This is a spectacular pair of tazzas or comports made by Minton in about 1880, which was the Victorian era. The stems of the tazzas hold three white Parian porcelain hunting cherubs and their dog. These tazzas would make a fabulous display on your Thanksgiving or Christmas table!
 
Minton was one of the pioneers of English china production alongside other great potters such as Spode, Davenport, Ridgway, Coalport and others. They were located in Staffordshire and were known specifically for their wonderfully fine white bone china, parian china and bright colours; there is a colour called "Minton Blue" which is a fresh azure blue that Minton excelled in. Minton produced the finest British porcelain, often thanks to the fact that they sourced some of their best artists and scientists from the French Sèvres factory. Minton supplied huge quantities of tablewares, tiles, and other items to the USA in the 19th Century; the White House was traditionally supplied with Minton crockery and many great buildings of this era were tiled with Minton tiles.
 
These tazzas were created in Minton's famous parian porcelain, which is very smooth and beautifully modelled. The top part of each tazza consists of a reticulated and pierced bowl in the form of a woven basket, glazed in white with fresh azure blue and gilt decoration. The stem holds three unglazed white parian porcelain cherubs and their dog, just back from a hunting trip. The cherub with the dog, a horn dangling off his side and clad in a fur loin cloth, has a rabbit slung over his shoulder; the fisherman, his nets slung over his shoulder, has fish in his hands and at his feet; and a third cherub, clad in a river fishing outfit, has a bunch of ducks in his hands and shells at his feet. The foots of the tazzas repeat the reticulated pattern in white, azure blue and gilt.
 
The items are unmarked, which is not uncommon for the period, but we know that this design was brought out around the year 1880.
 
CONDITION REPORT These tazzas are in excellent antique condition without any damage or repairs. One tazza has some glaze cracks through underside of the foot and some hardly visible discolouration on the pierced rim on the inside of the bowl; the other tazza has visible crazing and discolouration on the pierced rim on the inside of the bowl, please see pictures. The cherubs are in perfect condition, and the screws that hold the tazzas together are stable.
 
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 23cm (9"), height 15.5cm (6")