DEAR HELAINE AND JOE: I inherited two vases from my grandfather, who was born in 1890. He said these were always on the fireplace mantel. When I Googled the images on the bottom, I found they might be authentic Chelsea vases. Will you please research the images for me please?
-- P.D., Austin, Texas
DEAR P.D.: We do a lot of Googling too, but we also have libraries that are threatening to crash through our floors. In this case, the answer for this question came from the books and not from a computer search.
Chelsea Porcelain Works was founded in the 1740s. The founding partners were Nicholas Sprimont and Charles Gouyn.
Chelsea is said to be the first important manufacturer of English soft paste porcelain, meaning it was not true Chinese-style hard paste porcelain. Hard paste porcelain is made by combining China clay with China stone (kaolin and petuntse, respectively), while soft paste porcelain is made from white clay with an addition of such things as glass frit or soapstone.
Production at the Chelsea factory is usually divided into groups that are indicated by the marks that were used. The first period is 1743-1749 and is called the triangle period because of the incised triangle that marked some of the pieces -- this may occur along with the incised name "Chelsea." This was followed by the raised anchor period (1749-1752), during which the mark of an anchor on a raised oval pad was used.
Then there was the red anchor period (1752-1756), and finally the gold anchor period (1756-1769). Other marks found include a trident through a crown (1748-1750). During the red anchor period, a brownish anchor sometimes occurs. Blue anchors can also occur on Chelsea wares decorated with blue and white.
All the genuine Chelsea anchor marks are very small and never exceed 1/3 inch in length. Large anchor marks such as the ones found on the vases in today's question indicate a fake. During the late 19th century, a number of factories made spurious Chelsea wares on hard paste porcelain (which cannot be scratched with the blade of a steel knife).
The bad news is there is no way the vases belonging to P.D. were made in the Chelsea factory in England.
Is there any good news? Yes. The painting on these pieces is really very nice and interesting, and the shape of the vases are in a Chinese beaker form called a "gu vase."
Looking at the foot rims on the pair, we suspect the porcelain was made in China sometime in the mid- to late-19th century, shipped to Europe and subsequently painted in a style reminiscent of both Chinese export armorial wares and German scenic porcelains. We see Chinese famille rose enamels mixed with Meissenesque scenic design and think it's a most unusual pair. If the pair is in great condition and 12 to 18 inches tall, they should have a retail value in the $1,400 range give or take a few hundred dollars.
Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson have written a number of books on antiques. Do you have an item you'd like to know more about? Contact them at Joe Rosson, 2504 Seymour Ave., Knoxville, Tenn. 37917, or email them at treasuresknology.net. If you'd like your question to be considered for their column, please include an in-focus high-resolution photo of the subject with your inquiry.
HomeStyle on 04/21/2018