A wonderfully decorative mid-19th century porcelain dessert service with a vivid apple-green ground, finely moulded rococo handles and richly applied gilt decoration. Each piece is centred with charming armorial-style motifs depicting a lion and a peacock, delicately hand-painted within a gilt oval reserve.
Services of this type were sometimes commissioned to celebrate marriages or family alliances, the heraldic animals symbolising strength, beauty and nobility. The pairing of the lion and peacock gives this service a particularly whimsical and distinctive character.
The service comprises 10 dessert plates, five shaped serving dishes with pierced handles, two tureens and a pedestal comport, all decorated to match. The vibrant green glaze contrasts beautifully with the crisp white porcelain and delicate gilding.
The style recalls the coloured-ground dessert wares produced by Worcester in the early to mid-19th century, when such services were used for the dessert course (the most theatrical moment of a formal dinner) presenting fruit, sweetmeats and pastries.
Condition: Mostly good antique condition. One tureen handle with an old repair; one handled dish with cracks, another with some wear to the painted decoration, and one with kiln dirt beneath the glaze. Otherwise displaying very well.
A wonderfully decorative and unusual service that would look equally striking displayed in a cabinet or on a table.
Plates - 23 cm diameter