A Rare Chinese Export Porcelain Copy of an English Elephant Pattern Transfer Printed Dish by Rogers Brothers of Staffordshire

A Rare Chinese Export Porcelain Copy of an English Transfer Printed Elephant Pattern Saucer Shaped dish by Rogers Brothers, Jiaqing (1796-1820) to Daoguang (1821-1850), Jingdezhen Kilns c.1820. This meticulously, and faithfully, hand-painted copy of a Staffordshire transfer printed pottery Elephant Pattern seems an odd thing to make. Why spend all that time and effort painting a dish that could have been cheaply made close to home, well you have to look at this from the aspect of trade, and of commercial rivalry. By the latter part of the 18th century, Chinese porcelain was imported into Britain in smaller amounts than before. During the second half of the 18th century the rise of the Industrial Revolution meant that large English factories could make ceramics, which included porcelain as well as pottery, quickly and quite cheaply. The Napoleonic War meant shipment from China suffered even further. This Chinese blue and white porcelain dish is from a period when China found it difficult to compete with British ceramics. Of course, hand-painting porcelain, as well as shipping it half the way around the world, didn’t make sense. This is a very rare dish, yet there are lots and lots of Rodgers transfer printed elephant pattern plates, dishes and sets still in existence.

For an example of a Rogers Elephant Pattern dish at the Victoria and Albert Museum click on this link

When the brothers John (1760-1816) and George Rogers (1762-1815) started their pottery at Dale Hall, Longport, Staffordshire, in 1780 they were probably among the first to manufacture the latest invention – blue transfer-printed earthenware tableware. They were also early exporters of Staffordshire wares, for some of their plates carry the mark of the Dublin retailer James Donovan. The firm traded as John Rogers & Son during the period 1815-42, earning a good reputation among their fellow potters: Ward’s Borough of Stoke on Trent (1843) stated that John & George Rogers were ‘noted for the excellence of their tableware. (Information about Roger Brothers pottery – Victoria and Albert Museum website).

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