A nose for the rose
It's going to be Valentine's Day... so this week we need to do something beautiful and romantic... Let's look at some roses!
One of the famous painters at the Derby factory was called Moses Webster. He was a fine young man who was trained in the style of the famous William Billingsley at Nantgarw. He then worked at the Worcester factory for a few years (between 1821 and 1825), and then went on to Derby, where he worked until his death in 1870.
You can see his work on this gorgeous "shell dish" from a Bloor Derby dessert service - it must have been painted in about 1825 and is available in my shop.
Moses was famous for painting very fine landscapes, but also for his flowers, particularly roses. Having worked with Billingsley, he knew how to paint a good rose... and it was his passion. So much so, that he didn't like his job at Worcester and left after a few years.
Why? Well, as roses were painted in great numbers at Chelsea and Derby, the Worcester factory decided to differ and hence folks at Worcester were not big on them; the painters were not allowed to include them in their posies. Moses didn't like this and kept smuggling in some roses, probably to the despair of his superiors.
One morning he arrived at his work bench and found this brilliant "impromptu" poem, written by a young poetically talented fellow painter:
If Moses composes
His posies of roses
Of sweeter he can't them compose;
No flower else that grows
Can compare with the rose,
If you doubt it consult your own nose.
I love finding out these endearing little details about the people who painted all this beautiful porcelain... can you imagine the young lads, the conversations they had, the teasing, their individual quirks?
Moses left for Derby when the opportunity arose, and remained there the rest of his life, painting wonderful landscapes and of course roses... lots of them.
At the moment I have just this one dish by his hand - but what's better for Valentine's Day than some romantic roses??
And if you need something else for the big day... I'm sure you will be able to find something in my shop.
Where to find things
You can you can find all my Derby items here, and you can find all my available items here. If you want to stay up to date with new additions, find me on Instagram, where I put up pictures with a story several times a week.
Happy weekend, and get your roses out! 🌹🌹🌹
Valentine's gifts for him, her, and anyone else:
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