Flowers for Autumn
It is a wonderful autumnal day today - a bit grey, but the trees are starting to turn colour and the garden is a lovely mess of leaves, cobwebs full of busy spiders, berries, squirrels hiding their treasures everywhere, and my dahlias are in bloom.
So today I pulled out a part-dessert service that is very special and that suits this season with its deep red borders. It was made by Derby between 1795 and 1800 and the stunning paintings are attributed to John Brewer.
It can't be said for sure that it was Brewer as the pages of the Derby pattern book that cover this service are missing, but this is exactly his style, the hand writing on the underside is his, and it is the right period.
John Brewer and his brother Robert grew up in an artistic family; both their parents were well-known artists in Bloomsbury, London. The sons became talented water colourists. But the art scene was crowded for the young men, so John decided to try his luck at porcelain decorating.
Now you have to understand that painting enamels on porcelain is a lot more difficult than painting water colours on paper. The images have to be meticulously planned as each colour has to go through a kiln firing separately, at the appropriate temperature. There is no room for improvisation or correction. So to paint a spontaneous image takes phenomenal talent, knowledge and patience!
John apparently mastered this shift within one week, which is about the time it takes to paint an image as each kiln firing takes a day or two. This was unheard of and that shows his talent and intelligence. Robert soon followed and both brothers worked for Derby for many years, producing some of their most beautiful items.
This service has botanical paintings and it is hard to pick a favourite! Do you like the beautiful lush pink sweet peas? Or the charming yellow crocus that includes the bulb and the messy roots? The fragrant orange blossom? Or how about that crisp marigold?
Enjoy these amazing items, and they are also available in my shop. And, no, I will not split them up - I know the service lacks the plates but it would be such a shame to separate these beautiful items... and these dishes look fantastic on display and could still be used with a simple set of white plates.
Where to find things
You can find many dessert services here in my shop; you can find all my available stock here - and watch this space as I will be bringing out lots of new stock each of the next 8 weeks. If you always want to see the latest additions, follow me on Instagram... I post pictures and a story every single day.
Wish List ❤️
Don't forget, you can now create your own profile on the site and keep a wish list. Click on the Log In icon at the top right of each page.
Happy weekend, and enjoy the changing season! 🌺🍁🍂
This week's new treasures:
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