A SÈVRES PLATE

A SÈVRES PLATE, THE PORCELAIN C1780 redecorated by Thomas Martin Randall, 24cm diam, with old hand written labelProvenance: Royal Worcester Factory Museum until sold Phillips; Richardson Antiques from which purchased 29 January 1999.That plaque is a section of a circular gueridon table, but wrongly attributed to P Ballard.George Randall asserted that piece was "manufactured by my late father... at Shelton after he had removed from Madeley". Its strongly characteristic granular turquoise ground and raised rococo gilding with various different infillings to its small reserves are immediately recognisable on other pieces. George's statement demonstrates that this finest quality Randall Sèvres style was produced not at Madeley but later at Shelton, the distinctive ground and gilding probably by Robert Edward Gray. Illustrated: 1908, p250 No XIII, 1993, p44 monochrome and 1994, February p26.