Battle of the Nile, 1798 – Sunderland potteries
Lord Nelson engaging the Toulon Fleet off the Mouth of the Nile
|
The young Alexander of France
May boast of his prowess in vain |
When Nelson appears tis confest
That Britains are Lords of the Main |
John Dawson & Co, Low Ford Pottery
Photo Lacy Scott & Knight
A large ovoid jug with a hand-painted inscription for 1805, and another similar from the Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums collection. Both have the transfer paired with Baker's bridge 10. The second jug has an 'I Dawson & Co' 'Low Ford Pottery' printed mark.
Two jugs, again from the Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums collection. The first with Dawson printed marks on the 'May Peace and Plenty' transfer. The second with coloured over-enamels to the transfer, and paired with Baker's bridge 4.
The Dawson transfer on two tankards. The first is from the Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums collection.
Two tankards with coloured enamels over the transfer. The second is from the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London collection.
Dawson's continued to produce items with this transfer into the 1830s. The second example below is again from the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London collection.
THe jug below has similar decoration and is presumed to be of similar date, c1830.
Attributed to Scott's Southwick Pottery
Photo John Howard
A large ovoid jug with Baker's bridge 20, and another with the transfer paired with a view of the Cast Iron Bridge to be erected over the River Thames.
The first mug below has a large frog attributed to Scott's. The second, has an inscription, 'Frances & Grace Wilkinson Lincoln 1800', and is from the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London collection. Their catalogue states that 'the design is derived from an earlier engraving by Robert Sayer after Swaine showing Captain Richard Tyrell RN in 'Buckingham' engaging 'Florisssant', 'Aigrette' and 'Atalante' on 3 November 1758'.
I'm indebted to Ian Holmes for the following information on the identity of the ships in the transfer (read more here). The ship in the centre has the name 'Gulimus-Tell' on the stern is the French ship Guillaume Tell. Ian notes that the ship saw little action in the Battle of the Nile, and was one of only two French ships to escape unscathed. To the left of the Tell, is HMS Vanguard ('Van-Guard'), Nelson's ship, and to the right is HMS Culloden ('Colowdon'). Ian notes this another strange choice for the transfer as the Culloden ran aground and missed the heat of the action. Ian suggests that the exploding ship (unnamed on the transfer) is the French vessel, L'Orient.
The details on the left are from the first mug above. The details on the right are from an apparently identical mug below. However, there are differences in the transfers. Most notably, the French flag in the top right detail has the words 'VIVE REPUBLIC', whereas the top left does not. The differences are great enough, particularly in the last details, for me to think this is a different copper plate, rather than a second round of engraving.
The details on the left are from the first mug above. The details on the right are from an apparently identical mug below. However, there are differences in the transfers. Most notably, the French flag in the top right detail has the words 'VIVE REPUBLIC', whereas the top left does not. The differences are great enough, particularly in the last details, for me to think this is a different copper plate, rather than a second round of engraving.
The right details above are from the mug below, which has no frog.
Battle of the Nile, 1798 – Tyneside and unidentified potteries
Newcastle Pottery, Addison, Falconer & Co, c1800
The mug below, from from the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London collection, has a frog found on items marked 'Newcastle Pottery'. Note that in this version of the transfer, the last line says 'That Britains are Lords of the Main'. The Dawson version above says 'Britons'.
Unidentified pottery
The jug below is from the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London collection. The transfer with 'NELSON' on one side and 'Brueys'' on the other, is titled 'A view of NELSON'S Glorious Action on the NILE Augt 1 1798'. Beneath that is the verse, 'Still o'er the Deep shall Britons Reign Brave Nelson doth the Trident bear, Proud France's Boasting all is vain, when British Heroes do Appear'. On the other side of the jug is the verse: 'From Hence in the deep, May divisions be tos'd, And prudence recover, what folly has lost.'
Unidentified pottery
This mug has a transfer that is the mirror image of the Dawson version above. It has the shorter title, 'LORD NELSON Engaging the TOULON FLEET of [sic] the Mouth of the NILE'. The mug does not have a frog.
Below, another jug from the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London collection.
Battle of the Nile, 1798 – Liverpool pottery
Attributed to Herculaneum Pottery
Photos Bonhams Auctioneers
This much larger than average (31cm high) jug pairs the Battle of the Nile with the Death of Nelson at Trafalgar.
