This is a beautiful plate made by Hicks, Meigh & Johnson (often simply called Hicks & Meigh) around 1820.

Hicks & Meigh was one of the many china factories in early 19th Century Staffordshire, alongside potters such as Spode, H&R Daniel, Minton, Wedgwood, Davenport and Coalport (which was actually just over the border in Shropshire). They may be one of the lesser known potteries of that era, but they made some very high quality tea and dinner wares.

This large plate is potted in white porcelain in a very simple shape without any moulding. The rim of the plate is covered in a bright overglaze emerald green with a simple gold band around the edge. But what makes this plate truly stunning is the flower painting in the centre: a large rose intertwined with a deep blue delphinium or larkspur. Around the year 1820 there were many itinerant painters who were schooled in Welsh and Derby style of painting, following in the footsteps of the famous William Billingsley; this painting betrays the hand of one of those master painters who have otherwise remained anonymous.

The plate is unmarked, as was often the requirement of clients in those days; retailers were worried that people would go to the Potteries directly so therefore kept secret where their items were produced.

CONDITION REPORT The plate is in very good condition without any damage or repairs. However, it is crazed and particularly in the back this has caused some discolouration (not on the face). The green overglaze enamel paint has some imperfections, as is common with this colour. There are slight scratches to the gilt in places. These flaws are clearly visible in the pictures; please study them carefully.

Antique British porcelain is never perfect. Kilns were fired on coal in the 1800s, and this meant that china from that period can have some firing specks from flying particles. British makers were also known for their experimentation, and sometimes this resulted in technically imperfect results. Due to the shrinkage in the kiln, items can have small firing lines or develop crazing over time, which should not be seen as damage but as an imperfection of the maker's recipes, probably unknown at the time of making. Items have often been used for many years and can have normal signs of wear, and gilt can have signs of slight disintegration even if never handled. I will reflect any damage, repairs, obvious stress marks, crazing or heavy wear in the item description but some minor scratches, nicks, stains and gilt disintegration can be normal for vintage items and need to be taken into account.

There is widespread confusion on the internet about the difference between chips and nicks, or hairlines and cracks. I will reflect any damage as truthfully as I can, i.e. a nick is a tiny bit of damage smaller than 1mm and a chip is something you can easily see with the eye; a glazing line is a break in the glazing only; hairline is extremely tight and/or superficial and not picked up by the finger; and a crack is obvious both to the eye and the finger. Etcetera - I try to be as accurate as I can and please feel free to ask questions or request more detailed pictures!

DIMENSIONS (diameter): 24cm (9.5").

SHIPPING I ship worldwide from the UK, mostly by Royal Mail 2nd Class for the UK and International Tracked and Signed for the rest of the world. I am happy to combine shipping charges on multiple items - please contact me to discuss. In principle I do not make a profit on shipping although for simplicity's sake I charge flat shipping fees. If the fee charged greatly exceeds the actual cost I will gladly refund you the difference - at the same time if it is slightly lower I will gladly make up the difference. In some countries shipping will end up significantly more than the expected fees and I will contact you to discuss our options. PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING SHIPPING COSTS AND OPTIONS.