English Bone China Trompe L'oeil Melon Tureen and Cover, Probably Minton,
Circa 1825-1835

This English bone china tureen and cover is modeled in trompe l'oeil as a ripe melon, oval and ribbed, its segments washed in bands of bright green and yellow over a netted, pebbled skin molded in relief. The cover is surmounted by a gnarled stalk handle, its end cut square to show the rings of the stem, from which spring curling tendrils and heart-shaped serrated leaves veined in puce, lying across the top of the fruit, and a short stalk is modeled at one end of the body. Both parts are glazed plain white inside, and the cover seats on a raised inner flange.

The model follows the melon tureens made at Meissen, Chelsea and Longton Hall in the 1750s, and the base carries a faint crossed-swords mark in underglaze blue in imitation of Meissen. Minton used such a mark on its ornamental bone china of the 1820s and 1830s, when the rococo taste for naturalistic table wares returned to fashion, and Coalport is the principal alternative. Another tureen of this model was sold at Sotheby's, New York, in 1998, to the decorator Mario Buatta.

Small in scale, the tureen suits a dining table or sideboard, a bookcase shelf or a collector's cabinet, and groups well with other naturalistic china such as cabbage and lettuce wares. Its greens and yellows sit comfortably with botanical prints and with garden-room or chintz schemes.

Dimensions
Height: 5 inches (12.7 cm)
Width: 61/4 inches (15.9 cm)
Depth: 4 inches (10.2 cm)

Marks
Faint crossed swords in underglaze blue on the flat base, in imitation of the Meissen mark.

Provenance
Private Maryland Collection
Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge

Condition
Excellent, the green and yellow enamels bright and glossy; a tiny chip to one side of the cover rim, invisibly repaired.

References
Royal Collection Trust, RCIN 41596: Minton porcelain pen tray encrusted with modeled flowers and fruit, presented to Princess Victoria by her mother, the Duchess of Kent, on her fourteenth birthday, 24 May 1833, bearing the false Meissen crossed swords in underglaze blue.

Meredith Chilton, "Changing Tastes," The Magazine Antiques, April 16, 2020, figure 8: Chelsea melon tureen, circa 1755, soft-paste porcelain, 61/2 inches high and 7 inches wide, Gardiner Museum, Toronto, collection of Rosalie Wise Sharp, an eighteenth-century example of the type.

Historical Context
Trompe l'oeil tureens in the form of fruits and vegetables were a favorite conceit of the rococo dessert table, made at Meissen, Chelsea and Longton Hall in the 1750s. The fashion returned in the 1820s and 1830s, when Minton and Coalport revived the Meissen manner in English bone china, sometimes marking their wares with an imitation of the Meissen crossed swords.

(Ref: NY11113-cmir)


Condition:
Alterations: Original Condition Unaltered
Imperfections: Some Imperfections
Condition Notes: In excellent antique condition, the green and yellow enamels remaining bright and glossy. There is a tiny minor invisibly chip to one side of the cover rim, entirely consistent with age.

Origin:
United Kingdom

Creator:
Brand: Meissen Porcelain

Materials & Techniques:
Porcelain

Details:
What type of item is it? Vintage / Antique / Used
Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Original Condition Unaltered; Some Imperfections; In excellent antique condition, the green and yellow enamels remaining bright and glossy. There is a tiny minor invisibly chip to one side of the cover rim, entirely consistent with age.