Coffee can and saucer: C.23 & A-2013

Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Factory: Copeland
Decorator: Arrowsmith, John

Entities

Coffee can and saucer
cup and saucer

Description

Bone china decorated with dark blue ground colour, painting in polychrome enamels of exotic birds, insects, and flowers in the style of the Chelsea porcelain Mecklenburg-Strelitz service, and git

Bone china, decorated with small areas of dark blue ground colour, painting in blue, green, yellow, pink, puce, red, purple and a little black enamel, and gilded. The cylindrical cup has a double-curved handle with a projecting thumb rest at the top. The circular saucer has deep sloping sides which curve outwards towards the rim, and a recessed base. The interior is moulded in relief with a scalloped edging and scrolls around the reserves. The cup is decorated at the top with two half shield-shaped blue reserves one decorated with one gold butterfly and the other with two. The gold scrolled borders of the reserves are linked to each other by a gold scalloped border below which there are swags of polychrome flowers. Below these on each side there is an exotic bird standing on grassy mound flanked by plants. There is a butterfly between the vignettes, and a puce beetle and blue flying insect on either side of the handle. Inside at the top there are four groups of mixed flowers and foliage. The rim and base are banded in gold and the exterior of the handle is gilded overall. The saucer is decorated en suite but with three blue panels, each containing one gold butterfly, and with one central exotic bird surrounded by five flying insects. A gold band encircles the rim and the base.

Notes

History note: Ronald Spencer Copeland (1918-2002); William Copeland (b. 1966), Trelissick House, Feock, near Truro, Cornwall; sold by Bonham's, 23-24 July 2013,The Contents of Trelissick House including The Copeland China, second day, one of seven items in lot 713

Legal notes

Purchased with the L.D. Cunliffe Fund

Place(s) associated

Stoke-on-Trent ⪼ Staffordshire ⪼ England

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bought (2013-10-14) by Bonhams

Dating

20th Century, second quarter#
George V
Production date: dated AD 1932

Note

This coffee can and saucer is decorated in the style of the Chelsea soft-paste porcelain service of c. 1763-4 presented by George III and Queen Charlotte to her brother, Adolphus Frederick IV of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and since 1947 in the Royal Collection. Copeland made two reproductions of the service. The first for the marriage in 1893 of the George, Duke of York and Princess Mary of Teck, the future King George V and Queen Mary. The second, was commissioned by Thomas Goode & Co. of South Audley Street, London, and was painted by John Arrowsmith in 1931 and 1932.

School or Style

Rococo Revival

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Decoration composed of enamel ( blue, green, yellow, shades of pink, red, pale purple and black) ground colour ( blue) gold
Saucer Diameter 12.5 cm Height 2.9 cm
Cup Diameter 5.8 cm Height 6.4 cm Width 7.9 cm
Handle