Armorial Duke of Devonshire Derby Dessert Plate c.1820

We have for sale a very rare and attractive Bloor Derby period dessert plate decorated with the serpent crest of the Cavendish family of Chatsworth House dating to somewhere around 1820. This very striking plate is of a typical Bloor Derby moulded form with a gilded lobed border surrounding a central crest consisting of a green and black serpent with a prounounced red forked tongue, coiled into a knot used by the Dukes of Devonshire. This crest is also used above the doorways of Chatsworth house. The base of the plate carries the Crown and the capital D mark introduced by Robert Bloor in around 1820. The plate was most probably part of a service commissioned by William Spencer Cavendish, Duke of Devonshire 1790 - 1858. He was a keen supporter of the arts and spent his life enhancing the his numerous houses and building a significant collection of artworks. The plate is in an excellent condition. It does have the craquelure typical of Bloor Derby porcelain, some very slight wear to the gilt in places associated with plate stacking and some faint cutlery marks to the white glaze. The plate is 10.25 inches (26cm) in diameter.