Minton Ceramics Manufactory ( Stoke-upon-Trent, established 1796)
Cup and Saucer: Isabella, 1884
Porcelain, 5.5 x 5.3 cm (2 3/16 x 2 1/16 in.)
This is a porcelain cup and saucer. The white cup has a gold rim at the top and raised gold lettering on the side opposite the handle that spells “Isabella”. The elegant script increases in size so that the “B” is the largest letter. The inside of the cup is pink. The white saucer has the same gold raised lettering spelling “Isabella”, and gold edging along the rim. The saucer has a pink center, rimmed with gold where the cup sits. The bottom of the mug has a purple marking of John Mortlock, Oxford St., Orchard St., London, 1884 and the logo of Minton that is ringed by a gold circle.
Vatichino
Commentary
Created in 1884 in England, this cup and saucer were manufactured and sold by two prominent ceramics companies, both of which are marked on the underside of the cup. They were made by the Mintons Ceramic Manufactury; founded in Staffordshire, England, Mintons was an independent business from 1793-1968 and a leader in ceramic design. The cup and saucer are made from bone china, a type of porcelain composed of bone ash, feldspathic material, and kaolin, known for both its strength and delicate appearance. Attempting to create Chinese hard-paste porcelain, English potters in the mid-eighteenth century instead created bone china, which quickly became a popular alternative. Although created by the Mintons Ceramic Manufactory, the cup and saucer were sold by John Mortlock, one of the most important china retailers in England in the early nineteenth century.