XV 



Cookworthy at Plymouth 177 



was the first in this country who succeeded in manu- 

 facturing Cobalt blue direct from the ore. Some of the 

 articles he produced were beautifully modelled from 

 nature such as salt-cellars, pickle -cups, and toilet 

 pieces, in the form of shells and corals. The china 

 manufacture was tolerably successful in Cookworthy's 

 hands, but it was very expensive. Coal being very 

 dear, only wood was used for the heating of the kilns. 

 And wood, too, was very costly. 



The ware manufactured by Cookworthy at Plymouth 

 consisted of dinner services, tea and coffee services, 

 vases, mugs, jugs, trinket and toilet stands, busts, single 

 figures and groups, animals, flowers, birds, madonnas, 

 and various other figures copied from foreign models. 

 But however beautiful Cookworthy's works were, as we 

 have said, they were by no means profitable. After a 

 few years, Cookworthy took out a patent for the 

 manufacture of a " kind of porcelain newly invented by 

 himself, composed of moor - stone or growan, and 

 growan clay." The patent was dated the 17th March 

 1768. 



Cookworthy was resolved to make his porcelain 

 equal to that of Sevres and Dresden, both in body 

 (which he himself mixed) and in ornamentation. For 

 the latter purpose he procured the services of such 

 artists as were available; and with the assistance of 

 M. Saqui from Sevres, an excellent painter and 

 enameller, and Henry Bone, a native of Plymouth, he 

 was enabled to turn out some very beautiful and 



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