Sometimes the name "Swansea" is stencilled in red and sometimes impressed only. A very scarce mark is "Dillwyn & Co."; also the two words stamped in capitals are enclosed in lines all round.
Derbyshire Works.
Derbyshire porcelain represents four different periods, the manufactory having been founded by William Duesbury, of Longton, Staffordshire, in 1781. It was formed from the Bow and Chelsea china, the founder having purchased part of the plant of the former factory and the whole of the works of the latter, carrying on the Chelsea and Derby works simultaneously. His son succeeded him in 1788, taking Michael Kean into partnership; who ultimately disposed of the works to Robert Bloor (in 1815), at whose death they were closed. But a small factory was opened by Locker, Bloor's manager, which afterwards passed into the management of Messrs. Stevenson, Sharp, & Co., and then Stevenson & Hancock. In the hands of Robert Bloor the manufacture declined in excellence.
The earliest mark is a "D" or the name "Derby" incised or painted in red. On the union of the works with those of Chelsea and Bow there was an indication of the combination as seen in the second and third illustrations given (a "D" crossed horizontally by an anchor), and the crown was added above the anchor after the Royal visit in 1737, the mark being, as a general rule, painted in blue. The crown, crossed batons, dots, and letter "D" were painted diversely, sometimes in gold, blue, or puce, and subsequently in vermilion. Later on three Chinese marks were employed, known as "the potter's stool," the Sèvres mark (a "D" in the centre and crown above), and the crossed swords of the Meissen factory. The batons in early use are now transformed into the swords by the present manufacturers, Stevenson & Hancock, and they have added their own initials; the whole device (crown, swords, dots, and initials) surmounting the letter "D," as will be seen in the last illustration.
It was in the third epoch of the manufacture of what is distinguished as the "Crown Derby," that porcelain works were established in the same county by John Coke at Pinxton (near Alfreton), 1793-5. Fine transparent, soft paste was used there; but the factory was closed in 1812. The patterns distinguishing this ware was a small sprig copied from the Angouleme porcelain—such as a blue forget-me-not, or cornflower, and a gold sprig. At Church-Gresley and at Winksworth (in the same country) there were other factories connected with the name of Gill, but undistinguished by any special marks.
The counterfeit mark employed at times on the Worcester china was likewise used on genuine Derby work, a sign borrowed from the Meissen factory to which reference has been made. The Duke of Cumberland, Sir F. Fawkner, and Nicholas Sprimont (a Frenchman) were amongst the first proprietors, and were succeeded by the latter (Sprimont).
As I observed, the Derby china manufacture passed through four periods or states of artistic development, the Duesbury being the first and best (1749), and then the younger Duesbury and Kean. Under the Bloor direction—lasting from 1815 to 1849—for some reason or other the artistic excellence declined.
Bloor's agent, Locker & Co., Stevenson, Sharp & Co., and Courtsay marked their work with their own names. The proprietors at the present time are Messrs. Stevenson & Hancock, and they have ceased to use the old mark as regards the batons, and now employ hilted swords, and have added their initials ("S" and "H") one on either side, as will be seen in the illustration. It may be well to observe that a six-pointed star, stamped in the centre, at the bottom of any article may be accepted as a Crown Derby mark. The porcelain produced by Mr. Duesbury resembled the Venetian in the Cozzi period.