The Farnley Hall Service : a unique survivor in Nantgarw porcelain

This book covers the discovery and the results of the analytical study of the composition of the Farnley Hall service, involving both the embossed moulding and the decorative compositions. The discovery of this missing porcelain service, which was manufactured 200 years ago, is a modern detective story in the preservation of cultural heritage, whilst its physical analysis has identified some new data that need to be incorporated into correcting and expanding the literature that is used for the differentiation of porcelains by ceramic historians and museum conservators. The importance of the Farnley Hall service discovery is that it provides the only example of such a Nantgarw Porcelain service that still resides in its original place of usage from 200 years ago: it is therefore a unique example and is a very important part of our national cultural heritage. It provides an illustration of the data that can be accessed from the application of inductive reasoning to elicit novel information about a manufactory whose work books no longer exist and its comparison with contemporary manufactories in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The concepts can be appreciated by experts and also by non-technical readers. This is the first time that such a detailed research approach has been adopted for any comparative ceramic project. The book is therefore relevant for a specialist and non-specialist readership, including museum ceramics curators and collectors of the genre. Acknowledgements Introduction: Prologue References Contents About the Author List of Figures List of Tables 1 William Billingsley at Derby, Pinxton and Worcester and His Ambition for the Manufacture of Nantgarw Porcelain References 2 The Manufacture and Decoration of Nantgarw Porcelain 2.1 The Decoration and Enamelling of Nantgarw Porcelain 2.2 The Raw Materials in Porcelain Synthesis: Their Sourcing, Mineralogy and Composition 2.3 Mineral Formation Identified at the Kiln Temperatures 2.4 Chemical Reactions that Occur in Raw Material Mixtures at Elevated Temperatures 2.5 Key Mineral Identification in High-Temperature Fired Ceramics 2.6 Recipes, Composition and Analysis of Nantgarw Porcelain 2.6.1 The Nantgarw Glazes References 3 A History of Farnley Hall and the Discovery of the Farnley Hall Nantgarw Service 3.1 An Estimate of the Original Farnley Hall Nantgarw Service Composition 3.2 The Farnley Hall Service Today References 4 The Decorative Enamelling of Nantgarw Brace-Type Porcelain Services 4.1 The Nantgarw Brace Service 4.2 The London Porcelain Decorating Ateliers 4.3 The Enameller “de Junic” 4.4 The Identification of Artist Enamellers on Welsh Porcelain—“Characteristic Signatures” 4.5 What Comprises a Service? 4.5.1 What Defines a Service of Porcelain? 4.5.2 Cabinet Porcelains References 5 The Nantgarw Porcelain Embossed and Beribboned Body Moulding 5.1 Definition of the Nantgarw Embossed Beribboned Moulding 5.1.1 Selected Swansea and Nantgarw Artefacts with an Embossed Moulding 5.1.2 Reduction upon Firing of Porcelain Formed from Moulds 5.2 Comparison of the Nantgarw, Swansea, Derby and Coalport C-scroll Embossed Beribboned Mouldings References 6 Analysis of the Composition of the Farnley Hall Service 6.1 Analytical Deductions 6.2 The Presence of the “Bearded Tulip” References 7 Resume of the Research Undertaken on the Farnley Hall Nantgarw Porcelain Service 7.1 Topical Analogy with the Swansea China Works 7.2 The Musgrave Ritual References Appendix The Rev. William Williams Service—A Nantgarw Service or Cabinet Set? A.1 Genealogy of the Rev. William Williams (1765–1847) A.2 The Rev. William Williams Nantgarw Service A.2.1 Detailed Analysis of the Rev. William Williams Nantgarw Cabinet Plates A.3 William Weston Young and Cowbridge A.4 Conclusions References -4pt- Glossary Selected Biblography Index