Royal Crown Derby is one of the oldest remaining English porcelain manufacturers, based in Osmaston Road, Derby. The company is known for its high-quality bone china and has been producing tableware and ornamental ware since 1750.
Potteries Auctions can identify and provide valuations on a wide range of Royal Crown Derby pottery at auction.
Popular Royal Crown Derby Pottery at Auction
Sold March 2019
Sale Price £3,200
Sold November 2018
Sale Price £1,600
Sold July 2022
Sale Price £1,200
Sold November 2022
Sale Price £2,900
Sold March 2022
Sale Price £880
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Royal Crown Derby Facts
- Based in Derby since the mid 1700s, the company was known as Derby Porcelain until 1773, whereupon it was renamed to ‘Crown Derby’ when George III granted the company permission to incorporate the royal crown into the back stamp. The company then became ‘Royal Crown Derby’ in 1890 by royal warrant granted by Queen Victoria.
- A huge range of items produced between 1786 and 1795 were lavishly decorated and make this period perhaps the most interesting and most sought after of collector pieces.
- In the 20th-century, the company launched a range of paperweights – five birds and a rabbit – at Chatsworth House. These have become very important collectors items and are sought-after pieces.
The History of Royal Crown Derby Pottery
The foundation of the Derby company was formed with a partnership between André Planché, (a Huguenot immigrant who made soft-paste vases and figurines), William Duesbury (a porcelain painter) and John Heath (a banker) in 1756, although production at the works at Cockpit Hill, Derby had begun before then. This is evidenced by a creamware jug dated 1750 which is in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
André Planché left the partnership, and the business was further developed by Duesbury and Heath. William Duesbury was a talented entrepreneur and he developed a new body which contained glass frit, soapstone and calcined bone. This enabled the factory to start producing high-quality tableware. He employed the best talent available for modelling and painting. Richard Askew, who was particularly skilled at painting cupids, did the figure painting. Intricate floral patterns were designed and painted by William Billingsley.
The company was known as ‘Derby Porcelain’ until 1773. King George III granted Duesbury permission to incorporate the royal crown into the Derby backstamp, after which the company was known as ‘Crown Derby’.
In 1890, Queen Victoria appointed ‘Crown Derby’ to be ‘Manufacturers of porcelain to Her Majesty’ and by royal warrant granted them the title “The Royal Crown Derby Porcelain Company”.
The distinctive 1128 Old Imari pattern dates back to 1882, inspired by traditional designs imported from Japan and China to Europe in the early decades of the 18th-century. Manufacturers throughout Europe started creating stunning porcelain pieces inspired by these wonderful wares in the late 18th-century and early 19th-century. The Derby porcelain factory established itself firmly within the Imari wares market by creating a wide assortment of designs that were inspired by the original eastern designs with interesting names such as ‘Witches’, ‘Grecian’ and ‘Duck’. The distinguished rich colours and gold gild were used to show peoples wealth and luxury in the early 18th-century.
S Pearson & Son acquired the company in 1964, where it became part of the Allied English Potteries group. In 2000, Hugh Gibson (former director of Royal Doulton) and a Pearson family member bought Royal Crown Derby, making them an independent company again. The company is now owned by Kevin Oakes (former chief executive of both Royal Doulton and Steelite).
Present product lines include paperweights, which were introduced in 1981 were and immensely popular. Royal Crown Derby also continue to produce patterns in the Imari style, distinguished for its rich colours and intricate gilding, including the dinnerware ranges Old Imari, Traditional Imari, Red Aves, Blue Mikado (designed by Thomas Amos Reed) and Olde Avesbury.
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