Coffee cup, Bow, soft paste porcelain, c.1765

This small Bow coffee cup is decorated with strap-flute moulding and three ornate reserves painted in underglaze blue. The chinoiserie design is of three Chinamen engaged in various tasks. The outer rim and base surround are painted with an underglaze blue cell diaper border. The handle is decorated with a line of blue dots.

The bubbled blue glaze is thickly-pooled in places, and there are small patches of discolouration on the footrim, typical of the bone-ash porcelain manufactured at Bow. Cyan-coloured specks can also be seen in the glaze. These occurred during manufacture and come from the cobalt used in the underglaze blue decoration.

A Derby example of the pattern can be seen on a butter tub and cover in Ceramics of Derbyshire 1750-1975 (Gilbert Bradley, plate 176).

Unmarked.

Condition: No restoration, but there is a short crack from the rim, mainly visible on the inside, and a tiny nick to the footrim.

This cup would make an attractive addition to any collection of early English blue and white porcelain.

Dimensions: Height 2 7/16" (6.2cm)

Bow Porcelain: The Collection formed by Geoffrey Freeman, A. Gabszewicz & G. Freeman (Lund Humphries, 1982).