Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/185

 Early forms of decoration were copied from the Chinese and Japanese, and tea- services of sexagonal shape were much made at Chelsea at that time, the most famous being one at the British Museum painted with scenes from iEsop's fables. Late Chelsea Work From the beginning first-class artists were en- gaged at Chelsea. Soon simple forms gave way to more elaborate designs, and detached groups of flowers, butterflies, and insects gave place to brilliantly painted exotic birds, fine landscapes, and heavy gilding. The three magnificent dishes in the Victoria and Albert Museum are fine ex- amples of this later period. These are the kind of specimens so suc- cessfully copied in Paris that it is only by knowing the characteristics of the Chelsea body and glaze that they can be detected as forgeries. At one time Chinese porce- lain which had been brought over to this country in the white was decorated at Chel- sea, the principal forms being exotic birds or sprays of flowers, insects, and caterpillars. Chelsea figures are very desirable possessions. More than forty varieties are mentioned in the old cata- logues of the firm. Early specimens were either with- out gilding or were only sparingly gilt. In addition little toys intended to be used as miniature snuff-boxes and scent-bottles were made. Basket-dishes with twisted handles and encrusted with raised flowers, bell - shaped mugs and sauce-boats moulded in relief and painted with flowers, foliage, and insects, are well-known pro- ducts of the Chelsea factory, in addition to tea and dinner services. But some of the most noticeable pieces are swans, rabbits, and birds, beautifully modelled and often of large size ; cabbages, cauliflowers, and bun- dles of asparagus, faithful copies of Nature, are also characteristic of this factory. 163 WOMAN'S HOMB of a piece of Chelsea china from the ground- colour used. Dark blue, or gros blue, as it is called, is first mentioned in 1756. Pea- green came into use as a ground-colour in 1759. tourquoise blue in 1760, and the wonderful claret colour, which be- came so famous, in the same year. In 1769 Mr. Nicholas Sprimont, who owned and managed the Chelsea factory, retired, and the works were bought in the following year by William Duesbury, of Derby. For some time Duesbury carried on the two factories, and the from this time works were closed Sauce-boat of Chelsea porcelain, moulded in leaf form and painted with flowers and butterflies porcelain made 1784, when the the plant transferred to known as Chelsea-Derby. till and Derby, was An early Chelsea cup with raised decoration to these, many (r/^e//. eo^ ^ iVA & The earliest regular mark used on Chelsea china is an anchor in relief on a raised embossed oval. The anchor in red or gold is the most usual mark, and it is the gold which is copied by the forger. When of very small size, two anchors sometimes are found, and on china of a very early date the triangle alone incised How to Determine the Date It is possible to find the approximate date The Earliest Mark The earliest regular mark used at Chelsea is an anchor in relief on a raised embossed oval, but on a few pieces of quite the earliest period an incised triangle is found, and the word Chelsea in script characters. A very rare mark is the anchor raised in red-brown on white. The anchor in red, puce, or gold is the most usual Chelsea mark, and the gold anchor is the mark generally made use of by the forger. The size of the anchor varies as does its form, and sometimes it may be found in a fold of the drapery of a figure, when it will be of very small size. Two anchors frequently occur together, one of which is painted upside down. A triangle alone, incised in the paste, is sometimes, but very rarely, found on a piece of Chelsea china of early date. The forger, it is said, has been known to mark his wares, notably woolly lambs, with an anchor in blue, but as this colour was never used as a mark at Chelsea, pieces so marked need not deceive anyone. An anchor was used as a mark in the china factory at Venice, but this was so much larger than those used at Chelsea that it should not mislead the collector. This series will be continued. ©A oJ> i^