This antique breakfast cup and saucer was hand-painted by Barr Flight Barr at the Worcester factory in England circa 1810.
The decoration is exuberant and richly detailed, featuring large stylized flowers, garden fences, rockwork, and a flying bird.
The color palette is especially refined and unexpected, combining iron red, deep cobalt blue, and gold with pink, purple, turquoise, green, and pale blue enamels.
In my shop, we refer to this as “Mario’s pattern,” named in honor of the late interior designer Mario Buatta, who began his firm in 1963 and was a longtime client.
Whenever pieces in this pattern appeared, we saved them for him.
The design is bold, joyful, and full of visual richness—a superb example of the English Imari style during the Barr Flight Barr period.
Dimensions: diameter of saucer 6.25″, diameter of breakfast cup 4″ x 2.5″ tall
Condition: Excellent
Decoration: Hand-painted English Imari pattern with floral, landscape, and bird motifs
Material: Porcelain
Style: English Imari
Origin: England
Date: Circa 1810
Key Features
• Made by Barr, Flight, Barr Worcester, circa 1810
• Breakfast-size cup and matching saucer
• Complex hand-painted pattern with bird, flowers, and garden motifs
• Rich and unusual Imari palette with multiple enamel colors
• Associated with interior designer Mario Buatta
• Excellent condition