This tea bowl and saucer is printed in the style of contemporary Chinese export wares with a pagoda-island pattern. The design on both pieces features a distant island with what appears to be a person hanging from a gibbet. This is in fact a bale of straw which, when lit, would have performed the function of a lighthouse in guiding watercraft.

Unmarked.

The potter Joseph Machin produced a version of this Lighthouse pattern at his Burslem factory, and this is probably an example of it. Around 1809, Machin was manufacturing porcelain in partnership with Baggaley, and the firm traded as Machin & Co. Following Joseph's death in 1831, the business was continued by his son William, although the directories make no reference to him after 1841.

Condition: Good - no chips, cracks or restoration. There is slight discoloration to the rims on both pieces, and the glaze is also minutely crazed overall. The pooled glaze within the footrims contains kiln speckling and bubbles. Such features are typical of these early experimental porcelains. The transfer-printed design is of a most attractive shade of blue.

Dimensions: Saucer - Diameter 5 1/2" (14cm); Tea bowl - Diameter 3 1/2" (8.9cm); Height 2" (5cm)

See also:

www.chinacupboard.co.uk

www.culturalmodes.norfolk.gov.uk/