Chelsea-Derby bust of ‘Spring’, after a Meissen original, circa 1775
$1,850.00 AUD
Rare Chelsea-Derby bust of a maiden, representing ‘Spring’ from a set of the four seasons, after a Meissen original; set on a high rococo panel moulded plinth,
Unmarked,
Circa 1775
Good condition; small chip to back of plinth base, minute flower petal losses
10.5cm high
Like a lot of mid-18th century English porcelain, the source of inspiration was a Meissen set of the ‘Four Seasons’, by J.J.Kaendler.
(Moorabool had a set circa 1755 a few years ago: https://moorabool.com/product/set-of-rare-meissen-four-seasons-busts-circa-1755 )
Bow made a version in the early 1750’s – Moorabool had a set in the white a few years ago. Derby doesn’t seem to have made them, but Chelsea made them in the 1760’s, possibly earlier. These earlier Chelsea busts have a solid profile with a firing air-hole bored in from beneath; this is evident in two examples in the Rosenberg Collection, Geelong.
This example is slip-cast, and has a large opening beneath clearly showing this. We suggest it belongs to the Chelsea-Derby period, beginning in 1769 when the Derby proprietor, William Duesbury, purchased the London Chelsea factory, and finishing in 1784 with the closure of the London Chelsea firm. As both factories were making porcelain, and often the same shapes, it is very hard to distinguish the London vs the Derby products. However, in the case of these rare busts, it is probable that the moulds available at the London Chelsea works were used as a continuation of the Gold-Anchor versions of the 1760’s. Certainly the decoration and detailing is characteristic of Chelsea porcelain.
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