstanding
Walpole's lack of admiration for the set in-
tended for Queen Charlotte's brother, that and
other services of the pattern are greatly admired,
and show some of the most careful work in
this department produced at the factory. The

OLD CHELSEA 63

plates and dishes have a wavy edge, well
painted in fine colours and richly gilded. In
the centre of such pieces as I have mentioned
is the ever useful and decorative exotic bird
surrounded by foliage, insects, festoons of flowers,
and fine panels decorated with insects in gold
on a mazarine blue ground. These sets are
usually marked with an anchor in gold. The
other old Chelsea pattern which competes most
closely with that of the Mecklenburg-Strelitz
is no doubt the Warren Hastings design;
but there are many, almost equally famous,
which go to show the fashion for this ware
among the great families of the time was very
considerable. Among these are many varieties
in the "Japanese taste," and a long range of
pieces almost entirely covered with detached
flowers and insects irregularly arranged. This
does not sound a very decorative style of work,
but the actual pieces, owing to the delicacy of
the painting and the style of the material, are
very attractive. The Chinese taste, which I
have already mentioned, is seen to great ad-
vantage on very many of the Chelsea pieces
which have survived.

64 OLD CHELSEA

In some cases the decoration is so perfect
an imitation of the Oriental, or follows that
style so closely, that nothing but the quality of
the paste marks the difference. But, on the
other hand, the more general examples of what
may be called Celestial decoration done at
these works show the eighteenth-century in-
clination to effect what the artists and public
then considered an improvement on the Oriental
style of drawing. Thus the beautifully propor-
tioned drawings of the Chinese, whose laws in
these matters were as rigid as in other respects,
often underwent a transformation which made
them appear absurd, if curious. But, of course,
Chelsea was not alone or original in this
adaptation and this use of Chinese decorative
ideals. Most of the artists in all the potteries
of Europe were doing the same thing ; also the
workers in lacquer and the many minor arts
were busy making the beautiful decorations
of the East fit as far as possible with the
Western conventions of the moment. It may,
however, be seen from some of the illustrations
here given that there were Chelsea artists who
appreciated and kept closely to the Chinese

PLATE XII.— COLOURED MILK- JUG

This piece is elaborately decorated with painting and gilding. The
exotic birds, which were so popular on chinaware, are here seen to
advantage. The body of the jug is of a raised scale or pine-cone
pattern as to the lower part, the handle is skilfully moulded, and
the whole piece highly typical of the utilitarian productions of the
fourth period of Chelsea work.

OLD CHELSEA 67

patterns. This was especially the case in re-
gard to the purely decorative arrangements of
design. When figures, which are so particularly
well placed and graceful in old Nankin, were
attempted in the Chinese manner, a certain
awkwardness is frequently shown.

FORMS AND SHAPES

These also, it must be owned, were largely
inspired by the work of the Chinese. The
octagonal basins, cups and saucers, often with
a painting in colours of a Chinese lady and
building or landscape, were Oriental in shape.
So also were the hexagonal pieces, such as the
teapots marked with the early incised triangle,
and perhaps the large number of pieces, such
as a well-known sugar-box in the form of figs,
which represented fruit in form and colouring —
a frequent and elegant style of Chinese work.
Most of the Continental factories were also
drawn upon for shapes, and the styles of Meis-
sen and S&vres were copied freely in this as in
other directions.

68 OLD CHELSEA

SILVER PATTERNS

But another factor in the choice of form is
to be found in the fact that the early china-
ware was intended to take the place of silver.
I have mentioned elsewhere that the " Bee
and Goat" jugs of Chelsea were taken from
an early silver pattern, but a glance at a col-
lection of eighteenth-century silver services will
show very many pieces which, if not exactly
copied in porcelain, were at least very nearly
reproduced. Teapots, cream-jugs, sauce-boats,
and other pieces owe a great deal to the silver-
smith's art. Many of the early workers in
pseudo-porcelain were, in point of fact, firstly
artificers in metal.

By utilitarian pieces I do not, of course,
mean services for the common people, but
rather chocolate cups and fruit sets for the
rich. The democratic spirit may have been
abroad, as the social history of the period
proves, but china services strong enough for
daily use in modest households were far from
being in vogue at this time. A critic of the
year 1755, discussing the porcelain factories of

OLD CHELSEA 69

Europe, complained that not one of them had
ventured to work for common utility, and added
that all the porcelains made in Europe were
too fragile and too glassy, and that, not being
able to make them good, the factories produced
only beautiful and costly specimens suitable for
ornament.

This criticism, however, is hardly fair to Bow
and Chelsea, for I, at least, can remember
white plates and dishes of the former factory
in use in my youth, and have taken dessert, in
those far-off days, from Chelsea sets in many
homes by no means palatial or greatly dowered
with the world's goods.

CHAPTER VI

SO far the products of Chelsea of which I
have spoken were made under the manage-
ment of Gouyn and the more important Nicholas
Sprimont, to whom belongs the full fame of
most of the collector's specimens. In Mr.
William Bemrose's book on the subject, he
gives the following short chronological table of
the Chelsea works: —

1730. Works supposed to have been established about
this date. Carried on by Gouyn : then by Nicholas Spri-
mont.

1745. Earliest dated specimen known.

1756. Works partially or altogether closed until 1758.

1759- Sprimont leases Lawrence Street site, Chelsea,
for fourteen years; he had previously made porcelain at
that address.

1769. September 29. Sprimont sells the lease and
works to James Cox. In the next year Cox sells the
lease and works to William Duesbury and John Heath of
Derby.

1771. Sprimont dies.

1784. The works are closed, and models, moulds, and

some of the workmen removed to Derby.

70

PLATE XIII.— WILLIAM PITT AND AMERICA

There is a hint of the well-known statue of Shakespeare about
the pose of William Pitt, Earl of Chatham. The statuette was made
rather in memory of what Pitt would have liked to do in regard to
America than what he really effected. The Indian woman who
kneels by his side typifies America; the large and curious lizard,
the heavy club, the lion skin, and so forth, show what might have
happened if Pitt's proposed conciliatory policy towards the American
colonies, including the repeal of the Stamp Act, had been carried
out. Judged by results, this memorial of the things that were not in
1766 seems a little absurd, but it remains an interesting example
of art and history — according to Chelsea in its fourth period.

OLD CHELSEA 73

This little statement leaves out the name of
Francis Thomas, who seems to have been the
manager to and friend of Sprimont, as well as the
director of the china factory in Lawrence Street,
Chelsea, for a time. He was also the owner of
a very large quantity of Chelsea china which
had belonged to Sprimont, about which there
were troublesome lawsuits— a class of worry
which pursued all manufacturers of porcelain in
that day. These changes above shown lead on
to the

CHELSEA-DERBY

period, which many people consider even more
interesting than the early days of Chelsea work.
The authorities of the British Museum have
allowed us to take some photographs of the
examples of this period, from which it will be
seen that the character is not greatly altered at
first, but later becomes pure Derby china.

WILLIAM DUESBURY

One of the most remarkable figures in eigh-
teenth-century porcelain manufacture was un-
doubtedly Duesbury of Derby, who, from what

74 OLD CHELSEA

are quaintly called humble conditions, rose by
his energy and skill to the head of his busi-
ness. In 1770, the year of the death of Francis
Thomas, the manager, and twelve months before
that of Nicholas Sprimont, who it may be taken
had made a fortune at Chelsea, Duesbury took
over possession of the works and stock and re-
placed Thomas with his own manager, Richard
Barton, who was also a modeller. For a time
little work was done there, but, such as it was,
it showed a good profit, and the trade was
gradually increased.

Duesbury was born in 1725, and was greatly
helped in the early days by the confidence
which the bankers of Derby, John and Christopher
Heath, placed in his commercial ability. With
their aid, no doubt, he bought up the Bow and
Chelsea works and extended the Derby factory,
which was at first taken in the names of the
Heaths. But Duesbury was a practical workman
and " enameller on china " as well as a business
man. Mr. Bemrose brought together a very large
number of Duesbury documents, many of which
show that he was a good deal in London, and
learnt enamelling at one of the metropolitan

OLD CHELSEA 75

factories, which he eventually bought up and
transferred to his own town. Among other dealers
for whom Duesbury enamelled i Chelsea ware,
about 1740-50, was one Thomas Turner, whose
curious idea of an added value to china has been
made immortal by Horace Walpole. This shop-
man, for whom Duesbury probably enamelled
the figures of Mrs. Kitty Clive and Mr. Wood-
ward, mentioned in my little book on "Bow,"
at a charge of three shillings each, eventually
had his stock sold out in 1767. But long before
that, in 1750, Walpole wrote to Sir Horace Mann
in regard to a recent earthquake, and mentions
that "Turner, a great china-man at the corner
of the next street, had a jar cracked by the
shock; he originally asked ten guineas for the
pair; he now asks twenty, because it is the
only pair in Europe that has been cracked by
an earthquake." That is the sort of curio that
should have delighted the bizarre and sentiment-
governed taste of Walpole, who was far more
a faddist in the curious than a real artist and
lover of the beautiful. The various notes which
Duesbury made on the work he did for Turner,
and other sellers of Chelsea, have enabled Mr.

76 OLD CHELSEA

Bemrose to exactly place the period of a con
siderable number of pieces which it would other-
wise have been difficult to attribute to any
particular year. But the Duesbury work books
are a little difficult to the modern reader. For
example, in the 1751-53 book he makes a memo-
randum to the following effect in his own form
of spelling : " How to color the group, a gentleman
busing a lady— gentlm a gold trimd cote, a pink
wascot crimson and trimd with gold and black
breeches and socs the lade a flowrd sack—
with yellow robings a black stomegar her hare
black his wig powdrd." Such a piece of in-
struction, although a little confusing to our hyper-
critical intelligence, becomes a valuable document
when you wish to place this particular group, of
a Meissen character, which shows a little scene
of gallantry between a lady in a flowered sack
and a gentleman in a crimson waistcoat. But
notwithstanding Duesbury's skill as an artist,
he was far more successful as the head of a
large organisation, such as he developed out of
the Derby factory and those of Bow and Chelsea.
In regard to the latter, there appears to be no
doubt he would have liked to carry it on at its

PLATE XIV.— STATUETTE WITH LACE-WORK

This figure, one of a pair, is among the most lively of the Chelsea-
Derby examples. The man is seated, reading aloud, and the second
figure, which does not appear here, is a lady knitting. The colour-
ing on both is slight but very effective, and the drawing and modelling
worthy of Meissen, whence the design was, I think, taken. Delicate
lace-work will be found on the costumes. In 1771 this lace- work
is first mentioned in the catalogue of a sale of Chelsea and Derby
productions, and was, it is supposed, first employed about 1770.

OLD CHELSEA 79

original site, but for difficulties in regard to the
lease, which at last obliged him to remove the
whole affair to Derby, where he had no diffi-
culty about space and so forth. Throughout its
changing fortunes Chelsea had managed to make
a considerable name for itself, and Duesbury
would most likely have been rather proud to
continue it. The marks which we always call
Chelsea-Derby — the various forms of anchor
and D from 1770 to 1784 — have been thought
by some students of the subject to mean Chelsea
Duesbury, thus showing that this important
eighteenth-century potter was anxious to demon-
strate his close connection with the London
factory, which had become famous before his
time, and is now glorified beyond most of the
early English adventures in porcelain.

CHAPTER VII

ENDON museums are particularly useful to
the student of Chelsea in general, and
Chelsea- Derby in particular. Of this, the last
phase of the historic works, the Schreiber col-
lection at South Kensington alone has some
fifty examples, and the British Museum is
almost equally well supplied. To those who
would collect in this period a study of these
original pieces is, of course, of the greatest
value. The closer the study, the better chance
there is of saving the buyer of Chelsea-Derby
from the many modern foreign imitations
which are now on the market. I think it was
the late Mr. Cosmo Monkhouse who defined
the best connoisseur or judge of china as " the
man who has the subtlest perception of small
distinctions " ; another way, perhaps, of putting
the Chinese phrase, "One must see much with
seeing eyes." But in any case it is almost a
commonplace of collecting to hint that one

should know such original pieces, as one may

so

PLATE XV.— CHELSEA-DERBY EWER

This shows very clearly the classic spirit of decoration which had
now descended upon Chelsea-Derby wares. The ground of the
oviform body of the vase is ornamented with vertical lines in gilt,
and two oval planes are reserved and painted in colours, with a female
figure representing Virtue on one side and a landscape on the other.
The general appearance shows that the classic influence upon the
craft of porcelain was not a very happy one. The mark is an
anchor in gold and two incised workmen's marks.

OLD CHELSEA

say, "by heart," and thus be able to see the
differences which appear in modern reproduc-
tions.

It is well to bear in mind that all Chelsea
work is soft paste, and the glaze is easily
marked with the sharp point of a knife. The
imitations are hard paste.

Among the best known of the Chelsea-Derby
pieces which enable the collector to become
acquainted with the original characteristics of
these productions are the following: The
famous "Time clipping the Wings of Cupid,"
which was probably taken from the mezzotint
by Charles Phillips, dated 1772, or the original
Blenheim Van Dyck of that subject. In the
catalogue of the first public sale of Chelsea-
Derby porcelain, quoted in the Schreiber notes,
after Duesbury had taken over the factory, this
piece is spoken of as a curious figure enamelled
and ornamented with burnished gold, and priced
at £1, 93. As the catalogue was published in
1771, and Phillips's mezzotint was dated 1772, it
is possible the group may be taken from some
other drawing, although it is probable that the
engraving bore a slightly later date than its

84 OLD CHELSEA

publication, as is the custom with our modern
magazines. As a rule, the various figures used
in the china factories were modelled by a
skilful hand, not from the original pictures—
which were, of course, somewhat inaccessible —
but from engravings of the subjects. Biscuit
figures were also produced with good effect,
such as one spoken of in a catalogue of 1771
as a "curious group of three figures, richly
enamelled, Minerva crowning Constancy, and
Hercules killing the Hydra, with a pyramid in
the middle, highly finished in burnished gold."
Although this particular group was in enamel
and colour, the same wonderful design was also
made in biscuit of excellent quality with much
better effect. As with Bow and Bristol, some
of the groups of children are the most charm-
ing among the Chelsea figures of this or any
other period of the works.

Two Cupids as "Youthful Merchants," with
books, bales of goods, and so forth, is an
example; and Cupids representing love in dis-
guise is a favourite Chelsea design from early
days, when their original price was about £1.
This leads one to the difficult subject of

OLD CHELSEA 85

PRICES

which have increased greatly of late. The
Connoisseur magazine, and some other journals,

•om time to time report the sums which
:ertain objects of Chelsea china fetch in the

lore important auctions. One's own inquiries
among the dealers will add a little to that
information — but there is no market rate, no
actual quotation. In a sense the charming old
Chelsea figures and pleasing dishes and tea
or chocolate cups are vanities, and the price
largely depends on what one cares to give.
In Mr. Blacker's book on "Old China " he
boldly gives "sale values of old Chelsea," and
adds that dealers tell you this particular form
of ceramics "sells itself." A pair of the dark-
blue ground vases with decorations of Satyr
masks, butterflies, and vines is priced at £65,
and the "Time clipping the Wings of Cupid,"
just mentioned, as £5, 153. 6d. ; but these and
other sums convey nothing to one unless you
have seen the piece itself; and then to-morrow
they may be utterly altered. Just now Chelsea

86 OLD CHELSEA

is greatly appreciated, and the only obvious
advice in regard to the commercial side of the
matter is : if you are selling, get as much as
you can; and if you are buying, pay as little
as possible. There is always the chance of
happening upon a "find" in this connection,
as well as in any other branch of collection,
but if you go into the open market for your
"Old Chelsea" it will be found that high
prices rule.

VARIOUS POINTS

in regard to the identification of Chelsea in its
five periods are really much the same as those
connected with other examples of eighteenth-
century ceramics. Firstly, but perhaps not
most importantly, there is the study of the
marks, which is no very difficult affair. Those
given on the plates facing page 92 are, I think,
the generally accepted examples. The anchor
shows that the specimen being examined may
be from the Chelsea factory. It is frequently
in gold, and often very small. This mark is
supposed to have been borrowed from Venice —

PLATE XVI.— PERFUME VASE WITH STATUETTE

This charming piece appears to have been one of a series of such
ornaments made at Chelsea. In a catalogue of a sale of Chelsea
and Derby wares several curious groups of the same style are
mentioned. One highly finished in burnished gold is priced at £6.
This example is pleasantly proportioned and admirably modelled
and coloured, but its meaning is not quite clear. The semi-nude
figure of the little girl holds a serpent in one hand and an object
which has lost its form to some extent in the other. At South
Kensington the figure is called Psyche; at the British Museum
Hygiea is adventured as the probable name of the goddess intended.
Anyway, the whole piece is very pleasing, and belongs to a small
class of work done at Chelsea which combined something of classic
feeling with naturalism in a very agreeable degree. The whole is
9.4 inches in height. The flowers and foliage at the back, and the
rock-work and shells on the base, are painted in colours with slight
gilding.

OLD CHELSEA 89

there were at one time Venetian glass workers
in the neighbourhood — and that city as well as
Sceaux used the anchor on soft paste porce-
lains. With the many forgeries of the mark,
the foreign makes that used it, and the un-
marked specimens produced, the anchor is not
in this connection a matter on which one can
place much reliance. But still it is a slight aid.
In its earliest form it appeared on a raised
lozenge or pellet of paste upon which it was
embossed. The painted-on anchor marks, often
in gold, are sometimes also in some colour con-
nected with the ornamentation of the piece, and
frequently in red. As I have said, the D for
Duesbury or Derby was combined with the
anchor in the last phase of Chelsea. A crown
over the anchor was placed there to remind
buyers that King George and his Queen had
visited the works. Apart from the marks, that
are often either missing or misleading, there are
a few little points about the glaze, paste, and
spur marks of Chelsea which may help one to
attribute the doubtful specimens. The three
spur marks are found on most examples of
Chelsea. Small sticks of clay held the plate,

90 OLD CHELSEA

dish, or cup in the kiln while being fired, and
on their removal left slight spots on the base of
the vessel uncovered with the glaze. On large
figures these are sometimes called thumb
marks. They are not usually found on the
hard paste pseudo-Chelsea which is now, and
was even in the last century, largely produced.
But an acute forger would, I presume, supply
this little touch along with the other require-
ments of the " Old Chelsea " service or statuette.
The original glaze is easily rubbed away, and
has often given out at certain corners of the
old pieces. It is sometimes specked with dark
dots, as are many early porcelains, and it
presents in a general way an air of ten-
tative endeavour. The paste is of a light
cream colour, also, with dark spots therein.
The exposed edges at the base of any kind of
piece are generally carefully rubbed down and
smooth to the touch. One could recount many
other such little details, but they will not help
the collector so much as the close examination
of a genuine piece. And then, to many, these
points are rather boring than useful, and it is

OLD CHELSEA 91

the grace and colouring of what has been
called the "English Dresden" that attracts
the connoisseurs. Chelsea is also a charming
porcelain to collect, because during its twenty-
four years or so it supplied so many different
styles of wares. As Mr. Binns says: "No
English factory produced a greater variety of
articles, though possibly Worcester was more
versatile in matters of design ; simple articles
of daily use for the table, and for the
boudoir, figures and statuettes both in white,
undecorated, and richly coloured, and gilt in
wonderful variety, models of birds, beasts,
fishes, many of them life-sized and coloured
naturally, and lastly, costly and richly de-
corated vases painted and gorgeously gilt;
this is the repertoire of true Chelsea, and
it is hardly too much to say that it has never
been equalled in the history of early English
keramics."

That, in epitome, is the story of the works
which began at a doubtful date, flourished under
Charles Gouyn, and blossomed like the rose
under Nicholas Sprimont. The factories were

92 OLD CHELSEA

patronised by George II., the Duke of Cumber
land and his secretary, Sir Everard Faulkner
they were helped by George III. and his Queen
and beloved by the fashionable world for i
quarter of a century while they still worked
and have been honoured for 150 years sine
they ceased to produce.

The plates are printed by BEMROSE &* SONS, LTD., Derby and London
The text at the BALLANTYNE PRESS, Edinburgh

2

CHELSEA MARKS, from 1745

Chelsea mark

CAM*

Used on the well-known "goat and
bee" jug, 1745

Used from 1740-1753. Used from 1749-1753
An embossed anchor The anchor is outlined
in red

Used between 1749 and 1759. After this latter date the same design
occurs in gold

Used in red from
1759-1770

Used between
1749-1759

Thrt mark is painted and
incised

CHELSEA-DERBY MARKS

Used from 1759-1769

Early Chelsea-Derby

Chelsea- Derby, 1770-1773

Used from 1773-1784

Used from 1773-1784

Marks copied from Chinese signs used when
the decoration is of Oriental style

BINDING SECT. MAY 2 1 1981

PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE
CARDS OR SLIPS FROM THIS POCKET

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY

NK Mew, Egan

^399 Chelsea and Chelsea-Derby

C5M38 china