Royal Crown Derby Neoclassical Cobalt-Ground and Gilt Porcelain Ewer

18225: Royal Crown Derby Neoclassical Cobalt-Ground and Gilt Porcelain Ewer
By Royal Crown Derby (English)
English, c. 1900
Height 26cm, depth 11cm
This ewer is decorated throughout in raised and tooled gilding set against a deep cobalt-blue ground, a characteristic example of the richly ornamented porcelain associated with Royal Crown Derby.
Of classical amphora form, it rises from a square plinth and stepped socle to a full ovoid body, a slender waisted neck and a wide trefoil spout with a gilded interior, while a high foliate scrolled handle sweeps from rim to shoulder. Beneath the handle, applied to the shoulder, is a moulded and gilded bearded mask, its horns curling up into the ornament above. The body carries a neoclassical scheme of fruiting and berried branches, ribbon-tied wreaths enclosing rosettes, festoons of beaded chain and drawn foliate scrolls, all raised and burnished to catch the light against the matt depth of the blue. Bands of beadwork and gilded acanthus frame the neck and foot, with a running key-pattern around the plinth.
Royal Crown Derby traces its origins to the porcelain works established at Derby in the mid-eighteenth century. In 1890 the factory received the royal warrant and the use of the "Royal" name from Queen Victoria, from which date its wares carry the Royal Crown Derby mark. The factory's reputation rested above all on richly gilded pieces in the neoclassical taste, of which this ewer is an example. The base bears the printed Royal Crown Derby factory mark in red, dating the piece to circa 1900.
$1,250