Flowers, flowers...
I can never get enough of beautiful flowers! And besides, it's going to be Valentine's Day very soon...
These gorgeous flowers were painted by the famous William Billingsley, whom I wrote about not long ago. Billingsley was one of the most important British porcelain decorators and innovators. He worked for a short period at the Worcester Barr, Flight & Barr factory, and in that time he created some outrageously beautiful dessert services. These beautiful plates are from one of those services.
Keeping out of trouble
Billingsley didn't work at the factory because of his flowers; he had gone there to improve their porcelain recipe. But because he recipe, although creating the most beautiful porcelain ever made in the country, was incredibly wasteful and therefore expensive, the clever factory owners took him off the job and pushed a paint brush into his hands. He then proceeded to make this beautiful items - I've been showing several of them recently and you can find them all on a special page here.
Abundance
These plates have the typical abundance of Billingsley flowers; every brush stroke serves a purpose, and the flowers "speak", rather than just being pretty. They have wilted bits to them, and the leaves can be a bit ragged - just like they are in real life. The plates also have beautiful gilt vermiculé, or vermicelli, borders, which were very fashionable at the time.
Can you imagine an entire table decked out with plates, dishes and covered tureens with these flowers and gilt decorations? It would have been stunning.
Three plates available
In this case, I only have three plates... but I am selling them separately for very reasonable prices, have a look at the listings. They also have provenance: they came from the Lord & Lady Flight Collection, which means that until recently, they have been in the possession of the Flight family every since production.
Where to find things
It is nearly Valentines Day, and it is still possible to ship! You can find some romantic Valentine's ideas here, and you can find all my available stock here. If you always want to see the latest additions, follow me on Instagram... I post pictures and a story several times a week.
Happy weekend everyone, and remember, flowers are the thing for Valentine's Day ♥️🌸♥️
This week's new treasures:
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