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Chelsea Porcelain

Chelsea porcelain refers to the soft-paste ceramics made in Chelsea, London from the mid-to-late 18th century. The original factory is believed to have been founded by Charles Gouyn and the silversmith Nicolas Sprimont, although few documents survive relating to its early history.

The items produced at Chelsea include tablewares such as cups, plates, sauce-boats and coffee pots, as well as figures, vases and scent bottles, and they have marks identifying the period of manufacture such as the triangle period (1743-49/50), the raised anchor period (1750-52), the red anchor period (1752-56) and the gold anchor period (1758-70).

The factory and kilns were later acquired by William Duesbury of Derby who kept production going until 1784 when the workshops were closed and the many moulds were either destroyed or removed to Derby.


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How Wedgwood attempted to achieve the ‘apex of perfection’

19 August 2024

Vases tell the story of an obsession to recreate a celebrated antiquity

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Pick of the Week: Teapot brews up Chelsea demand

08 July 2024

This rare Chelsea porcelain leaf-moulded teapot and cover came between a goat-and-bee jug and a crayfish salt.

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Auction firms team up for ceramics sale

27 May 2024

Dreweatts and Christie’s will jointly sell the Stanley Goldfein collection of ceramics across two sales this year.

Botanical decorated Chelsea dish

European ceramics that went to Oz come back on the market

15 April 2024

Deceased estates and collectors selling up mean items collected in the late 20th century reappear at auction.

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Prime 18th century English porcelain on offer in Australia

29 January 2024

When Australian auction house Artvisory offers the Robert Burke collection on February 19-20 in Melbourne it will launch around 300 lots of prime 18th century English porcelain onto the market.

Chelsea porcelain vase

Chelsea ‘Gold Anchor’ vase joins portrait bought by V&A

21 August 2023

The Victoria and Albert Museum has bought the only known version of a vase produced by the Chelsea porcelain factory during its ‘Gold Anchor’ period.

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Chelsea plates on offer in Ohio auction

15 May 2023

Six 18th century Chelsea botanically decorated plates will feature in the sale to be held by Neue Auctions in Beachwood, Ohio on May 20.

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The European side of Du Boulay ceramics

20 March 2023

Anthony du Boulay (1929-2022) was well known as an expert on Chinese ceramics, although his interests were more wide ranging.

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Decision to use Oxfordshire house for viewing pays off with some strong results

27 June 2022

The tills are ringing once more at Dreweatts (25% buyer’s premium). Under the ownership of the Gurr Johns group, the Newbury firm sold by Stanley Gibbons for £1.25m in 2017 has received a welcome shot in the arm.

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North America: Old school lessons in English ceramics

14 February 2022

Traditional collecting fields still have an attraction when estimates are realistic, as proved by 18th century porcelain and pottery auctioned in the US

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Gouyn given his place in history

13 December 2021

Research shed light on the ‘Chelsea toys’ made by the mysterious ‘Girl on a Swing’ factory.

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Chelsea figure with two unusual features turns heads in Derby auction

15 November 2021

A Bamfords (20% buyer’s premium) sale included this 3¼in (34cm) tall Chelsea figure from the Red Anchor Senses set created by the Low Countries sculptor Joseph Willems (1710-66), in c.1755.

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Belting Belk Gambrell ceramics selection

12 July 2021

European ceramics from renowned US collector come to the New York rostrum.

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Teapots to the Kate Foster taste

12 July 2021

These two teapots – among the top-selling lots at the Woolley & Wallis (25/12% buyer's premium) sale of English and European Ceramics and Glass on June 16 – came for sale from the family of Lady Kate Davson, known to many by her maiden name of Kate Foster (1938-2020).

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Chelsea teapot takes £14,000 bid

03 May 2021

This unmarked teapot and cover, offered by Dreweatts, dates from the first decade of porcelain production at the Chelsea factory.

Chelsea owl

Pick of the week: A rare white bird worth waiting for

29 March 2021

Having postponed the sale in November and again in January, Chorley’s finally got to sell an exceptional private collection of early English porcelain in Prinknash Abbey, Gloucestershire, on March 24.

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‘Hans Sloane’ Chelsea dish is a vine find

09 November 2020

This Chelsea dish moulded as a vine leaf and painted with polychrome fruit is a textbook production from the Red Anchor period c.1755-58.

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Ceramics and glass: Market reboot helps to break the mould

13 July 2020

The market for traditional British and Continental ceramics did not lie idle for three months. As ATG reports, a renewed enthusiasm greeted the first major UK sale since lockdown

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Toys, trifles and trinkets in St James’s

09 March 2020

A rare Chelsea bodkin case in the form of a cauliflower spear is among the objects on offer at the Albert Amor exhibition 'Toys and Trifles', featuring a single-owner collection built up over 20 years.

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Porcelain from the Prince of Interiors features highly at Sotheby’s New York

10 February 2020

A sizeable helping of English and Continental ceramics featured in the large auction titled Mario Buatta: Prince of Interiors held by Sotheby’s New York (25/20/13.9% buyer’s premium).