Chelsea apple box

Circa 1755

Height: 4 in. (10.2 cm.), lenght: 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm.)

Marks: Red Anchor

Chelsea apple boxes or tureens are mentioned in the factory’s sale in 1755, on 26 March, lot 46c: ‘Four fine large apples and leaves for desart’.

An example is in the British Royal Collection (RCIN 107365) from the collection of the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who was very fond of Chelsea porcelain; and another example is in the Victoria & Albert Museum from the Lady Charlotte Schreiber bequest (Sch. I152&A). Two were in the collection of the late Honorable C. Douglas Dillon, sold Sotheby’s, New York, 7 April 2004, lots 20 and 21; one was in the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Saul Steinberg, sold Sotheby’s, New York, 26 May 2000, lot 18; and one was sold Sotheby’s, New York, 18 October 2023, lot 246.

Exhibited and Illustrated: R. J. Charleston and Donald Towner, English Ceramics 1580–1830: A Commemorative Catalogue to Celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of the English Ceramic Circle 1927–1977, London, 1977, no. 123.