Antique Ceramics: A Pinxton discovery, c.1798

Here's an exciting discovery for all Pinxton fans.
It's a rare Pinxton coffee can, painted with pattern 221, with an oval scene of figures by a house on a trackway, within a wide gild line and flowerhead border, with gold to the rim and band to the base.
Marked to the base with a red inscription 'In Derbyshr', also 221, and dating to circa 1798.

This small firm has a fascinating story.
From the 2011 Moorabool Catalogue: "Pinxton existed for a few glorious years, 1796-1813. John Coke, a local gent, sent clays to William Duesbury of the Derby factory to test. William Billingsley, an artist at Derby at the time, came to correspond with Coke, and the first trial firing of the resulting factory was in 1796. Billingsley remained until 1799, when he left to establish his own concern at Mansfield, and the Pinxton works limped along with various partners, including the Derby artist John Cutts, until it ceased production in 1813 -although they were probably not making porcelain for the last years."

What makes this coffee can so exciting is the pattern, which is an important documentary pattern, being known as the 'Brookhill Hall Service' type. This service showed views around the estate of John Coke, co-founder of the Pinxton factory alongside William Billingsly. Sheppard states -'A saucer and a coffee can of this pattern have been seen with the number 221 in red together with the named view that appears in the decoration.....' . The red 221 pattern number is what appears on this coffee can, making it an extremely rare documentary piece. The paste is the early glassy version with great translucency.

The style of painting is close to work by J.Cutts.
The pattern is also extremely close to Minton's pattern N58 of the same period, but most of their pieces will be marked, and the paste is very different.