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Derby Porcelain: Artistry from the 18th Century to the Present Day.

In late November 2017, the Derby Porcelain Society mounted a major exhibition of Derby porcelain within the "Antiques for Everyone" antiques fair at the NEC, Birmingham.  Titled "Derby Porcelain: Artistry from the 18th Century to the Present Day", the exhibition included over 130 quality items of Derby porcelain from all periods of the history of porcelain production in Derby.

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During the four days of the exhibition, over 15,000 visitors to the fair had the opportunity to view these wonderful exhibits, talk about Derby porcelain with Society members who stewarded the exhibition each day, listen to talks given by our Chairman, buy specially produced catalogues and join the Society.

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The exhibition and its catalogue were divided into seven themes,

  1. Botanical, Fruit and Floral,

  2. Land and Seascapes,

  3. Gilding,

  4. Figures,

  5. Animals,

  6. Armorial and Commemorative

  7. Design. 

We're pleased to feature a few items from each section on this page, together with some scenes from the exhibition itself.

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Our catalogue is now for sale from this website, please see further down this page for details.

Some Images from the Exhibition.

(Click on the images to expand them)

A Brief Look at the Cabinets.
Cabinet 1: Botanical, Fruit and Floral.

There are 21 exhibits within the Botanical, Fruit and Floral section of which three are featured here.  They are --

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Exhibit 5 - A King Street bowl decorated by Harry Sampson Hancock and dating to c1917-33.

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Exhibit 9 - An Osmaston Road chocolate cup, cover and stand, decorated by Frank Williams and dating to 1893.

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Exhibit 19 - A Nottingham Road ice pail, cover and liner, decorated in pattern 80 with the decoration attributed to William Billingsley.  Dating to c1786-90.

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Many more images of these and of the other pieces in the Botanical, Fruit and Floral section can be found in our catalogue.

Cabinet 2: Land and Seascapes.

There are 22 exhibits within the Land and Seascapes section of which three are featured here.  They are --

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Exhibit 25 - A Nottingham Road large reticulated pedestal bowl with a black landscape on an orange ground attributed to George Robertson c1795-1800

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Exhibit 37 - A Derby Crown plate, with a sailing ship on a beach within a heart shaped border. Initialled WNS for William Nathan Statham.

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Exhibit 41 - A King Street trio, decorated with three urban scenes of Derby and each signed by William Mosley.  They date to c1930-35.

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Many more images of these and of the other pieces in the Land and Seascapes section can be found in our catalogue.

Cabinet 3: Gilding.

There are 20 exhibits within the Gilding section of which three are featured here.  They are --

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Exhibit 51 - A King Street coffee can with elaborate gilding, possibly by Harry Sampson Hancock and dating to c1861-1935.

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Exhibit 52 - An Osmaston Road cabinet plate with fluted rim moulding and dating to 1891.

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Exhibit 57 - A Nottingham Road two handled chocolate cup and stand with gold and platinum gilding on a blue ground.  This is the earliest known example of platinum decoration on Derby porcelain, dating to c1825-30.

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Many more images of these and of the other pieces in the Gilding section can be found in our catalogue.

Cabinet 4: Figures.

There are 20 exhibits within the Figures section of which three are featured here.  They are --

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Exhibit 5 - A large figure group of Diana with a Hunting Dog and dating to c1758-60.

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Exhibit 79 - A pair of King Street figures of a boy and girl, decorated by Arnold Machin and dating to c1930-1932.

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Exhibit 81 - An Osmaston Road female figure dressed in traditional Japanese robes and dated 1932.

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Many more images of these and of the other pieces in the Figures section can be found in our catalogue.

Cabinet 5: Animals

There are 22 exhibits within the Animals section of which three are featured here.  They are --

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Exhibit 83 - An early Nottingham Road sauceboat with two panels containing puce monochrome painted birds and dating to c1758-1760.

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Exhibit 98 - An unusual King Street cream jug in the shape of a duck, dating to c1900-1935.

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Exhibit 103 - An Osmaston Road model of a Midsummer Hare, dating to c2008-2011.  (Kindly loaned to the exhibition by Royal Crown Derby Museum)

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Many more images of these and of the other pieces in the Animals section can be found in our catalogue.

Cabinet 6: Armorial and Commemorative.

There are 17 exhibits within the Armorial and Commemorative section of which three are featured here.  They are --

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Exhibit 105 - An Nottingham Road tea pot and cover with KJC monogram and dating to c1790-1795.

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Exhibit 114- An Osmaston Road plate with central armorial relating to the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers and dating to 1991.

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Exhibit 116 - A very rare King Street commemorative coffee can, celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria c1887.

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Many more images of these and of the other pieces in the Armorial and Commemorative section can be found in our catalogue.

Cabinets 7 and 8: Design. 

There are 17 exhibits within the Design section of which three are featured here.  They are --

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Exhibit 119 - A Nottingham Road vase modelled in the asymmetrical rococo style and dating to c1760.

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Exhibit 126 - A vibrant Osmaston Road plate, decorated in aesthetic/Persian style c1877-1880.

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Exhibit 130 - A King Street fluted cup and saucer, decorated in Art Deco style by William Hargreaves, c1933-35.

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Many more images of these and of the other pieces in the Design section can be found in our catalogue

Our Special Exhibition Catalogue is for Sale!

Our specially produced catalogue, launched at the exhibition, is now available for sale.  With considerable interest already from collectors, dealers and auction houses we expect the catalogue to become a serious reference work for years to come.

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The catalogue contains multiple colour images and full descriptions of all 136 exhibits at the Artistry exhibition, plus a brief history of the three Derby factories from the beginnings in the middle of the 18th century to the present day.

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To buy a copy of the catalogue, please visit our Publications page where you can purchase copies, plus others of our publications.  Payment is easy, the page links directly to your Paypal account. 

 

We can post worldwide.

Thank You.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make our exhibition at Birmingham such a massive success. 

Special thanks are due to -

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  • All members who so kindly loaned items from their collections

  • All members who gave so generously of their time by volunteering for stewarding duty

  • To Royal Crown Derby and their Museum for such staunch help and support

  • To the members who gave up so much time and effort in the preparation of the catalogue

  • To Clarion Events for inviting us to take part and for giving us the space, cabinets etc.

  • To Duncan Phillips for the superb level of advertising and coverage in both the press and on TV which he was able to achieve for us, both nationally and internationally

  • And finally to all our new members - welcome!

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