The Art of Worcester Porcelain, 1751-1788: Masterpieces from the British Museum Collection

Porcelain has been made in Worcester since 1751 and the factory’s products are still amongst the most keenly collected English porcelain today. Unlike many other porcelain factories established in Britain from the mid-eighteenth century, Worcester produced a wide range of domestic and ornamental pieces, catering to an elite market of aristocrats and landowners, many of whom were newly wealthy and keen to display their prosperity. This beautiful book showcases over 100 of the most important and attractive pieces of eighteenth-century Worcester porcelain in the collection of the British Museum. They date from the period 1751-83, from the factory’s founding by Dr. John Wall to a few years after his death in 1776. Its particular strengths are its dated pieces, as well as many decorated in London at the famous Soho workshop of James Giles. It also includes early pieces closely based on Chinese and Japanese porcelains, examples of the charming blue and white painted or printed wares, and many of the characteristic and sought-after pieces painted with flowers and birds against a dark blue ground. Many of the pieces are fully illustrated in color here for the first time.

A concise overview of the Worcester factory and its production methods in the eighteenth century is followed by superb illustrations and informative texts, including new research about each of the featured pieces, making this book both an enlightening introduction to the subject for the non-specialist and an essential reference for the collector.