Four creamware soup plates from the 'Baltic Set Dinner Service', circa 1802
With enamelled borders of oak leaves and acorns reserving panels inscribed 'Nelson', above blue ribbons inscribed 'the Glorious 1st of August' and 'the San Josef', each cavetto titled 'Aboukir' and '14th Feby', the centres with a fouled anchor within a laurel wreath and 'Nelson, 2nd April, Baltic', 24.5cm diam (4)
Footnotes:
Provenance
Probably Vice-Admiral Horatio, Lord Nelson
Probably Emma, Lady Hamilton
Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery and Midlothian (1847-1929); at Dalmeny House
Thence by descent
Sotheby's London, 5 October 2005, lot 168

The inventories of Emma Hamilton's possessions, drawn up following Nelson's death and during her financial difficulties, list three distinct sets made for Nelson with a border of oak leaves. The 'Nelson set' was a dessert service of Paris porcelain and a tea service of Coalport, all decorated with Nelson's arms. The 'Baltic Set' was a tea service and a dessert set both of Paris porcelain, together with a dinner set which was creamware.

It is believed that the various Baltic and Nelson Services were created, in some haste, ahead of the Lord Mayor's inauguration in 1802. The porcelain tea and dessert wares, well represented in this sale, would have been insufficient to serve at the celebratory banquet and it is likely that most of the guests dined off creamware. A plate, similar to the present lot, formed part of the Charles Wentworth Wass collection. When it was sold at Phillips in 1995 by his decedents, the plate bore a paper label in the hand of C Wentworth Wass describing it as part of the service presented to Lord Nelson by the City of London following his victory at Copenhagen. Wentworth Wass had been a major buyer of Nelson relics at Lord Bridport's sale.

A dinner service was listed as part of the Baltic Service in a circa 1813 inventory of Lady Hamilton's possessions removed from Merton, and it is reasonable to assume that most, if not all of the creamware items offered in this sale formed part of the set used at home by Nelson, Emma and their guests. Unfortunately, Emma's financial problems meant that she had to part with almost everything in return for loans. On 8 July 1813 an auction was held by James Abbot of some of Lady Hamilton's possessions including large porcelain dinner and dessert services, although no identifying descriptions were given in the catalogue. While some of the better porcelain was still packed in crates kept by Alderman Smith as surety against other money he had advanced to Emma, it is possible the creamware 'Baltic' dinner service was part of the 1813 auction in New Bond Street sold by James Abbot, even though it was still listed in detail in the Trickey inventory which, it is believed was also drawn up in 1813. This inventory shows that, when it was packed at Merton, the Baltic Dinner Service included 21 soup plates, 71 dinner plates, 41 dessert plates and 10 cheese plates amongst other shapes.

On Nelson's death, his brother William had claimed other possessions from Merton, and it appears that some of the porcelain from both the 'Nelson' and the 'Baltic' Services was subsequently inherited by Nelson's niece, Charlotte Nelson who was William Nelson's daughter from his first marriage. Charlotte had been a regular guest at Merton and she received many of Nelson's possessions after his death. She would have been very familiar with the Oak-Leaf pattern, having accompanied her uncle to the Lord's Mayor's Inauguration. Charlotte married Samuel Hood, Baron Bridport and many Nelson relics were inherited by his son Alexander Nelson, Viscount Bridport. Lord Bridport's sale at Christie's in July 1895 featured many pieces of the porcelain Oak-leaf services, but not apparently any of the creamware dinner set. Meanwhile, other members of the Nelson family probably acquired china and other items from Alderman Smith. It is therefore worth noting that a similar creamware plate in the Nelson-Ward Collection (no.AAA4593), was bequeathed to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich in 1946 by the grandson of Horatia, Nelson and Emma Hamilton's daughter. A further plate can be seen in the Nelson Gallery at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, no.1973/172.