https://royalcrownderby.org Wed, 20 May 2026 03:45:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1 https://royalcrownderby.org/2026/05/17/royal-crown-derby-red-mikado-coffee-pot-1930s-gilbert-sullivan-opera/ https://royalcrownderby.org/2026/05/17/royal-crown-derby-red-mikado-coffee-pot-1930s-gilbert-sullivan-opera/#comments Mon, 18 May 2026 03:39:14 +0000 https://royalcrownderby.org/2026/05/17/royal-crown-derby-red-mikado-coffee-pot-1930s-gilbert-sullivan-opera/











A splendid, if flawed, Royal Crown Derby coffee pot, circa 1930s, in the “Mikado Red” pattern. The Mikado is not only an operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan, it is also a historical title given to the emperor of Japan. The Mikado pattern was designed in 1894 by Thomas Amos Reed, Royal Crown Derby’s art director, and was inspired by rice paper drawings he had obtained in the Far East. (source: museantiques. Com, referencing the Royal Crown Derby Museum). The pattern, which dovetailed with a fascination in the West with all things Oriental, was originally produced in blue on a white background, and features vivid storytelling scenes. In ensuing years it was also reproduced in a multicolored version and monochrome varieties, and was retired in 1997, only to be resurrected by Royal Crown Derby in 2014 with the images rendered in white on solid colored backgrounds, seeming like a photographic negative of the original. This gorgeous Red Mikado coffee pot dates to, I believe, 1932 or thereabouts, based on the cipher at the base of the backstamp. The imagery is riotously lush, and forms a continuous portrait around the body of the pot, uninterrupted by either spout or handle. The details are mesmerizing. There is a little boy playing with a top while his tutor looks on. An older boy swings happily, as a heron sets his sights on a pool of water below, waiting for a fish to swim by. All is overhung by lush vegetation and flowering cherry blossoms, with chrysanthemums in abundance. This beautiful coffee pot is really quite a find. It stands 6 1/2 inches tall, and measures 7 1/4 inches wide including handle and spout, and is 3 1/4 inches deep. Now, on to the flaws in the spirit of full disclosure–as you have doubtless noticed, it is missing it’s lid. There is also a small chip at the tip of the spout. And, most importantly, while hidden from view on display, there are some fine cracks on the bottom, with an earlier patch of some sort in place. (see photos above for all these things). There are no visible cracks or crazing on the visible parts of the coffee pot.

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