The Clay Industries, Including the Fictile & Ceramic Arts on the Banks of the Severn: with notices of the early use of Shropshire clays, the history of pottery, porcelain, &c. in the districtRandall, John
History
The Clay Industries, Including the Fictile & Ceramic Arts on the Banks of the Severn: with notices of the early use of Shropshire clays, the history of pottery, porcelain, &c. in the district
Randall, John
Ceramics -- Great Britain -- History; Clay industries -- Great Britain -- History; Porcelain, English
Mr. Randall however, as the result of repeated and persevering
experiments, succeeded in producing a fret body with a rich glaze which
bore so close a resemblance to old Sevres china that connoisseurs and
famous judges failed to distinguish them. He refused however, from
conscientious motives, to put the Sevres mark, the initials of Louis.
Louis, crossed at the bottom, which was done with less hesitation at
Coalport with much more feeble imitations. When introduced on one
occasion to a London dealer, of the name of Frost, who had a shop in the
Strand, as Mr. Martin Randall’s nephew, the dealer in old china observed
that the old Quaker made the best imitation of Sevres that ever was made,
but added, “he never could be got to put the double L on it, and we
cannot sell it as Sevres.” We remarked that he was “too conscientious to
do so,” upon which he replied, “O, d—n conscience; there is no conscience
in business.”
Mr. Randall had less hesitation however in putting the Sevres mark on
what was known to be Sevres; and he did very much for Mortlock, Jarman,
and Baldock, who had agents in Paris, attending all sales where old
Sevres was to be sold, in redecorating it in the most elaborate and
costly manner. The less scrupulous London agents however did not
hesitate to pass it off as being really the work throughout of Sevres
artists. Indeed they have been known to have boxes of china going up
from Madeley, sent on to Dover, to be redirected as coming from France,
inviting connoisseurs to come and witness them being unpacked on their
arrival, as they represented, from Paris. A little entertainment would
be got up, and supposing themselves to be the first whose eyes looked on
the rich goods after they left the French capital, where it would be
represented, perhaps, that they had been bought of the Duc-de—or of
Madame some one, after having been in the possession of royalty, they
would buy freely.
Sevres porcelain fetched high prices then, but it has risen higher in the
market, even since, and has gone on rising to the present time. In 1850
cups and saucers fetched from £25 to £30 each, and bowls £66 or £70.
Three oval vases and covers at Lord Pembroke’s sale fetched £1020.
Prices have however since gone up; and at Mr. Bernal’s sale a pair of
rose Dubarry vases sold for 1850 guineas; and cups and saucers for £100.
Single plates have since sold for £200; vases for 500 or 600 guineas
each, and cups and saucers for 150 guineas. A year ago a set of three
Jardiniers fetched at Christie’s, by auction, £10,000!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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