Lot Essay
Sauceboats of this form are known at Longton Hall, generally painted in the firm's distinctive bright famille rose palette. See 50 Years of Collecting Decorative Arts of Georgian England; Christie's, London, 14 May 2003, lot 218 (gbp 16,730) for a particularly fine pair of this type.
That the present examples are riddled with kiln flaws, are softly molded and are decorated with a very runny blue points towards West Pans as the more likely source of their facture. William Littler and his wife Jane moved to this small town near Musselburgh, Scotland after their factory at Longton went bankrupt in 1760. Starting from scratch, the initial production was not of the quality produced at Longton Hall by the time the factory closed.
That the present examples are riddled with kiln flaws, are softly molded and are decorated with a very runny blue points towards West Pans as the more likely source of their facture. William Littler and his wife Jane moved to this small town near Musselburgh, Scotland after their factory at Longton went bankrupt in 1760. Starting from scratch, the initial production was not of the quality produced at Longton Hall by the time the factory closed.