"About 1775 the Bow works were merged with those of Derby; and in
1784, the Chelsea fabrique was also absorbed by the Derby
company. Derby china, especially Crown Derby, you must remember, is
one of the finest of present day English wares. About 1777 these
factories came under the patronage of King George III, at which time
the term Crown Derby was bestowed on the product."
"Then an English king did help in English porcelain-making after all!"
exclaimed Theo.
"To a certain extent, yes," answered Mr. Croyden. "The English
nobility, too, patronized the royal factories. The ware was so
beautiful perhaps people were only too glad to do so. There were
plates with deep borders of solid rich color, frequently adorned with
heavy gold work; and there were vases, pitchers, and bowls of
magnificent hue. In fact, the use of blue and gold was brought to a
greater perfection in this ware than ever before, and it established
for the makers a wide-reaching reputation. Possibly this reputation
might have remained preeminent had not the short-sighted manufacturers
begun to sell at a lower rate their imperfect pieces, or seconds.
Great quantities of these flooded the market and immediately the fame
of the ware decreased.
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