Yellow China Tea Set

Product Details

Early 19th century teapot and biscuit dish, with rare yellow ground and gilded leaf design.  Made in England, circa 1820-40.

The teapot has minor wear only to the gilding and the biscuit dish has been restored.

The teapot is 7” (17.8cm) high, 9 3/4” (24.8cm) across the spout to handle.

The biscuit dish is 8 1/4” (21cm) diameter.

$1295 for the 2 pieces.

The Aynsley bone china tea set, made in England, circa 1910-20.  Brightly decorated with a wide yellow band and gilded rims.

The set consists of:

4 tea cups & saucers

5 bread & butter plates 6”

5 tea plates 7”

1 cake plate 9 3/4” by 8 3/4”

1 creamer

1 open sugar bowl, with a small chip at the rim.

$750 for the set.

Yellow is the most unstable colour to apply to bone china.  Chinese cultural history records the earliest yellow ground porcelain being produced in the early 15th century, in the Ming Dynasty.  As the colour was difficult to fire to produce an even and intense colour it was reserved for the Imperial family only.  

Meissen was the first European manufacturer to produce yellow ground porcelain, in the 1730s.  The French company Vincennes started experimenting to produce their own version of the yellow ground, referred to as “Fond Jaune”, circa 1751.  

The Gardiner Museum of Toronto has an extensive collection of German and French 18th century porcelain, including examples of yellow ground.  The Gardiner is one of the world’s few museums dedicated solely to ceramics.  Established in 1984 by George and Helen Gardiner, with their personal collections as the core of the collection.