ROYAL CROWN DERBY CHINA

part 2 of 3

THE SECOND DUESBURY

ROYAL CROWN DERBY CHINA

William Duesburys son William, inherited the factory on his fathers death in 1786, and he ran the works until his early death in 1796. A highly talented team of craftsmen and artists produced high quality, commercially successful wares. Some artists of note include George Robertson for his marine scenes, William Billingsley and William Pegg for beautiful flower decoration, George Complin for still life and birds, Zachariah Boreman and 'Jockey' Hill for landscapes and the Brewer brothers, John and Robert, for their landscapes, encampment scenes, animals and flowers.

Pieces decorated by these artists are very collectable and, in good condition, valuable. Andrew Dando explains, 'Derby was uniqueduring this period for its use of identifiable artists who used their own marks in addition to the generic Derby marks. Hand-painting by a leading artist can make an incredible difference in value. A typical Derby coffee can, c.1800, with a blue border and gilding is worth around £150. The same coffee can with a small hand-painted panel of a shipping scene by George Robertson will push _ the value up to £4,000.'

These hand-painted old Derby,pieces can be found at fairs and porcelain dealers' shops, and a well-known name adds considerably to the value of a piece. A yellow-ground service featuring landscape views by George Robertson, c.1797- 1800, sold at Sotheby's recently for £26-450 on an estimate of just £3,000-4,000.

ROYAL CROWN DERBY CHINA

THE BLOOR YEARS

This period began in 1811, when the factory was acquired by Robert Bloor for £5,000. The Bloor years are often identified with declining quality at the Derby factory, partly because Bloor was an unsuccessful manager, but Bloor pieces are still sought-after. This was a period of change in the industry, when English manufacturers adopted the new translucent bone china body.

 'The Bloor period was a time of higher production, and a lesser quality ceramic body. Figures and flatware from this early period are still desirable but susceptible to crazing. This is not necessarily detrimental to the value, unless staining has resulted. Stained pieces should be avoided.'

 A pair of Bloor porcelain plates with hand-painted floral scenes of average quality and gilded edges, in good condition, would be valued at around £400.

Some Bloor figures are good quality and very colourful, and -generally- worth in the region of £200-300. Some rare figure groups in good condition can be worth £1,000 or more.

The factory eventually closed in 1848 as a result of Bloor's poor management.

ROYAL CROWN DERBY CHINA

A NEW FACTORY

The Nottingham Road factory closed and artist Sampson Hancock, along with six other craftsmen, established a new factory a short distance away in King Street. The new firm traded as Locker & Co, and from 1859 as Stevenson & Co, followed by Stevenson, Sharp & Co until 1863. From 1866 until 1935, the company was known as Sampson Hancock. In 1935, this factory merged the Royal Crown Derby Company,

Despite the changing identity of the factory, the Derby creative traditions remained intact, with many of the old shapes and patterns being produced herq. Production included figures, gilded tablewares, and ornamental items such as vases and pastille-burners. Imari ware became particularly popular during this period, with its rich red, blue and gold Oriental-inspired patterns appealing to a society dedicated to the exotic styles of Eastern countries. Derby Imari ware from the 18th to the 20th century is highly collectable today, 

FURTHER BLOG READING

part 1    ROYAL CROWN DERBY

part 2    ROYAL CROWN DERBY CHINA

part 3    CROWN DERBY

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