Early Life and Professional Training Born in Cambridge in 1840, David Bates began his life far from the expansive landscapes he would later inhabit. His early years were shaped by the quiet, meticulous work required of a craftsman. In 1855, he moved into a role as a porcelain painter at the Royal Worcester porcelain works in Worcester. This period of his life was defined by the steady, repetitive motion of the brush against ceramic su…