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Posted 8 years ago
AdeleC
(498 items)
I love picking up cup and saucers, and trying to date them etc. It's a lot easier when they are marked. I looked up the mark on the saucers, and they date from 1896 - 1910. They are transfer printed blue and white, but they have also had some enamel and gilt painted on (rather messily). They are made by T Hughes & Son Ltd, from England, and the pattern is Shapoo. A knightmare looking that up as Google etc kept making it out to Shampoo!!
The English tried to no end to get that nice white china. They ended up putting bone in it to try to get it as white as the Chinese stuff. The European/Aristocrats also tried for years and years to copy the fine China from China. Despite all the trade of exquisite items, clocks, statues, furniture, etc. the Chinese closely guarded their clays. I believe England around the time of your cups and saucers, imported 'blank' china/porcelain sometimes, and had recruits from China working in England to do the décor and stamps.
I think the English imported blank porcelain cups etc from China earlier than these cups and saucers, which are late Victorian, according to google. I had an interesting few days learning about Georgian tea cups! I thought it would be boring, but I ended up hooked! One thing I learned was that Chinese porcelain has a slightly bluish tinge to it. English tends to be very white, and early English is softer, before they learned to put bone in it.