This is a charming Ridgway coffee cup and saucer, made in about 1850 in the early years of the Victorian era. 

Ridgway was one of the pioneers of English china production alongside other great potters such as Spode, Davenport, Minton, Coalport and others and they created very high quality tea and dinnerware. Ridgway had a tradition of a very wide-ranging offer of china products, anything from the most sublime dinnerware to humble toilet pots. It is notoriously difficult to identify their wares and this is one reason their beautiful tea and dinner wares are often underestimated. This set is unmarked, like many Ridgway items, and the pattern number as washed off so can't be read anymore. Although we can't tell the maker from any markings, it is clear that the shape of the cup is one of Ridgway's designs of the mid-19th Century.

The cup has a simple bute shape and a oval ring handle without any gilt - quite a restrained style after the rather wild designs of the Rococo Revival in the 1830s and 1840s. If the shape of the cup is restrained, the decoration brings some more flair. Elegant acanthus leaves (a popular feature in Ridgway designs) in broad strokes in a beautiful lively grey and generous gilt, are painted all over the cup and saucer with what seem to be fluffy clouds in between. It is worth paying attention to the way the pattern has been painted; the confident hand of the painter transports you to back to the era and the joy of coffee this cup has brought to many generations.

CONDITION REPORT This set is in excellent antique condition with no chips, cracks or crazing. The porcelain looks bright white, the glazing is still shiny and there is only a little rubbing of the gilt on the rims and the gilt detail in the well of the saucer - as can be expected from an item this age. Both items ring nicely when tapped. Kilns were fired on coal in the 1800s, and this meant that china from that period can have some firing specks from flying particles. This set has some fine black kiln dust inside the cup, and the back of the saucer is a little scratched and also has some kiln dust - this cup and saucer must have had a rough time in the kiln but came out without any major problems (see last picture for the kiln dust in the cup).

Please note that all items in my shop are of vintage or antique condition. They have often been used for many years and can have normal signs of wear. If they are from the 19th Century, please note that items fired in coal-fired kilns nearly always have irregularities at the surface and/or specks under the glazing. I will reflect any damage, repairs or heavy wear in the item description but some minor scratches, nicks and stains 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.e. a nick is a tiny bit of damage smaller than 1mm and a chip is something you can see with the eye; a hairline runs over the surface glazing but not the body of the item and a crack runs through the body of the item, usually weakening its structure. 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 8cm (3 1/8"), saucer 14.5cm (5 3/4").

SHIPPING I ship worldwide from the UK, mostly by Royal Mail 2nd Class for the UK and International Tracked and Signed for the rest of the world. I am happy to combine shipping charges on multiple items - please contact me to discuss. In principle I do not make a profit on shipping although for simplicity's sake I charge flat shipping fees. If the fee charged greatly exceeds the actual cost I will gladly refund you the difference - at the same time if it is slightly lower I will gladly make up the difference. In some countries shipping will end up significantly more than the expected fees and I will contact you to discuss our options. PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING SHIPPING COSTS AND OPTIONS.

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