Very finely painted with ‘inselstil’ vignettes of birds, flowers and insects, the first with a yellow canary perched

on a chrysanthemum bloom above a marsh, the second with a green woodpecker perched upon a gnarled

stump of portugese laurel, each surrounded by an undulating garland of European flowers, including:

dianthus, roses, convovulous, divergent tulips, heartsease, hollyhocks, lilies, species daffodil and scarlet

pimpernel, within brown line rims.

Circa 1755.

Diameter: 91⁄2 ins. (24 cms.)

Marks: crossed swords marks in underglaze blue to the undersides and pressed numeral 36 to each.

Click to enlarge
This service takes its place within two very interesting and documentary services. The first, which is about 10 years earlier circa 1745 was a gift from Augustus III to the British Envoy to the Court of Saxony, Sir Charles Hanbury Williams of Holland House London. Through his good offices with his friend Sir Everard Faulkner pieces from Sir Charles’s collection were borrowed by Faulkner’s friend Nicholas Sprimont for copying  at Chelsea . This service belonging to Sir Charles is decorated with animals within a similar border, it is now owned by The present Duke of Northumberland and is on show at Alnick Castle, there are a few very rare examples of Chelsea plates also decorated in this fashion, one with a rhinoceros after Durer was Exhibited at the Chelsea Town Hall Exhibition London 1999. The second service is painted with both birds and animals and was ordered by Frederich the Great in 1762, though it has to be said that the shapes and forms differ substantially, this has now come to be known as the ‘Japanese Service’.