A very large Flight Worcester platter from the 'Hope Service', circa 1790
From the service made for the Duke of Clarence, the centre painted by John Pennington in monochrome with a classical maiden, representing Hope resting upon a rock and gazing out to sea, a ship in full sail in the distance, an anchor lying in the foreground, a blue border enlivened with gilt arcaded panels, paterae and stars, 52.5cm wide, crown, Flight and crescent mark in blue
Footnotes:
Provenance: William Henry, Duke of Clarence

Having reluctantly retired from naval duty in 1789, William Henry, Duke of Clarence, later King Willian IV, turned his attention to more domestic pursuits and commissioned an important royal dinner service. After battling off the competition of Chamberlain and Derby, who were invited to submit specimen plates, Flight's factory set to work. John Flight writes in his diary in January 1790...

...'We used our two best painters last week to make some very fine designs for the Duke of Clarence, we have already completed 3 plates and I have sent them to London. One is a gold arabesque design, another the figure of Hope, the other of Patience.'

A few days later on 24th January John Flight added...'Apart from the two plates mentioned... we have made two others with figures, Peace and Plenty. H.R.H. Duke of Clarence has decided on the Hope design with the decoration that we put on the Peace plate, he has ordered a table service that will amount to more than £700 sterling. He has given us a year in which to complete it...'.

On 13 April 1791, only a few months late, Flight advertised in the Worcester press that the service was available to view at the factory, giving the public the chance to admire it before being delivered to its royal owner.

The Duke of Clarence service is discussed at length by John Sandon, Worcester Porcelain at Cheekwood (2008), pp.100-102.