Royal Crown Derby Demitasse Set (20th Century)
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Royal Crown Derby demitasse set for six people, 20th century, (12 items), stamped 'Royal Crown Derby, made in England (bone china)', the saucers 13 cm diameter
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- Bone China - Bone china, Also called 'English china", is one of the three types of porcelain, the other two being soft paste porcelain and hard paste porcelain.
Porcelain is an ancient ceramic material, first made in China, hence the common name "china", and the introduction of bone china was to counter the imports of Chinese porcelain.
The initial development of bone china is credited to Josiah Spode, who introduced it around 1800 and it was soon after copied by other manufacturers including Minton, Coalport, Davenport, Derby, Worcester, Wedgwood and Rockingham and the Herculaneum factory at Liverpool.
Spode's bone china was made by mixing ash from cattle bones with feldspar and kaolin, which created a material that was stronger, more translucent, and whiter than traditional porcelain. He began to produce this new type of porcelain in 1796 and it quickly became very popular.
At the time, the process and ingredients were kept secret and were only known to a few manufacturers and were protected by patents.
In the 19th century, bone china became increasingly popular and was widely produced by many manufacturers in England. During this time, it was considered a luxury item and was often used to create fine dining sets and other decorative items.
Bone china is still used in the production of fine porcelain wares, such as tea sets, figurines, and other decorative pieces. His basic formula of six parts bone ash, four parts china stone, and three and a half parts china clay remains the standard English body. It is still considered a luxury item due to its strength, translucency, and whiteness, and is often used for high-end and high-quality porcelain. China. - Dating English Ceramics - Excellent detailed reference books such as Godden's Encyclopaedia of British Pottery and Porcelain Marks will help to identify and date specific manufacturer's marks.
However, there are a few simple guidelines which may also help.
The inclusion of the word 'England' on an item ensured compliance with the American McKinley Tariff Act 1891, which was important for British exporters. An item so marked would have been made after 1891.
In 1921 the act was revised to require the phrase 'Made in' followed by the country. So if an item is marked 'Made in England', it is generally considered to be made after that date, although some manufacturers were using this phrase pior to the act being changed.
The use of the word 'Ltd' of 'Limited' after a company's name indicates a date after 1860, though with ceramic manufacturers this did not become general practice until the 1880's.
This item has been included into following indexes:
- Royal Crown Derby (England), item types