Chats on English China

by Arthur Hayden

WORCESTER DISH (MARKED WITH BLUE CRESCENT).

In Collection of Mr. W. G. Honey.

Leaving poetry and coming to fact, we arrive at the beginning of the second period in the history of the Worcester factory. Dr. Wall, the originator of the works, had died in 1776, and it must be borne in mind by the collector that from about the year 1764, when the Chelsea works became disorganised, up to the death of Dr. Wall, some of the most exquisite creations of Worcester were produced. Several of the Chelsea artists had come to Worcester, and mugs of a choice apple-green were made in imitation of the Sèvres ware, but none of these bear the Worcester mark. Vases with rich bleu-de-roi ground and salmon-scale markings, with exotic birds of rich plumage, of varied and elegant design, belong to this period, and command at the present day very high prices. Donaldson and O’Neale were two of the best painters, and painted some of the finest Worcester vases so much sought after. At the Victoria and Albert Museum, in the collection of the late Lady Charlotte Schreiber, there are some particularly fine examples.

We reproduce a fine Worcester dish (10³⁄₄ in. by 8³⁄₄ in.) from the collection of Mr. W. G. Honey, recently at the Cork Exhibition. This specimen is an excellent example of the best period, and is marked with a blue crescent.

In 1783 the works passed into the hands of Mr. Thomas Flight, who, together with his two sons, Joseph and John, raised the manufactory to some eminence. In 1788, George III., with Queen Charlotte, visited the works, and the title “Royal” was added to the mark, above the word “Flight.” Later on, in 1791, Mr. Martin Barr joined the concern, the firm becoming “Flight and Barr.” It should be noted that Mr. Chamberlain, the head of the decorating department of the old factory, never came under the Flight régime, but established a factory of his own at Worcester. We give in order of date the various marks used both by his factory and that of the Flights.

These two factories continued as rivals until 1840, when they amalgamated, and the two firms formed one company. The name of Flight and Barr disappears, and the business being carried on at Messrs. Chamberlain’s premises, the new Worcester mark became “Chamberlain & Co.” In 1850 Mr. W. H. Kerr joined the company, and for a little while the firm was known as “Chamberlain, Lilley, & Kerr.” In 1852 another change took place, Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Lilley retired, and Mr. R. W. Binns entered into partnership with Mr. Kerr. From that time the manufactory, under the management of Kerr & Binns was known as “W. H. Kerr & Co.” It is important that the collector should know all these transitions in the ownership and management of the Worcester works, which has a continuous history of nearly a hundred and fifty years, a record not reached by any other English factory.

Besides the above-mentioned two main streams of Worcester porcelain manufacture, there is yet another firm which was established in 1800 by Thomas Grainger, nephew to Mr. Chamberlain. The firm became Grainger, Lee & Co., and afterwards G. Grainger & Co. We give their marks, together with the other Worcester marks, to enable our readers to identify any specimens they may possess. One of the marks in the Kerr & Binns period requires explanation. The circle with the letter W radiating from the centre was especially designed for solely marking the productions of the factory made for the use of Queen Victoria and the Royal household.

The scent-bottle which we give as illustration has double sides, the outer being ornamented with perforated work, painted and gilt. The neck is beautifully decorated with flowers on a yellow ground. It is marked “Chamberlain’s Worcester.” It is an elegant piece, and very characteristically shows, for instance, in the double sides and perforated work, the influence of Chinese models. This specimen is at the Victoria and Albert Museum.