British & Continental Ceramics & Glass - 2nd September 2025
Lot 113
Three Lambeth delftware ballooning subject plates, c.1785, each painted with a hot air balloon in
Estimate £500 - £800
+ Buyers Premium
Description
Three Lambeth delftware ballooning subject plates, c.1785, each painted with a hot air balloon in flight above buildings and a low fence, the rims with stylised leaf swags, some damages and repairs, 22.8cm max. (3)
The dishes commemorate the demonstration flight of Italian aeronaut, Vicenzo Lunardi, on 15th September 1784 from the Artillery Ground in Finsbury. A crowd of over 200,000 watched the ascent, and others (no doubt including the workers at the nearby delftware factories) would have seen the balloon pass overhead on its flight to Standon Green End.