Antique Hand-Painted Alpine Ibex Reticulated Cabinet Plate from Coalport, 1870

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Elaborately pierced pierced-work apertures and scalloped contours form the outer border of this fine English porcelain cabinet plate. The decorative … Read more Elaborately pierced pierced-work apertures and scalloped contours form the outer border of this fine English porcelain cabinet plate. The decorative rim is articulated with alternating lobed cartouches filled with rich cobalt blue enamel and embellished with dense, raised floral gilding. Beaded gold accents follow the inner scalloped edge, separating the ornamental rim from the smooth, white porcelain cavetto. The central field presents a finely detailed hand-painted wildlife vignette set against a mountainous alpine landscape. A mature Alpine ibex stands prominently upon a rocky outcrop in the foreground, with its curved, ridged horns and muscular stance carefully defined. In the hazy blue background, two additional mountain goats graze and recline along distant peaks beneath a pale sky. Manufactured by Coalport, this example dates to around 1870. The reverse shows the clean white glaze of the unadorned porcelain underside, with regularly spaced diamond piercing around the verge and the hand-painted pattern reference 7/969 penned in gilt glaze. Measuring 23 cm across, the plate was conceived purely as a decorative cabinet piece to be displayed on a stand or in a collector's vitrine. Its well-balanced combination of precise miniature painting and rich gilding exemplifies Victorian high-end bone china production. See less