Minton First Period Cup and Saucer Pattern 218

The Georgian period in England was a time of great cultural and economic growth and expansion and the fashions of the time were consequently liberated to explore every type of colour and pattern combination imaginable.

Fabrics, fashions, wall papers, furnishings as well as ceramics were undergoing this design revolution. 

At this point the division between a designer and a maker was still not fully established and the workshops were very integrated between those highly trained craftsmen who produced the designs and those who created and developed the designs, in most cases they were the same team.  

In the case of Minton we have a surviving hand-painted pattern book from this early first period and consequently we can be sure that this pattern and pattern number tally with Minton as the originator of this cup and saucer.

A really wonderful design with five long feathers in yellow red and black around the saucer, punctuated with a black and grey dot and contained between black lines.  

The more original the design, the more timeless it appears and for me this is one of those designs which could have been produced in the 1950's, which was again a time of social excitement in the new.

In 1798 Thomas Minton formed a partnership with Joseph Poulson who was a maker of bone china.  When Poulson died in 1808, Minton carried on alone, using Poulson's pottery for china until 1816.  

Between 1816 and 1824 production stopped until Minton built a new factory and began production again, so this cup is from the early first period and will have been produced between 1798-1816.

Judging from the pattern number would would probably assess this design was first produced around 1800.

Maker's marks:
Both cup and saucer hand painted with the letter "N" and pattern number 218 in black enamel. 

Dimensions:
Cup 77mm diameter at the rim, 60mm tall
Saucer 140mm diameter at the rim

Weight:
242g

Age:
225 years

Condition:
Good:  A fine hairline in the cup.  Some wear to the enamels in places and the glaze inside. Generally good condition with no restoration.  

Maker:
Minton first period 1796-1816