Coffee Can, Blue and White "Desirable Residence", Bow Porcelain, circa 1758

An early coffee can, painted in under-glaze blue with a large residence in a Chinese landscape. Prov: Taylor Collection; Watney Collection.  

An early coffee can, painted in under-glaze blue with peonies and bamboo. The painting links with the William Pether 1754 jug. The decoration is taken directly from Chinese examples, and was intended to compete with Chinese imports. Peonies and bamboo are both commonly depicted in Chinese porcelain decoration. Peonies, also known as the "king of flowers," are often depicted in Chinese art as a symbol of wealth, nobility, and good fortune. Bamboo, on the other hand, is a symbol of integrity, resilience, and longevity. Together, peonies and bamboo are often used to symbolize the harmonious balance between wealth and integrity. Chinese porcelain with peony...

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...

This is a wonderful little figure of a boy or putto made by the Bow Porcelain factory in about 1760. The Bow Porcelain Factory was one of the first potteries in Britain to make soft...