William Littler was connected with the Longton Hall manufactory in Staffordshire from 1750-60, before going on to produce porcelain at West Pans, near Musselburgh in Scotland. After 1777, it is likely that Littler returned to Staffordshire where he began to produce porcelain with Ralph Baddeley. The enterprise was relatively short-lived, as the neater Neale and New Hall porcelains had largely superseded them by the mid- to late-1780s.

Baddely-Littler porcelains do not fit into the usual porcelain groups of the period as it is not of the hard paste type, nor does it have a soapstone or bone-ash body. It is a glassy soft paste frit porcelain with a high lead content, similar to that of the earlier Longton Hall wares. There is a tendency for the glaze to bubble and discolour.

This saucer emits an exceptionally green translucency when held up to artificial light, and is painted with a formal floral design in a harsh pink and green enamel often seen on Baddeley-Littler wares. The pattern is in imitation of Chinese export porcelains, particularly with the use of raised white enamel around the central cartouche. There are typical patches of kiln dust, and a small piece of kiln debris fused to the footrim during the firing process. The surface is dimpled, like orange peel. Such glaze and firing problems are often encountered on wares of this type.

Condition: Excellent - no chips, cracks or restoration, just kiln dust and typical manufacturing flaws.

Dimensions: Diameter 4 14/16" (12.4cm)

(Geoffrey A. Godden, Staffordshire Porcelain, Granada, 1983).