Spoon tray

Dateca. 1772-75

Label TextThe porcelain formula of Worcester was different from other early English porcelain: it contained "soapy rock" (or soapstone) combined with ball clay and sand. The addition of soapstone made the porcelain resistant to crazing and cracking, which gave the Worcester manufactory a distinct advantage over its competitors when producing tea and coffee equipages.

Object number94.103.130

ProvenanceOriginally in the collection of the Duchess of Kent, mother of Queen Victoria; formerly in the Thomas Berners and Robert Drane Collections; the Eckstein Collection, until 1949; [Sotheby’s, London, 29 March, 1949]; ]; [purchased by Mr T. Leonard Crow, Tewkesbury, England, on behalf of Mr and Mrs Kenneth and Priscilla Klepser, 1949-1994 (cf. Mr Crow’s letter dated April 1, 1949 to Mr Klepser)]; gift from Mr and Mrs Kenneth and Priscilla Klepser to Seattle Art Museum, Washington, 1994

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Worcester Porcelain: The Klepser Collection, August 8, 1985-September 22, 1985. 1984-85 circuit included: Minneapolis, MN, Minneapolis Institute of Art; San Francisco, CA, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; Atlanta, GA, High Museum of Art; Sarasota, FL, Ringling Museum of Art. Published ReferencesSpero, Simon. Worcester Porcelain: The Klepser Collection. London: The Minneapolis Institute of Arts in association with Lund Humphries Publishers, 1984, p. 118, no. 130, illus. (b&w p. 118; color pl. 32), Letters 13 & 14, Feb 26 & April 1, 1949 Sotheby’s. Catalogue of the important collection of fine old English pottery and porcelain. Auction catalogue, 29 March 1949.

Credit LineKenneth and Priscilla Klepser Porcelain Collection

DimensionsL.: 6 1/8 in.

MediumSoft paste porcelain