This is a beautiful "true trio" made by Samuel Alcock in or shortly after 1841. The trio is decorated in a warm beige ground with a gilt pattern and beautiful flowers in the centre of each item.
In the late 18th and early 19th Century cups and saucers were sold in "true trios" consisting of a teacup, a coffee cup and a saucer; as you would never drink tea and coffee at the same time, why invest in an extra saucer?
Samuel Alcock was a major potter in Staffordshire between the 1820s and 1840s. He is probably one of the most under-appreciated potters of that era, creating a huge and very high quality output but as he didn't mark his wares, many got attributed to other factories and his name largely forgotten. Only recently are people starting to recognise the extraordinary quality of these wares, and this piece is a great example of the creativity and beautiful of their Rococo Revival designs.
The trio is unmarked except for the pattern number 9492, which dates it to the year 1841.
CONDITION REPORT The trio is in excellent antique condition with no damage or repairs and hardly any wear, as visible in the pictures. There is very fine micro-crazing on the coffee cup.
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 (diameters) teacup 10.8cm (4.25"), coffee cup 9cm (3.5"), saucer 15.2cm (6")
Samuel Alcock true trio, beige with flowers, ca 1841
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We always aim to have happy customers so if you have an issue with or questions about your item, please contact us and we will do anything we can to resolve the issue with you!
