The mug of barrel shape with bands of engine turning, painted in blue with peonies, leaves, and a bamboo tree, within diaper borders containing panels of flowers. the base with a stylised design.
Height: 9.2 cm
Mark: None
Condition: A footrim chip with associated 2cm crack. 1cm firing flaw to interior of mug near rim, to right of handle.
Note: This rare mug has been difficult to attribute with certainty. There is a larger, similarly shaped mug with a printed design, shown as lot 45 in the Watney Collection of Fine Early English Porcelain, Part I, sold by Phillips on 22nd September 1999, and catalogued as Bow. The slight brown staining of the footrim and the orange translucency are Bow characteristics, although the finely turned grooves are rarely found on Bow pieces. The design is unusual and I have been unable to find other examples of the border around the base, apart from a Bow saucer illustrated by Steven Goss in his book ‘British Blue and White Porcelain Saucers’ 1745-1795, Second Edition no. 2:36, p.28.
Price: £950