Footnotes

Provenance:
Possibly a gift from Prince Wilhelm and Princess Augusta of Prussia;
Anon. sale, Sotheby's London, 8 July 1997, lot 101;
The Twinight Collection

Literature:
S. Wittwer, Raffinesse & Eleganz: Königliche Porzellane des frühen 19. Jahrhunderts aus der Twinight Collection, New York (2007), no. 96

Exhibited:
Berlin, Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg, Schloss Charlottenburg, Rafinesse & Eleganz - Königliche Porzellane des frühen 19. Jahrhunders aus einer amerikanischen Privatsammlung, 28 July-4 November 2007;
Vienna, Liechtenstein Museum, Die Sammlung Cohen. Porzellane der grossen Manufakturen 1800-1840, 16 November 2007-11 February 2008;
Paris, Musée national de la céramique à Sèvres, Sèvres - Vienne - Berlin, Ors et décors : 1800-1850, 26 March-13 July 2008;
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Refinement & Elegance - Early Nineteenth Century Royal porcelain from an American private collection, 9 September 2008-19 April 2009

The scenes on the saucer are after prints from a series of views of Windsor by W. Westall after S. Scarthwaite published in London in 1831 and depict: York and Lancaster Towers, St. George's Gate, The Quadrangle and The Round Tower (Wittwer, p. 313).

The site of Windsor Castle were chosen by William the Conqueror who selected the site, high above the River Thames and on the edge of a Saxon hunting ground. Easy access from the capital and proximity to a royal hunting forest made it an ideal location for a royal residence.

It evolved from a strategic fortification to a royal palace by the late 12th century under Henry II. Significant enhancements over the centuries included Henry III's stone walls and Edward III's transformation of the Castle into a Gothic palace. In the Tudor era, Henry VII and Henry VIII added state apartments, a gate, and a terrace. Elizabeth I undertook extensive repairs and built a long gallery. Charles II modernized the apartments into grand baroque state rooms by 1684, and George III neoclassicised several rooms, beginning a transformation of the Castle's exterior into a Gothic palace with the help of architect James Wyatt.

George IV, who ascended to the throne in 1820, continued his father's Gothic makeover with significant contributions. He raised the Round Tower, added massive masonry, towers, and battlements, enhancing the Castle's imposing appearance. His efforts focused on remodelling the Upper Ward, commissioning Jeffry Wyatville to extend the entrance hall and install a new Grand Staircase. George IV also created new spaces, such as the Waterloo Chamber and the extended St George's Hall. He contracted Morel & Seddon to furnish the interiors in the latest French Empire style. By the time he took up residence at Windsor towards the end of 1828, his improvements had cost nearly £300,000.

Although renovations were incomplete at the time of his death in 1830, George IV greatly shaped Windsor Castle's Gothic appearance and luxurious interiors. The work continued under his successor, William IV, and by 1832, the new Grand Staircase was finished, cementing George IV's lasting impact on the most famous of royal residences.