HISTORY:
My wife "collects" fabulous fancy chinaware but she is in the process of "moving along" into fine 19th Century figurines and the such ... Royal Albert and Doulton still hold a special place for her but she is anguishing over what should go and what should stay.
This is yet another of her "pretty" Royal Albert trio's but it is NOT PERFECT ... she has asked me to try and find a new caring home for the trio or at least parts of it. The idea of putting lovely Royal Albert out on the footpath for a "goodness knows what" future dismays her ... so here we go with a pretty detailed rundown on what this "American Beauty" trio has to offer and it's flaws
DLAT RATING: 6/10 (Darling Look At This!)
Smooth, gentle, soft Pink-Red rose buds but with a name like that I would have thought French Beauty was more appropriate (a French lady is very special) ... however, being a man, my wife corrected me - American Beauty refers to the famous rose introduced in 1875 and well known for its repeated blooming, beautiful Pink-Red's and high fragrance. Silly me ...
First, some general information ...
ROYAL ALBERT - Teacup, Saucer & Side Plate (Offered separately or as a trio if all pieces still remain available)
Made In England
Price indicated is for EACH PIECE, however if all three pieces to create a trio are selected then an automatic discount does apply in the checkout
Circa 1960's
Fine Bone China
Pattern: American Beauty
Design: Roses with foliage, lots of them on the topside, underneath and inside the teacup - as mentioned above, I have come to learn that this bloom is the rose American Beauty (makes sense doesn't it?)
Translucent, which means if held up to a strong light source, you can easily see the shadow of your fingers through the fine china
Shape: The teacup has fluted sides, almost hexagonal in shape with hi-back handle (Queen Anne style) The rose decorations dominate each piece.
Gold gilding has been applied to the teacup top rim (feathered), down each side and the back of the handle and a double solid ring around the foot of the teacup.
The saucer and side plate have only the rim Gold gilded (no inner Gold gilding) which also is feathered
All of the decoration, both the artwork and the gilding, has been hand applied (in fact even the underside backstamp) - this must be one of the last examples of hand decorated china as by the 1960's many English china manufacturers had moved on from hand crafted decorations in an effort to save production costs.
BACKSTAMP DETAILS:
Makers mark printed on the base of the teacup (decorators mark clearly visible in Lime Green)
Makers mark printed on the base of the saucer (decorators mark clearly visible in Pink)
Makers mark printed on the base of the side plate (decorators mark clearly visible in Lime Green)
DIMENSIONS:
TEACUP: 85mm mouth x 72mm height
SAUCER: 142mm diameter
SIDE PLATE: 160mm diameter
COSMETIC CONDITION:
This section is (to many) the most important part ... please read carefully, a lot of detail here as I (and so my wife) wants those who are interested to know exactly the condition of each piece.
First, across all three pieces of the trio ...
CLEAN
NO cracks
NO chips
NO crazing
NO discolouration observed to any area of the pure White base china, particularly inside the teacup with no tannin or other staining can occur.
NO damage or wear is apparent to the teacup handle
NO damage or scratch marks observed to any of the decorations - the colours are bright and vibrant, no loss of colour over the years.
Now, the following are flaws (no matter how small they may appear) which I noticed with each piece
TEACUP:
At the top of the Queen Anne handle there is Gold gilding, it looks to me as though it is partly worn (rubbed) - please see the photograph
Inside the teacup I noticed a tiny (and I mean tiny) little Black dot ... I washed with soap and water but this did not budge at all. There is no corresponding mark on the "otherside" of the china wall at this spot so it appears to be something "stuck" onto the china which I could not remove.
SAUCER:
In a couple of spots I think there is very light useage wear to the Gold gilding, not on the top but on the lower edge of the gilding - this is very high quality product and I don't believe Royal Albert would have shipped these from the works with these little "incomplete" sections of Gold gilding. Mark my words, these little signs of useage are just that - little, but I did notice them.
SIDE PLATE:
I can see one small, non-discoloured fleabite on the underside.
I can also see the same light signs of useage wear to the Gold gilding although (in my opinion) the wear is heavier and more consistent. Again take a look at the photograph of this area to see what I mean please.
NOTE: Due to the nature of this Gold gilding wear to both the saucer and side plate, if you are looking "from above", you will not see this wear - it is really only visible when viewed "side on"
Overall, even with the light wear to the gilding, this is a very attractive trio (like a French lady!) very soft and feminine.
