A rare Swansea botanical plate from the Gosford Castle Service, circa 1815-17


Potted in the finest duck-egg porcelain, the cavetto beautifully painted in London with pink roses and buds growing on a thorny stem, within a delicate gilded border of classical vases and scrollwork, 23.3cm diam, a paper label to the reverse printed in black 'Gosford Castle Collection' and inscribed '33'
|Two Swansea services of this pattern are recorded, the Gosford Castle service and the Marquis of Exeter service. Apart from subtle differences in the design of the gilded border, the distinguishing feature is that the Gosford Castle service is unmarked whereas the Marquis of Exeter service bears an impressed Swansea mark. Unfortunately, the workshop responsible for the fine quality botanical painting found on both sets is not recorded. Another plate from the service, also bearing the original paper label, was sold in these rooms on 20 May 2015, lot 118 and another on 10 June 2003, lot 239.