John Aynsley established his pottery in Longton, England in 1775 using local Staffordshire clay and elaborate designs. The company prospered, but his grandson, John Aynsley II, changed the focus of the business from pottery to fine bone china by adding 50% calcined bone ash to his porcelain compound. This produced a fine bone china that was exceptionally white, extremely strong and translucent.
In 1861, he opened the Portland Works in Stoke-on-Trent to produce the many unique Aynsley designs that were becoming exceedingly popular. Queen Victoria commissioned Aynsley China to produce a full service for her personal use. This allowed the company to use the royal family seal in its logo, therefore, affirming the company's reputation. The company remained in the ownership of the Aynsley family until becoming a publicly listed company in 1948, still under the leadership of the Aynsley family.
In 1970, the company was taken over by Waterford and by 1997 it became a part of the Belleek Pottery Group. Is still known for craftsmanship and fine production techniques. All cups and saucers are identical even though they were produced over a 3 year period. This is so classy with the Demitasse Swirl mold having exquisitely executed gold scroll circling the cup and saucer on the high white of the fine bone china. The sage green on the cup and saucer gives a striking contrast to the gold scroll work.The unique handle is embossed, has a thumb rest and is accented with gold gilt. The rim of the cup and the saucer are both banded in gold gilt. The interior of the cup is the high white of the bone china.
This is such a beautiful set; we just love it! We have multiple sets which make a great display, but so does just one.
The cup has a top diameter of 2 5/16 inches and a bottom diameter of 2 1/4 inches. The cup has a height of 2 1/4 inches. The saucer has a diameter of 4 7/8 inches and a height of 11/16 inch.
The condition of all of the sets is superb. We can find no damage or defects. There are no chips, nicks, cracks, rubbings, or hairlines.
The gold appears to be perfect; we can find no wear on it. As collectors ourselves, we tend to be very picky and find it necessary to point out any thing we see. We don't believe you could find a set in better condition.
THIS LISTING IS FOR ONE SET OF 4 CUPS & SAUCERS. Please view all pictures carefully as they are part of the description. The stand was used as a photo prop and is not part of this listing. See additional international policies below.This is ready to use or display with pride in your home. We strive to have satisfied customers. Please view each photo carefully. We try to include enough information while noting any imperfections that we see. Request additional photos as needed.
We deal primarily with antique and vintage items. Since these items are of considerable age, normal age appropriate wear can be expected and the items are not "new" or necessarily in "perfect" condition. Listing and template services provided by inkFrog. This item is in the category "Pottery & Glass\Cookware, Dinnerware & Serveware\Cup & Saucers". The seller is "semloh" and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped worldwide.