Highly rare Bristol garniture appears on the market
28th January 2025Hard-paste porcelain was first made in China in around the 7th or 8th century and began to be exported to Europe by the Portuguese then later by the Dutch from the middle of the 16th century, creating vast global demand for the material. The translucent, bright white quality of hard-paste porcelain that could withstand high temperatures without cracking was much admired but would take centuries for cultures outside of Asia to emulate.
During the early 18th century, Meissen were widely credited with discovering the formula and began to produce hard-paste porcelain in Europe in large quantities, but the recipe was kept a closely guarded secret, leaving British manufacturers lagging behind.
By the mid 18th century, Bristol was England's second business city after London, a major port for the Atlantic trade and one of the most important centres of production for English pottery, especially in tin-glazed English Delftware. In 1770, the Plymouth Porcelain factory moved to Bristol and, under the new direction of shareholder Richard Champion, the quality and decoration of early English hard-paste porcelain outputs was improved and new Neoclassical styles introduced. Sadly, the Bristol Porcelain Manufactory business did not prove profitable and would close production within ten years.
In the September 1947 edition of Apollo magazine, connoisseur F Severne Mackenna described the discovery of six rare Bristol vases in the possession of Mrs Whitworth at Woollas Hall, Eckington as; “surprising and incredible.”
“There can be no two opinions concerning the importance of the fine vases made at Bristol by Richard Champion and the majority of collectors realise the great importance of these pieces.”
Stating that he had found no other "recorded instance of a complete set of this type", despite having identified at least 17 other individual examples. The painting included with the garniture shows them displayed in Woollas Hall during the first half of the 20th century. The Whitworth family sold Woollas Hall in the 1950s. Also included in the sale are a rare pair of Brislington delftware plates, one with Royal subject, dating from 1685-90 that appeared on the Antiques Roadshow in 2014.