Royal Porcelain Works Worcester Large White Tureen with Royal Cypher c.1914

This is an unusual example of a lidded tureen produced for the British government by The Royal Porcelain Works in 1914.

The tureen comes in two parts. The lid has a galleried rim to allow it to sit within the base. It is oval-shaped with a scrolling handle at the apex. The lower dish is also oval in shape, tapering in towards the base.

Both items are glazed in white and transfer-printed in blue with the Royal Cypher for King George V.

The inside of the lid and the underside of the base are both transfer printed in blue with the British royal coat of arms, above a stylised banner which reads ‘THE ROYAL PORCELAIN WORKS WORCESTER’. In addition, it is marked with the date ‘1914’ and the letter ‘W’ within a diamond.

I have seen this mark attributed to Royal Worcester online, but there is no record of it in either Henry Sandon’s book or Geoffrey Godden’s mark book. The Museum of Royal Worcester were kind enough to reply to me and has not been able to find it within their archives. The cypher and shape of the dish do not correspond with anything produced by Royal Worcester, so I am yet unable to attribute the maker.

The ‘W’ within a diamond mark was applied to items commissioned by the Office of Works and was used to distinguish between governmental property and publicly available utilitarian products. More information on this subject can be found here. 

It has a maximum height (including the lid) of approximately 13.6cm, and a height to the rim of 7.0cm. It has a maximum length of 28.0cm and a maximum width of about 19.0cm.

It has an unwrapped weight of 1390g.

It is in good condition, with no chips or cracks, although there are numerous scratches to the glaze on the interior and exterior that are commensurate with use. There are also some speckles within the glaze at the handle and around the edges, which are manufacturing artefacts (see pictures).