Product Description
An exceptional and fully documented set of six Mintons trio sets (cup, saucer, plate) from the Aesthetic Movement, inspired by the pioneering style of Christopher Dresser and produced circa 1884–1887. Each piece is exquisitely enamelled and gilded in pattern G6066, a design confirmed in the Minton archives and pattern books. The decoration combines paisley and foliate motifs in vibrant turquoise, russet and gold, reflecting Dresser’s influence on the era’s cross-cultural and nature-inspired design.
The set includes six cups (5 cm high), six saucers (12 cm diameter) and six plates (16 cm diameter). Condition is very good overall with some age-related notes: two plates A/F (one with a hairline crack, one with a small chip) and two saucers A/F (each with a hairline crack). Despite these minor flaws, the pieces remain striking display and functional antiques, their imperfections scarcely detracting from their historic and artistic significance.
Mintons, among the most innovative Staffordshire potteries of the Victorian age, embraced the forward-looking aesthetics that Christopher Dresser championed. These trio sets exemplify the elegance and cross-cultural motifs that defined the Aesthetic Movement, making them an important reference for collectors of 19th-century English design.
If This Piece Could Talk
Imagine the conversations these cups once heard in a late-Victorian drawing room alive with fresh ideas—where art, science, and far-off cultures filled the air. Inspired by the progressive vision of Christopher Dresser and brought to life by the celebrated Minton craftsmen, this trio set would whisper of the Aesthetic Movement’s daring blend of East and West: the rustle of silk gowns, the clink of fine china, the sparkle of candlelight on gold enamel. Each delicate paisley and turquoise flourish would speak of a time when beauty and innovation met at the breakfast table, and when design itself was considered a form of modern poetry. To hold a cup today is to touch that spirit of discovery and elegant rebellion, a quiet witness to more than a century of artful living.