Figs. 145 to 149.
Fig. 150.
Mr. Alderman Copeland was Lord Mayor of London in 1835–6. He sat as member of Parliament for Coleraine from 1828 till 1832, and for Stoke-upon-Trent from 1837 till 1852. Losing his seat in that year, Mr. Copeland was re-elected in 1857 and sat till 1865, when he retired from the representation. He was the grandson of Mr. William Copeland, yeoman, of the Holly Bush, in the parish of Stoke-upon-Trent, and son of the partner of the first Mr. Spode. The will of Mr. William Copeland, of Holly Bush, was dated November 10th, 1775, and proved December 28th, 1786. A daughter named Hannah, mentioned in that document, became the wife of the late Mr. William Astbury, of the family whose name is intimately mixed up with the history of the pottery of the district. Mr. Alderman Copeland died in 1868.
Figs. 151 to 155.
Figs. 156 to 159.—Messrs. Copeland’s Productions.
Of the productions of the present firm it is manifestly impossible to give even a brief resumé; the bare enumeration of the different articles in porcelain and earthenware would occupy many closely printed pages. It will only be possible to note, here and there, one of their art-productions. For services, both breakfast, dinner, dessert, tea, and toilet, the firm ranks among the very highest in order, and these are produced both in china and in earthenware, and every variety of ornamentation; in the former from the simple gold or coloured lines and borders, and in the latter from the commonest sponged patterns, to the most profuse and lavish relief and painting. One of their highest efforts, and deservedly so, in the way of services, is the dessert service made especially for H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, in 1866, which is one of the greatest triumphs of ceramic art yet achieved. The service consists of 198 pieces, comprising a centre, eight compotiers, two cream-bowls, two ice-pails, twelve sweetmeat compotiers, seventy-two cups and saucers, and fifty plates. The commission was given shortly before the Prince’s marriage, and hence, as all the decorations are floral, the orange blossom was allowed to become a prominent object in each group; and it would be impossible to conceive flowers more exquisitely painted than they are; they were painted by Mr. Hürten and others. The centre piece is a double assiette montée, the principal compartment being supported by seated figures representing the four quarters of the globe, and each bearing an appropriate symbol. These were the work of Joseph Durham, R.A., and are miniature reproductions of those which support the statue of “Albert the Good,” in the Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens. The four raised fruit-dishes are elevated upon groups of three figures each, typical of the twelve months of the year, admirably modelled by Mr. F. Miller. The four smaller ones, by Mr. G. Halse, equally well typify the elements, earth, air, fire, and water. The plates, as well as the pieces I have named, are of the purest porcelain, and are exquisitely and elaborately perforated. They are divided into panels of fruit and flowers, surrounded by ribbons and festoons in raised and chased gold, and in the centre of each is the monogram of the Prince and Princess of Wales. There are no two pieces alike, although all harmonize well together.
Three pieces of this beautiful royal service, the centre, one of the compotiers, and a cream-bowl, are engraved, Figs. [150], [156, and 159], and will show better than any description can the high class of art-workmanship which they exhibit.