Derby King Street demitasse cup, roses and gilt 1861-1935

  

This is a very cute tiny demitasse coffee cup and saucer made by the Derby King Street (Stevenson Hancock) between 1861 and 1935. The Derby Porcelain Company became very famous for its top quality porcelain.

It had bought the Chelsea factory in around 1770 and it was Chelsea's fabulous moulds and skilled workpeople who made Derby great. Derby struggled in the early 19th Century and closed its doors in 1848, but a number of workers started a new factory in King Street, Derby. From 1862 onwards this was called Stevenson & Hancock and eventually the factory was merged in 1935 with the much bigger Royal Crown Derby, which was new factory that had been shaped in the 1880s after the original Derby Porcelain. This little cup and saucer took one of the very early popular Derby patterns from the 18th Century: beautiful pink "Billingsley roses" against a background of a gilt trellis, and tiny little rose buds on the bottom of the cup and the well of the saucer. The cup has a typical Derby "pinched" handle and is very tiny, holding just about one small espresso.

The set is marked with the red Derby Stevenson Hancock mark mentioning SH and D, and this dates it to a wide period between 1861 and 1935. CONDITION REPORT The set is in perfect antique condition without any damage, repairs, or crazing, and very minimal wear. Antique British porcelain is never perfect. Kilns were fired on coal in the 1800s, and this meant that china from that period can have some firing specks from flying particles. British makers were also known for their experimentation, and sometimes this resulted in technically imperfect results.

Due to the shrinkage in the kiln, items can have small firing lines or develop crazing over time, which should not be seen as damage but as an imperfection of the maker's recipes, probably unknown at the time of making. Items have often been used for many years and can have normal signs of wear, and gilt can have signs of slight disintegration even if never handled. I will reflect any damage, repairs, obvious stress marks, crazing or heavy wear in the item description but some minor scratches, nicks, stains and gilt disintegration can be normal for vintage items and need to be taken into account. There is widespread confusion on the internet about the difference between chips and nicks, or hairlines and cracks. I will reflect any damage as truthfully as I can, i.

A nick is a tiny bit of damage smaller than 1mm and a chip is something you can easily see with the eye; a glazing line is a break in the glazing only; hairline is extremely tight and/or superficial and not picked up by the finger; and a crack is obvious both to the eye and the finger. Etcetera - I try to be as accurate as I can and please feel free to ask questions or request more detailed pictures! DIMENSIONS (diameters): cup 4.7cm (1.9"), saucer 9.6cm (2.25"). This item is in the category "Pottery & Glass\Cookware, Dinnerware & Serveware\Cup & Saucers". The seller is "rattlethecups" and is located in this country: GB.

This item can be shipped worldwide.

• Handmade: Yes
• Colour: Pink
• Country/Region of Manufacture: United Kingdom
• Style: Victorian
• Material: Bone China, Ceramic, Porcelain
• Theme: Roses
• Pattern: Billingsley roses
• Type: Cup & Saucer
• Features: Date-Lined
• Year Manufactured: 1861
• Number of Items in Set: Two-Piece
• Origin: English
• Set Includes: Espresso/Demitasse Cup, Saucer
• Brand: Derby King Street
• Original/Licensed Reproduction: Original
• Time Period Manufactured: 1850-1899
• Antique: yes