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Lot Essay
Only two other directly comparable jugs of this early form and design are recorded. The closest in size, shape and decoration is the example now in the Museum of Worcester Porcelain. Formerly in the Major Slater, Sidders and Cohen collections, it was exhibited by Albert Amor Ltd. in 1976,1 19852 and 1992.3 The other example from the A. J. Smith Collection is in the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.4
Another similar larger example in the Klepser Collection,5 housed at the Seattle Art Museum differs in several aspects of form, moulding and decoration.
Baroque silver and metalwork ewers were used for serving wine or hand washing and were usually accompanied by a conforming stand or basin. Pottery and porcelain examples exist in Dutch, French and Italian tin-glazed earthenware, Chinese export porcelain and Böttger porcelain.6 Helmet-form jugs from contemporary English porcelain factories are rare; a similar model was produced at Bow, see the large 'dragon' pattern example in the Museum of London.7 A rococo example also derived from a Meissen form was produced at Chelsea.8
A Continental source seems most likely; a Böttger white porcelain prunus-moulded example in the Royal Saxon Collection was modelled by Benjamin Thomae after a model by Johann Jacob Irminger. This form remained in production at the Meissen factory and a simplified version of the basic model was produced in circa 1730 with indianische Blumen decoration, it is this model that most closely resembles the current example in form and decoration and is likely to have been the inspiration for the Worcester jugs. See the example from the Dr. Ernst Schneider collection, Düsseldorf.9
The palette used on the present example is typical of the earliest polychrome flower decoration at Worcester10, parallels are often made with decoration used on Staffordshire white opaque glass and saltglaze white stoneware.
1. Albert Amor Ltd., Dr. John Wall 1708-1776, A Commemorative Loan Exhibition of Dr. Wall Period Worcester Porcelain, Exhibition Catalogue (1976), cat. no. 1.
2. Albert Amor Ltd., The Sidders Collection of Dr. Wall Worcester Porcelain, 11th - 31st October Exhibition Catalogue (1985), cat. no. 2.
3. Albert Amor Ltd., The Cohen Collection of Early Worcester Porcelain, 24th April - 14th May Exhibition Catalogue (1992), cat. no. 16.
4. Simon Spero and Richard Burt, Lund's Bristol and Early Worcester Porcelain 1750-58, The A. J. Smith Collection (London, 2005), p. 130, cat. no. 46.
5. Simon Spero, Worcester Porcelain, The Klepser Collection (Minneapolis, 1984), colour plate 3, p. 22, cat. no. 3.
6. Prof. Dr. Manfred Bachmann, et al., Johann Friedrich Böttger zum 300. Geburtstag, Exhibition Catalogue (Dresden, 1982), pl. I/77.
7. Elizabeth Adams and David Redstone, Bow Porcelain (London, 1991), p. 154 and pl. 89.
8. F. Severne MacKenna, Chelsea Porcelain, The Red Anchor Wares (Leigh-on-Sea, 1951), pl. 20, no. 41.
9. Rainer Rückert, Meissner Porzellan, 1710-1810, Exhibition Catalogue (Munich, 1966), cat. no. 233.
10. Simon Spero and Richard Burt, ibid., pp. 123-126.
Another similar larger example in the Klepser Collection,
Baroque silver and metalwork ewers were used for serving wine or hand washing and were usually accompanied by a conforming stand or basin. Pottery and porcelain examples exist in Dutch, French and Italian tin-glazed earthenware, Chinese export porcelain and Böttger porcelain.
A Continental source seems most likely; a Böttger white porcelain prunus-moulded example in the Royal Saxon Collection was modelled by Benjamin Thomae after a model by Johann Jacob Irminger. This form remained in production at the Meissen factory and a simplified version of the basic model was produced in circa 1730 with indianische Blumen decoration, it is this model that most closely resembles the current example in form and decoration and is likely to have been the inspiration for the Worcester jugs. See the example from the Dr. Ernst Schneider collection, Düsseldorf.
The palette used on the present example is typical of the earliest polychrome flower decoration at Worcester
1. Albert Amor Ltd., Dr. John Wall 1708-1776, A Commemorative Loan Exhibition of Dr. Wall Period Worcester Porcelain, Exhibition Catalogue (1976), cat. no. 1.
2. Albert Amor Ltd., The Sidders Collection of Dr. Wall Worcester Porcelain, 11th - 31st October Exhibition Catalogue (1985), cat. no. 2.
3. Albert Amor Ltd., The Cohen Collection of Early Worcester Porcelain, 24th April - 14th May Exhibition Catalogue (1992), cat. no. 16.
4. Simon Spero and Richard Burt, Lund's Bristol and Early Worcester Porcelain 1750-58, The A. J. Smith Collection (London, 2005), p. 130, cat. no. 46.
5. Simon Spero, Worcester Porcelain, The Klepser Collection (Minneapolis, 1984), colour plate 3, p. 22, cat. no. 3.
6. Prof. Dr. Manfred Bachmann, et al., Johann Friedrich Böttger zum 300. Geburtstag, Exhibition Catalogue (Dresden, 1982), pl. I/77.
7. Elizabeth Adams and David Redstone, Bow Porcelain (London, 1991), p. 154 and pl. 89.
8. F. Severne MacKenna, Chelsea Porcelain, The Red Anchor Wares (Leigh-on-Sea, 1951), pl. 20, no. 41.
9. Rainer Rückert, Meissner Porzellan, 1710-1810, Exhibition Catalogue (Munich, 1966), cat. no. 233.
10. Simon Spero and Richard Burt, ibid., pp. 123-126.