The Estates of James Bisback & Jonny Kalisch

November 09, 2015

LOT 80

Lot 80

Minton Plate from the Lord Milton Service, c.1867

Minton Plate from the Lord Milton Service, c.1867
Lot 80 Details
Minton Plate from the Lord Milton Service, c.1867

painted in colours on the centre with ‘Miners Washing for Gold’, the pierced rim with etched gilding, one oval reserve painted with the Milton cipher
stress crack
diameter 9.3" — 23.5 cm.
grams
impressed marks, printed MINTON’S CHINA and retailers’ marks for Phillips of London in puce, painted title in red script

Estimate $1,000-$1,500

Realised: $13,200
Price Includes Buyer's Premium ?

Lot Report

Exhibited:

Milton and Cheadle’s Great Adventure, Jonny’s Antiques, Shakespeare (with label, #15)

Note:

Miners Washing For Gold. (Dessert Plate 15)
“A shaft is sunk to the required depth, and the ‘dirt’ carried up by a bucket raised by a windlass. This is emptied into a long box, called the dump-box or ‘long tom,’ having a false bottom of parallel bars, with narrow spaces between them, raised a few inches above the true bottom, across which several cross pieces are placed. A stream of water, brought in a series of troughs called ‘flumes,’ sometimes for a considerable distance, pours into the dump-box at one end, and runs out by another series of troughs at the other. As the dirt is emptied in, a man armed with a large many-pronged fork stirs it up continually, and removes the larger stones. The smaller particles and the clay are carried down the stream, while the gold, from its greater weight, falls through the spaces”
Milton & Cheadle, page 372

The gold rush of 1858, centering on the Fraser & Thompson sandbars and small tributary rivers, attracted over 25,000 prospectors, mostly Americans coming from the dwindling California fields. Just as the discovery of gold changed the nature of California, so too it brought rapid, dramatic change to British Columbia. Governor James Douglas, a former Hudson’s Bay Company employee, quickly established control, claiming all gold mines for the crown, and insisted on mining licences issued in Victoria for one guinea a month. The mining communities, at the peak of the rush, had a primarily male population larger than New Westminster & Victoria combined.
The ‘easy’ gold, nuggets panned in the mountain creek beds, gave way to more elaborate methods employing water power, deep mines worked with machines and paid staff. Fortunes for the lucky few could be immediate, but most miners found only danger, illness, bad food, drudgery and failure. However, supplying the needs of the miners, whether it be food, gear or diversion, greatly boosted the developing colony’s economy.

CONDITION DETAILS

A stress crack arched across the top of the image, 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock (mainly inside the foot-rim, though the ends of the crack extend slightly, but not to the pierced rim); associated tiny glaze chip at 12:30; otherwise good

LOT 80
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About Condition Ratings

  • 5 Stars: Excellent - No discernable damage, flaws or imperfections
  • 4 Stars: Very Good - Minor flaws or imperfections visible only under close inspection using specialised instruments or black light
  • 3 Stars: Good - Minor flaws visible upon inspection under standard lighting
  • 2 Stars: Fair - Exhibits flaws or damage that may draw the eye under standard lighting
  • 1 Star: Poor - Flaws or damage immediately apparent under standard lighting (examples: missing components, rips, broken glass, damaged surfaces, etc.)

Note: Condition ratings and condition details are the subjective opinions of our specialists and should be used as a guide only. Waddington’s uses due care when preparing condition details, however, our staff are not professional restorers or conservators. Condition details and reports are not warranties and each lot is sold “as is” in accordance with the buyer’s terms and conditions of sale. In all cases the prospective purchaser is responsible for inspecting the property themselves prior to placing a bid.