This is a very rare plate made by Coalport in about 1870. The plate has a bright "rose du barry" pink rim and beautiful fruits in its centre painted by the famous porcelain artist Jabey (or Jabez) Aston.
 
Coalport was one of the leading potters in 19th and 20th Century Staffordshire. They worked alongside other great potters such as Spode, Davenport and Minton, and came out with many innovative designs. When we say "Coalport" we usually think of the one Coalport factory that became famous, but in its beginning years there were two factories, one run by John Rose and the other by his brother Thomas Rose. Thomas Rose went into partnership with Robert Anstice and Robert Horton and they were located directly opposite John Rose, across the canal. The brothers' factories had much in common with each other and they shared many different shapes and patterns. Ultimately, the John Rose factory proved more profitable and John Rose bought Thomas' factory in 1814, making it the one Coalport factory that became so famous. Many of the Coalport items, of either factory, are now collectors' items.
 
This plate was made in the mid Victorian period and it would have belonged to a large dessert service. It is potted in very smooth porcelain in the "basic 12-lobed" shape, which allows for wonderful gilt decorations. The band of the plate is coloured in a bright "rose du barry" pink, which Coalport started to apply a lot around 1870. This pink band is covered with exceptionally fine raised (or chased) gilt vines. Both the pink colour and the raised gilding was extremely hard to apply, so this plate would have belonged to a very expensive service. The inner band is coloured in a deep moss green with little "oeil de perdrix" (partidge eye) decoration in gilt and anthracite grey. The centre of the plate has an exceptionally beautiful fruit painting, painted with the greatest skill by the famous painter Jabey (or Jabez) Aston, who worked for Coalport his whole adult life, from 1820-1875. Succulent grapes, peaches, apricots and berries are surrounded by almost transparent vine leaves. Aston's fruit paintings are often distinguishable by their foliage, which is done in beautiful teal and brown shades and are made to look transparent, so as to draw the watcher's attention to the fruits. 
 
The colouring, raised gilt and "oeil de perdrix" detail are all influenced by the French Sèvres factory, which Coalport relied heavily on in the mid to late 19th Century. Only the very best of artists were able to imitate the famous Sèvres design elements of the 18th Century, and apart from the sublime quality of the fruit painting, these elements would have made the plate a very expensive item at the time.
 
CONDITION REPORT The plate is in good antique condition without any crazing or repairs. There is a short hairline crack coming off the rim, which is only clearly visible from the underside and hardly visible from the face of the plate. Otherwise the plate looks excellent and has hardly any wear.
 
The plate is unmarked, as was often the case in that period.
 
Antique British porcelain is never perfect. Kilns were fired on coal in the 1800s, and this meant that china from that period can have some firing specks from flying particles. British makers were also known for their experimentation, and sometimes this resulted in technically imperfect results. Due to the shrinkage in the kiln, items can have small firing lines or develop crazing over time, which should not be seen as damage but as an imperfection of the maker's recipes, probably unknown at the time of making. Items have often been used for many years and can have normal signs of wear, and gilt can have signs of slight disintegration even if never handled. I will reflect any damage, repairs, obvious stress marks, crazing or heavy wear in the item description but some minor scratches, nicks, stains and gilt disintegration 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 easily see with the eye; a glazing line is a break in the glazing only; hairline is extremely tight and/or superficial and not picked up by the finger; and a crack is obvious both to the eye and the finger. Etcetera - I try to be as accurate as I can and please feel free to ask questions or request more detailed pictures!
 
DIMENSIONS (diameter) 24cm (9.5").