Cat holding a mouse, Bow Porcelain Factory, circa 1760

From a series of figures representing The Four Seasons, Autumn is shown as a young man squeezing grapes into a cup, symbolic of harvest time, and recalling classical representations ...

An attractive allegorical figure of Matrimony, reprsented by a woman in her best clothing, holding a cage. The Bow Porcelain factory was the first English porcelain producer; these ...

A lion, seated on its haunches, one paw up. Perhaps a heraldic reference; although the stump does not appear in heraldry, it is required in order to keep the paw in position during f...

Probably an early prototype, the largely open base showing an apparently unique structure described by Watney as ‘a favourite primitive buttressed by a strong overall cone-shape and further strengthened by a cut-out additional layer inside the base in the manner of pastry making.’ (Freeman Collection, Forward, 1982). Toper is an old English word for a drunk. Annulet Mark. Prov: Taylor Coll, Albert Amor...

This is a fabulous pair of figures of Liberty and Matrimony made by the Bow Porcelain factory between 1760 and 1764. These figures were a popular pair portraying marriage. The bow...

An antique English porcelain figurine. By Bow. In the form of a boy clothed in 18th century garb and holding a flute. We've noted losse...

This is a very rare and impressive large figure of Juno with an eagle, made by the Bow Porcelain factory in about 1765. This figure formed part of a series of the Four Elements, with...

This is a wonderful pair of figures of Arlecchino and Columbina, made by the Bow Porcelain factory in about 1758. These figures formed part of a series of the Commedia dell'Arte, a very popular series of theatrical figures that served as decoration at the dinner table in the 18th Century. The Bow Porcelain Factory was one of the first potteries in Britain to make soft paste porcelain, and most probably the very first to use bone ash, which later got perfected by Josiah Spode to what is now the universally used "bone china". Bow was the main competitor of the Chelsea Porcelain Factory, but where Chelsea made very fine slipcast porcelain, Bow made a different soft paste porcelain that tended to be softer and could be pressed into moulds. Bow served a larger public generally at lower prices. The factory was only in operation between 1743 and 1774, after which the tradition got incorporated into some of the later famous potteries such as Worcester and Derby. These figures were used to adorn the dinner table when dessert was served; groups of figures served to express something about the host, the guests, or to direct the conversation. The Italian Commedia Dell'Arte, a comical form of masked theatre, was very popular in those days and Bow copied many figures of the German Meissen series that were brought out in the decades before. This pair dates from about 1758, which was at the height of Bow's ability to make beautiful figurines often copied from Chelsea or Meissen. The pair is modelled after a Meissen pair by Kaendler. The porcelain is translucent with a beautiful milky glaze - Bow was probably the first pottery using bone in its porcelain recipe. Arlecchino (Harlequin) is playing the bagpipes, dressed in an odd costume of mismatched chintz and playing cards and wearing a funny black trumpet...