Alfred Meakin Ironstone Soup Tureen Royal Semi Porcelain White Antique 25cm
£45.00
Skip to product information
Alfred Meakin Ironstone Soup Tureen Royal Semi Porcelain White Antique 25cm
£45.00
Item Overview
- Type: Antiquarian Soup Tureen with Matching Lid / Covered Serving Dish
- Designer: Staffordshire Ceramic Craftsman
- Brand: Alfred Meakin Royal Semi Porcelain
- Manufacturer: Alfred Meakin (Tunstall) Ltd, Albert Street Pottery
- MPN: Does Not Apply
- Place of Origin: Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
- Style: Classical Late Victorian / Aesthetic Movement White Ironstone
- Colour: Crisp High-Gloss Alabaster Milk White
- Design Era: Late 19th Century Victorian (c. 1891–1897)
- Material: Heavy-Gauge Fine Royal Semi-Porcelain / Vitreous Ironstone
- Set Includes: 1 x Large Footed Serving Base Bowl, 1 x Deep Moulded Dome Lid
- Features: Sculpted scroll loop handles, fluted scalloped rims, printed manufacturer backstamp
- Condition: Superb Antique Condition
- Size and Capacity: Dimensions: Base length measures 10 inches (approx. 25 cm) / Height: approx. 18.5 cm to finial top
Dating & Historical Context
- Dating: This fine tableware survivor dates precisely between 1891 and 1897. The diagnostic printed black underglaze maker mark on the underside base displays the crown crest flank configuration incorporating the words “Royal Semi-Porcelain — Alfred Meakin — England”. The introduction of the single country word "England" satisfies the US McKinley Tariff Act of 1890, while the specific layout precedes the inclusion of "Ltd" in the company name after 1897.
- Historical Note: A monumental piece of Staffordshire ceramic history, this substantial tureen was manufactured at the famous Albert Street Works in Tunstall. Alfred Meakin was a global powerhouse of the late Victorian era, famous for perfecting a highly durable, vitreous semi-porcelain glaze engineered specifically to withstand heavy daily use without losing its fine china resonance. The design language avoids the heavy decorative multi-colour prints of the mid-century, choosing instead to focus on pure, sculptural form. The undulating scalloped walls and grand leaf-moulded scroll handles reflect the traditional English country house banquet aesthetic that remains highly sought after by collectors of antique white ironstone.
Description
An outstanding statement piece for an antique dresser display or country kitchen table layout, this antique Alfred Meakin soup tureen showcases incredible geometric lines. Hand-finished from premium thick-walled vitreous white earthenware, the boat-shaped body rises gracefully from an ornate, scalloped pedestal foot. The outer walls feature a subtle, organic relief fluting that echoes traditional shellwork patterns. The lid features a substantial, hand-applied double-scroll loop finial handle, creating an imposing architectural silhouette.
Expert Identification & Design Features:
- Underglaze Royal Backstamp: Features the complete late-Victorian Alfred Meakin factory emblem printed crisp and clear on the base.
- Integrated Steam Relief: The lid gallery ring fits neatly into the tureen body, designed structurally to channel condensation securely back into the pot.
- Elegantly Flared Pedestal: The broad, undulating footrim elevates the heavy basin to shield delicate tabletop surfaces from direct culinary heat transfer.
Condition Report
This 130-year-old covered serving dish is in superb, museum-quality antique condition. The vitreous white ironstone body is completely free from any structural cracks, deep chips, unoriginal flea-bites, or hard edge impacts. The glaze remains exceptionally bright and retains its high-gloss reflective finish, showing no signs of heavy surface scratching, dulling, or historic kitchen scouring. Remarkably for a piece of this age, it is entirely free from dark body crazing, underglaze tea staining, or firing glaze slips. The handle joints are perfectly solid, and the matching lid sits level and secure in its groove without rocking.
Shipping & Logistics
- Domestic Shipping: FREE UK TRACKED DELIVERY.
- Packaging: Securely wrapped in acid-free tissue to protect the glaze, heavily cocooned in multiple layers of shock-absorbing high-density bubble cushioning, and packed inside a rigid double-walled container with dense foam pea corners to guarantee completely safe transit.
- Dispatch: Ships within 1 business day.
Returns & Payment Policies
We want you to be delighted with your heritage find.
- Not as Described: In the unlikely event of an error in our listing, we provide a full refund and cover return postage costs.
- Change of Mind: Returns are accepted within 30 days. The buyer covers return shipping costs.