Magnificent antique set of (12) 1892 dual signed Royal Crown Derby, fine English Bone china luncheon plates, including the pedigree from one of the finest retailers in American history, Davis Collamore & Co. of NYC (see history below). These unique plates feature some of the richest Maroon and gilded floral medallions and festoons we have ever seen. Even the extended base seating rim is expertly gilded. This depth & intricacy of gold in porcelain, was only found in the most prestigious jewelry & retail shops such as Tiffany & Co. and Black, Starr & Frost. These incredible bone china plates were sold ca. 1892, just after the 1890 move of Davis Collamore to The Wilbraham, perhaps the most single fashionable block of bachelor flats in all New York, located at Fifth Avenue and 30th Street. They carry the English RD registry #203227, denoting an October 1892 potting. All are in splendid condition, which is a true rarity for a set of this distinction. These museum quality plates are as fine & regal as any you will ever find. Each plate measures 8 1/2"x8 1/2". Weight combined 9 pds total. PROVENANCE: A Charleston SC Private Estate. Davis Collamore & Co. was a high-end New York City importer of porcelain and glass, headed by Davis Collamore (7 October 1820 — 13 August 1887). The firm, rivaled the quality & aristocratic flair of wares at both Tiffany & Co. and Black, Starr & Frost. Royal Crown Derby item designs were commissioned, as were the very best of Copeland Spode and Thomas Minton Sons, featuring hand-painted details and rich gilding. The very TOP END porcelain by Haviland, Royal Worcester, and Villeroy & Boch also appear with the firm's stamped under-glaze marks integrated with the manufacturers stamps. Davis Collamore was also among the first to recognize the beauty and value of American-made leaded cut glass and also offered Rookwood Pottery, for which they were the exclusive representatives at the Exposition Universale, in Paris 1889.
Davis Collamore, born in Scituate, Massachusetts to a family that had been settled there since 1639, was the youngest of twelve children. At the age of sixteen he moved to New York City to be employed by his brother Ebenezer, an importer of glass and china, at 171 Broadway, with a residence near St. John's Park. In 1842 he established his own business, at 595 Broadway. His brother Gilman Collamore (1834—1888) came to join him in 1854. Gilman established his own business in 1861. Gilman Collamore & Co., in premises at 731 Broadway in 1861, then occupied premises in Union Square before taking two stories of showrooms in The Wilbraham, at Fifth Avenue and 30th Street, that opened in 1890. About 1920 new premises were constructed for the firm at 15 East 56th Street. Davis Collamore & Co.'s premises also matched the moves uptown of fashionable New Yorkers. An ad for tea and dinner services advertised from the firm's early premises, at 479 Broadway, just below Broome Street, appeared in Harper's Weekly, April 25th 1863. Retail shops were opened at Broadway and 21st Street, then on the southwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 37th Street, and then, in 1911, at 48th and Fifth Avenue and finally at 7 and 9 East 52nd Street. There was a also branch at the fashionable resort of Newport, Rhode Island.
8 1/2"x8 1/2". 9 pds total

excellent