On offer is a beautiful teacup and saucer made by H&R Daniel in around 1841. The set is shaped in the "Acanthus Base" shape, and carries pattern no. 6921. The pattern consists of a rich gilt scaled pattern, with beautiful gilt floral decoration on the outside of the cup and the centre of both cup and saucer. The base of the footed cup has the characteristic blind moulded "Acanthus base", and the handle is a double twisted Sèvres-style handle.
 
The H & R Daniel porcelain factory was founded by Henry Daniel, son of a family of master colour makers. He headed up the decoration department in the famous Spode factory where he oversaw all the beautiful early Spode decorations. In 1822 he opened his own factory with his son Richard, creating a truly iconic body of work with the most subtle colours and beautifully painted flowers and landscapes. 
 
The Daniel factory was the last true cottage industry among the English potteries, resisting the increase of industrialisation and mass production. This resulted in extraordinary and unrivalled quality, but it probably also led to the factory having to close its doors in 1846 because it could no longer compete with others who did modernise. Daniel porcelain can be hard to identify as the factory was only around for about two decades, and Daniel items have therefore become true collectors' items.
 
The style of this set is typical for the Rococo Revival style that was fashionable in the early Victorian period. In the Rococo Revival, unlike the Regency era, shapes were flowing and natural, often resembling nature. The word “Rococo” is related to the French word “Rocaille”, which means a loose formation of pebbles such as we can find on the beach or in the mountains: a natural state of organised chaos that is highly decorative.
 
The set is unmarked as was often the requirement of clients in those days; retailers were worried that people would go to the Potteries directly so therefore kept secret where their items were produced; however the saucer carries the pattern number in gilt.
 
CONDITION REPORT The set is in good antique condition, however it is crazed and the teacup, as a result, is very slightly discoloured on the inside. The set still looks beautiful and is good for use.
 
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): cup 10cm (4"); saucer 15.3cm (6").