Pair of DAVENPORT Ironstone Soup Plates, 9.5" - FLYING BIRD (in RED) Pattern #7.

This beautiful pair of Georgian soup bowls are by Davenport and were manufactured in their Longport factory circa 1820.  John Davenport, who ran the factory at that time, is said to have begun potting in 1785, first as a workman, and later as a partner with Thomas Wolfe of Stoke.

The plates are made of ironstone – Davenport’s so-called ‘Stone China’.  A type of stoneware, ironstone is thought to have been introduced by the North Staffordshire potters early in the 19th century, when they were seeking to find a substitute for porcelain that could be mass-produced for the cheaper market.  The result of their experiments was a dense, hard, durable stoneware that came to be known by several names, including ‘Stone China’.  Incidentally, there is no iron in ironstone - it was so named because of its durability.

The soup bowls are beautifully decorated with a hand-finished enamelled overglaze and printed-outline design, commonly referred to as the ‘Flying Bird’ pattern.  The widely used version of this pattern is #6, where, apart from any other differences, the ‘flying bird’ is largely decorated in blue.  Patterns #7 and #9 were variations of this, but Pattern #6 has a deeper range of colours and the addition of gilding around the bird and elsewhere.  Both Masons and Hicks & Meigh, amongst others, produced similar ‘Flying Bird’ patterns.

Unusually, because they appear to be very scarce, these soup bowls are decorated with the #7 version of the ‘Flying Bird’, where the bird is decorated largely in a cherry red. This is confirmed by the pattern number painted on the base of each bowl.  At first glance, the two patterns appear very similar, but closer examination will show distinct differences to both the bowl and rim decorations, which includes a lack of any gilding to #7.

Having examined the plates carefully, it is hard to believe that they are 200+ years old, and this should be borne in mind when considering their condition. There is no crazing and, as far as I can see, there are no cracks or hairlines.  The plates have understandably been used in the past and there is a commensurate degree of surface scratching.  One plate does have four small firing cracks or flaws, the largest c. 25mm. That plate also has a nibble to the base rim. The second plate has a small chip to the base rim but appears to be free from flaws. Both plates have an early Davenport backstamp, used between 1815 - 1820, incorporating the Davenport anchor encircled by the names Davenport and Stone China. (Please note - date labels on both plates were not added by me.)

This is a highly attractive set of soup bowls – it is no wonder that the ‘Flying Bird’ pattern was generally so popular in Georgian society.  Paired with a similar set – in pattern #6 – currently available on my site, they would make a lovely display.  However, this pair, decorated in pattern #7, do seem to be comparatively rare and are priced accordingly.