Antique Georgian 'New Hall' porcelain partial child's tea-set, C1800
This is a extremely rare Georgian 'bat' printed porcelain, partial child's tea-set, dating to around 1800-1810. I believe these were produced by 'The New Hall Porcelain Works'. Although there are no makers marks, (it was only in 1815 that their pieces were back-stamped - and only on large pieces) they are 'bat' printed, and have a cup design typical of the 'New Hall Porcelain Works'. This company was formed, in 1781, by a group of Staffordshire potters, after buying out the patent for a hard-paste porcelain china patent, developed by Richard Champion. New Hall became a leader in pottery production during the 1800's, but, finally closed in 1835. This was possibly because their process of 'Bat' printing gave way to 'transfer' printing. A 'Bat' was a thin 'jelly' sheet made from boiled animal bones and skins. This 'bat' was placed on a engraved copper sheet, which had been lightly oiled. The oil adhered to the bat and the bat was then pressed against a glazed porcelain piece. This left an image of the engraving in oil. The color pigment, mixed with a flux was then carefully powdered onto the oil and the porcelain piece returned to the oven where it was baked at a moderate heat, just hot enough to bond the design to the glaze. This process was basically an 'overglaze' as against an 'underglaze' which was later introduced with transfer printing. Overglazed designs were subject to damage and wear, and the process, being very time-consuming and costly, was eventually abandoned by the 1830's.
Charcoal grey/black were the most popular colors, but, a purple color, an orange-pink and a blue were introduced at a later date. The design of the cup is known as a "Bute" cup and the handle is typical of New Hall's 'Spode" design. The saucers are deep and have no well for the cup, indicating an early age.
It is thought that the saucers may have been used for drinking the tea, being poured into the saucer from the cup!
There are six cups in all, one having being repaired, and one having a small 'star' hairline crack in the base. They measure 7cm in diameter and are 4.4cm high They are decorated with an 'angel' on the one side and a reclining (Grecian?) lady on the front, with a cherub, in the style of Adam Buck, a well-known Irish illustrator of the day.
There are five saucers, one having a fine hairline crack. They measure 11.7cm in diameter and 3 cm high and the design shows two children playing cards, again, in the style of Adam Buck.
The porcelain - only 2mm thick - is a testament to its strength - especially when you consider it was used by little girls and is 200 years old. It is of such high quality and so translucent that the outer design can be seen from the inside of the cup. Tea sets like this were made for the daughters of very wealthy families, tea, being very expensive, and, a porcelain set, even more so. These tea sets were used to help the girls learn the all-important art of serving tea.
Postage R85.00
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