GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Chelsea Manufactory was established in 1743 by Charles Gouyn and Nicolas Sprimont, a jeweler and silversmith, respectively. The Chelsea Manufactory would become known for four separate periods of artistic development: denoted as the 'triangle' period from 1743-1749, the 'raised anchor' period from 1750-1753, the 'red anchor' period from 1752-1756, and the 'gold anchor' period from 1758-1770. The development of styles loosely coincides with the change in management or ownership of the manufactory. During the later periods, both the 'red anchor' period and the 'gold anchor' period, Chelsea would become known for 'Chelsea toys,' which included small items such as bodkins, scent bottles, etuis, and other delicate items, though recent scholarship has now refutes the claim that the Chelsea Manufactory was originally responsible for the design and production of what are now known as 'Chelsea toys.'
NOTES
September 15, 2016- This note is currently located in the CC-Artist/Designers notebook and I am moving it to the New-Artist & Designers notebook to consolidate all D3C online content. This note was not tagged with internal tags but I believe it was created by Megan Wanttie during her internship, summer 2016. I added internal tags to prevent the note from going unnoticed. Andrea intended to review the intern's content or assign it to be reviewed by the appropriate D3C at some point after summer 2016. (EAS)
"In the Meissen tradition, but unexpectedly independent of Meissen designs, were the scent bottles and etuis once familiarly grouped together under the name of "Chelsea toys." It is now apparent that these were first made in England not by Sprimont but at an independent factory at Chelsea." (Carl Christian Dauterman and F.J.B. Watson, The Wrightsman Collection Volume IV Porcelain (Greenwhich, New York Graphic Society Ltd., 1970), 317.)
"Chelsea porcelain, soft-paste porcelain made at a factory in Chelsea, London, established in 1743 by Charles Gouyn and Nicolas Sprimont, the latter a silversmith. By the 1750s the sole manager was Sprimont, from whose genius stemmed Chelsea’s greatest achievements. In 1769 the factory was sold to James Cox; and he sold it a year later to William Duesbury of Derby, Derbyshire, who maintained it until 1784, producing porcelain generally referred to as Chelsea-Derbyware. In that year the kilns and workshops at Chelsea were demolished; many molds were destroyed and others removed to Derby. (...) The progress of the Chelsea factory is conveniently distinguished by the respective marks of four periods: the triangle period (1743–49/50), the raised anchor period (1750–52), the red anchor period (1752–56), and thegold anchor period (1758–70). The incised triangle is found on translucent white porcelain whose body contains a proportion of crushed lead glass. Held to the light it shows points of greater translucency known as “pinholes.” Forms are markedly Rococo, some based on the silver designs of Sprimont, who was obviously inspired by the work of the French silversmith and ornemaniste Juste-Aurèle Meissonier, an important early Rococo designer.(...) During the red and gold anchor periods Chelsea made many miniature pieces, including scent bottles in a variety of forms, étuis (cases for small objects, like scissors), bodkin cases, and a variety of trinkets, which were known in the 18th century as “Chelsea toys.” (Encyclopedia Britannica "Chelsea porcelain". Web accessed: June 2, 2016 http://www.britannica.com/art/Chelsea-porcelain)
Biography
The Caughley or Salopian Porcelain Factory was established by Thomas Turner (b.1749) in the early 1770s, possibly on the site of a pre-existing pottery and perhaps initially in partnership with Ambrose Gallimore. Thomas Turner came from Worcester where as an apprentice (possibly under Robert Hancock) in the mid 1760s he learnt the art of engraving on copper plates and transferring the designs to porcelain. These techniques were fully exploited at Caughley where 80% of the wares were decorated in underglaze blue usually from copper plates. The Caughley Porcelain Factory was operating commercially by 1775 when the first newspaper advertisements appeared. Products include tea sets, muffin plates, butter tubs, mugs, mask jugs, egg cups and drainers, custard cups, pickle shells, eye baths, asparagus servers and toy tea and table wares. With his health deteriorating, Turner sold the Caughley leases to the Coalport porcelain manufacturers John Rose, Edward Blakeway and Richard Rose in October 1799 and they continued manufacturing as the Coalport (q.v.) factory.
Bibliography
Geoffrey Godden 'Caughley and Worcester Porcelains 1775-1800' (London 1969)
The Caughley Society, 'Caughley Blue and |White Patterns', published by the Caughley Society, 2012
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General Description
The Chelsea Manufactory was established in 1743 by Charles Gouyn and Nicolas Sprimont, a jeweler and silversmith, respectively. The Chelsea Manufactory would become known for four separate periods of artistic development: denoted as the 'triangle' period from 1743-1749, the 'raised anchor' period from 1750-1753, the 'red anchor' period from 1752-1756, and the 'gold anchor' period from 1758-1770. The development of styles loosely coincides with the change in management or ownership of the manufactory. During the later periods, both the 'red anchor' period and the 'gold anchor' period, Chelsea would become known for 'Chelsea toys,' which included small items such as bodkins, scent bottles, etuis, and other delicate items, though recent scholarship has now refutes the claim that the Chelsea Manufactory was originally responsible for the design and production of what are now known as 'Chelsea toys.'
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