Staffordshire England, Elite Early Victorian Era Sky Blue and Gilt Botanical Dessert Service, by Renowned Master Potter John Ridgway, 17 Uniquely Hand Painted Pieces, Circa 1840

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This exceptional seventeen-piece group of early English bone china represents the pinnacle of luxury ceramic production from the Victorian era, crafted by the renowned master potter John Ridgway at the historic Cauldon Place works in Staffordshire, England. Dating precisely between 1835 and 1845, this service illustrates the elaborate Rococo Revival style that earned Ridgway a coveted Royal Warrant as the official purveyor to Queen Victoria. The service is instantly recognizable by its vibrant, wide sky-blue ground borders, which are richly embellished with hand-molded white acanthus leaf scrolls, floral sprigs, and shell motifs picked out in bright liquid gilding. At the center of each item is a distinct, masterfully hand-painted botanical study depicting detailed, naturalistic floral bouquets.

The structural components of this set reflect the theatrical presentation of the formal nineteenth-century British dining ritual, where the final dessert course served as a prominent status symbol. The comprehensive collection includes an elegant footed sugar tureen complete with its matching lid and undertray, flanked by 2 curved oval side dishes, 4 square dishes, and a stack of 8 matching circular dessert plates. True to early production methods before manufacturer hallmarks became universally standardized, the reverse of these pieces remains clean of large stamped corporate logos, instead bearing only faint hand-written, red iron-oxide pattern numbers characteristic of John Ridgway’s elite hand-painted inventory.

Early Victorian botanical sets by John Ridgway command considerable attention due to their cross-collectible appeal among historic porcelain enthusiasts and upscale interior decorators.

Dimensions: 8 Round Plates: diameter each 9″ , 2 Oval Plates : width 11″ x depth 8″ , 4 Square Plates: width 10″ x depth 9″ ,

                        Tureen Lid & Tray: width 7″ x height 6.75″

Product ID: 110638 Categories: ,

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