For your consideration is this very unusual antique Royal Worcester teacup, saucer & small plate set circa 1906. I have two sets and I am listing them separately but will gladly combine shipping if both are purchased by the same bidder.
The pattern has been a bit of a mystery. After hours of research, I could not find this exact border pattern, shape and color combination. I decided to contact The Museum of Royal Worcester in the UK and they kindly sent the following information:
"The registration number 463303 shows the design was registered in 1905. The pattern W7777, is illustrated in a pattern book dated 1904-08. Normally, the pattern identification is only the letter and number. The subsequent additional numbers show that the pattern was available in different color combinations. The illustration for your pattern has six color combinations allowed for, although only two are listed. W7777/1 is annotated as "Borders in Mulberry and Birds in u/g (ie. underglaze) Olive Green". There are further annotations - 11 Birds on Cup, 3 large & 8 small on saucer, the birds over Centre of Saucer". The cup handle on the illustration is slightly different than yours, but the illustration is annotated 'any plain shape', indicating this was a pattern used on a wide variety of shapes. The number 4 would normally be the personal mark of the painter who worked on this item. They marked their work so that they would be paid approprietely for the pieces they had painted. Unfortunately, the only painter I can find who used this mark was at Royal Worcester in the 1960's. It is difficult to say whether there were patterns that were designed but not used. Our records are perforce of patterns that were used. It was more usual for shapes to be rejected because they might have been proved too difficult or too expensive to produce."
A SCARCE (POSSIBLY NEVER RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC) AND LOVELY ADDITION TO COLLECTORS OF ROYAL WORCESTER. ***PLEASE SEE ABOVE CONDITION DESCRIPTION AND PHOTOS FOR FURTHER DETAIL***. I WELCOME ANY QUESTIONS/COMMENTS YOU MAY HAVE.
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