JOHN HASLEM (1808-1884) JAMES THOMASON enamel

JOHN HASLEM (1808-1884) JAMES THOMASON enamel, signed on the counter enamel James Thomason Derby b Jan 16 1786 painted by John Haslem (his nephew) June 1856, 6 x 5cm, gilt brass mount, in red velvet and rosewood outer frameLiterature: Haslem (J), The Old Derby China Factory The Workmen and Their Productions, 1876, pp165-6.A Catalogue of.... The Property of John Haslem Derby 1879, "Enamel paintings, miniatures... by Myself, No22 "Portrait of my Uncle, James Thomason, from life, 1856..."Exhibited: Royal Academy 1857, No 657.The subject of this newly rediscovered miniature by the Derby miniaturist John Haslem was an important figure in the history of the Derby Porcelain Factory. James Thomason (1785-1864) was de facto controller of the Derby factory for the whole of the bleakest period in its history, that of Robert Bloor (1778-1846) because for much of Bloor's tenure (from 1811) he was mentally incapacitated. James Thomason was born in Newcastle under Lyme and prior to his employment by Bloor had been the indefatigable traveller (sales representative) for the large Staffordshire manufactuary of Davenport.But for Thomason's involvement, it is difficult to see how the chronically underfunded Derby factory - relying on auction sales to shift stock - would have survived.