This charming Höchst teacup is beautifully handpainted with a rustic landscape scene, including a man driving cattle across a wooden bridge, towards a ruined tower. The trees and buildings are painted in exquisite detail. The scroll handle is painted with puce dots and foliate emblems, and the rim is painted with a chocolate line.

The founders of the porcelain manufactory at Höchst, near Frankfurt, Germany, were granted the privilege from the Elector of Mayence in 1746. The factory ceased production in 1796.

There is a tiny manufacturing flaw on the side of the handle and an unglazed area inside the footrim, both having occurred during production.

Painted underglaze blue wheel mark and impressed initials AI or AL. The porcelain painter Adam Ludwig used the monogram AL at Höchst, but it is not known whether this cup was decorated by him.

Condition: Excellent, no chips, cracks or restoration, just slight wear to the brown line on the rim. The attractive enamel scene is in excellent order.

Dimensions: Diameter 3" (7.6cm); Height 1 3/4" (4.4cm)

18th-Century German Porcelain, George Savage (Rockliff, 1958).