It is quite clear that those things which imitated what other nations did, sold best at that time in England; and this, more than poverty of invention, we may suppose induced those excellent English artists to copy rather than create. Chaffers mentions the following as the most noted painters at Worcester: Pennington, figures; Astle, flowers; Davis, exotic birds; Webster, landscapes and flowers; Barber, shells; Brewer, landscapes; Baxter, Lowe, and Cole, figure-subjects; Billingsly, flowers.
Fig. 151.—Royal Worcester Porcelain.
Printing in black upon the porcelain was practised at Worcester to a considerable extent; and mugs with pictures of Frederick the Great seem to have been popular at that day, and are much sought for now. The portraits of George II. and III. were also in demand, as well as many others.
The flower-painting upon this, as upon all other European porcelain, was naturalistic—copied, as nearly as possible, from Nature. Good as much of it is beyond question, it fails to give to most persons the gratification which comes from the Oriental treatment. The last is decoration, the first is imitation.