Fine Chelsea Hans Sloane Botanical plate circa 1755-85 decorated with fern sprays, pea pods and insects with brown enamel-edged shaped rim (Repair to rim and chip to bottom) Dia.8 1/4" *Provenance: Property from the estate of a Southern lady. *Note: The Hans Sloane wares are the most famous of all the Chelsea red-anchor products. The pattern was so named after Hans Sloane, the noted scientist and president of the Royal Society from 1727 to 1741. Sloane played a key role in the establishment of the Chelsea Physic Garden, which is the second oldest botanical garden in Britain. The botanical illustrations for this series of plates were copied from a book written by Philip Miller, the chief gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden from 1721 to 1770. It was Miller who also developed the first long-strand cotton seeds that were sent to the British colony of Georgia in 1733 and planted on Sea Island.