His china decoration can be assumed to be of high merit, and is said by one Victorian writer to have been marked with the figure "1" in addition to the factory-mark, a small cross.

On the failure of the Bristol works in 1778, Bone came to London with one guinea of his own in his pocket, and five pounds borrowed from a friend.

On 24 January 1779, just four days after the expiry of his apprenticeship deed, Bone married Elizabeth Vandermeulen, a descendant of the distinguished battle-painter Adam Frans van der Meulen.

In 1781 he exhibited his first picture at the Royal Academy, a portrait of his wife, an unusually large enamel for the period.

In 1800 he was appointed enamel painter to the Prince of Wales; in 1801 he was made an associate of the Royal Academy (ARA) and enamel painter to George III, continuing to hold the appointment during the reigns of George IV and William IV.

On 15 April 1811 he was elected a royal academician (RA), and shortly afterwards produced a still larger enamel (eighteen inches by sixteen), after Titian's Bacchus and Ariadne.

The picture was sold to Mr. G. Bowles of Cavendish Square for 2,200 guineas, whilst the original Titian, borrowed by Bone for copying, was only insured for £1500.

Bone cashed the cheque on his way home, apparently just in time, as it is said that the next day financial difficulties caused the bank to suspend payments!

[8] Subsequently he decided to take over this task himself, and in learning to prepare his large plates, he was assisted by Edward Wedlake Brayley, who was by then already a distinguished antiquary, but had trained as an enameller.

[9] It may thus have been regarded by Bone as a legacy project and at the time of his death 85 remained at his house at 15 Berners Street.

J. Jope Rogers published a large catalogue of 1,063 works of the Bone family in the Journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall, No.

The Royal Institution of Cornwall presented portraiture from the two artists which were "gathered from all over the country" with the King also loaning his Opie portraits to the museum for the exhibition.