The ceramic object was first glazed, typically in a cobalt blue, fired, and then applied with many very thin layers of white enamel, each of which was then fired separately.
At the height of the Renaissance revival in 1859 the Queen herself ordered a dessert service to be decorated with these ‘Worcester
enamels’ but unfortunately Bott Senior’s fame was short lived. A large amount of arsenic was used in the preparation of the white enamel and this probably led to his untimely death in 1870 at the age of 41.
Accordingly his son, who carried on in a style similar to that of his father from 1873 to 1885 or 1886, was probably responsible for this charger that will be offered by The Cotswold Auction Company at the Bingham Hall in Cirencester on December 12. It is expected to bring around £1000. Contact 01242 256363
Arsenic on old plates
The technique of Limoges enamelling, imitated by a number of historically-minded potteries in the second half of the 19th century, was championed at Worcester by Thomas Bott and then by his son Thomas John Bott.
