Paragon | Fine Bone China | Tazza | Turquoise Ground with Hand-Painted Fruit Centre | Rococo Revival | England, c.1957 or Later

Paragon | Fine Bone China | Tazza | Turquoise Ground with Hand-Painted Fruit Centre | Rococo Revival | England, c.1957 or Later

A tazza exists at the intersection of the useful and the ceremonial — too fine for everyday service, too functional for the cabinet alone.

Paragon China Company, based in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, was among the leading English manufacturers of fine bone china in the twentieth century, holding royal warrants under multiple monarchs. The backstamp names Queen Elizabeth II and reads “By Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen / China Potters / Paragon / Fine Bone China / England Regd.” beneath the royal arms. This variant is recorded from approximately 1957 onwards, although the mark does not establish the exact year of manufacture. Tazzas of this type belong to Paragon’s higher decorative output, combining complex moulded forms with hand-painted work intended as much for display as for use.

The piece is raised on a tall moulded pedestal base formed from three scrolled bracket feet with gothic arch and acanthus leaf moulding, picked out in gilt. The shallow dish above is wide and lobed, with a strongly moulded and scalloped rim carrying applied acanthus leaf ornament, also highlighted in gilt. The interior is finished in a rich turquoise ground, within which a central circular reserve is enclosed by a double gilt line. This reserve carries a hand-painted fruit study — apple, grapes, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries with foliage and blossom — executed with careful tonal variation and fine detail. The exterior and pedestal remain white, providing contrast to the saturated interior.

There are no chips or cracks. There are one or two light surface marks to the turquoise ground visible under close inspection, and very minor gilt wear to the raised border, consistent with age. The painted centre remains intact and well preserved.

Key Details

• Maker: Paragon
• Body: Fine bone china
• Backstamp: Royal arms; “By Appointment to H.M. The Queen, China Potters” — variant recorded from c.1957 onwards
• Form: Tazza (footed comport)
• Decoration: Turquoise ground, gilt moulded acanthus border, hand-painted fruit centre
• Height: 9.5 cm
• Diameter: 19 cm
• Weight: 362 g
• Condition: Very good; minor surface marks and light gilt wear

Collector Appeal

The saturated turquoise ground, moulded Rococo Revival form and hand-painted fruit centre give this tazza a particularly decorative character.

The hand that painted the fruit at the centre of this piece was working in a tradition that ran unbroken from the great English porcelain factories of the eighteenth century — and it shows.