Swansea Porcelain Dish
Swansea Porcelain Dish. I thought this piece was Meissen when I bought it, unmarked Meissen is found from the 18th century, but this looks 19th century - now that I look at it carefully. So, I dived into the rabbit hole of English ceramics and think this was made in Wales, ca. 1820, either at Nantgarw or one of the other Welsh potteries that made Swansea Porcelain. It is in excellent condition. Marked on the back (pattern mark) “721”. There are books wholly dedicated to Swansea Porcelain and some mention that there are 150 patterns of Swansea identified. The highest pattern number is “705”, but experts agree that more pattern numbers will be identified as time goes on. So, I’m going with the Swansea Porcelain attribution. The painting is excellent, possibly done in London, and the raised underglaze pattern is very fanciful. The dish form is something I have never seen before, sweetmeats? Anyway, its beautiful!
It measures 8 inches by 7 ¾ inches, about 1 ¼ inches tall.