DATE CYPHER FOR 1883, GREEN PRINTED AND IMPRESSED CROWNED MONOGRAM MARKS, IMPRESSED U5, PUCE PAINTED RSI

Anticipating their sale to erudite collectors, George Owen often worked without pay on highly detailed pieces of this type during quiet periods at the Royal Worcester Factory. Over the course of several months he spent painstaking hours on each vessel, carefully piercing the wet clay body freehand - no small feat as the piece had to be kept in its leatherhard stage and the smallest slip meant having to start over. Once reticulated the piece then faced multiple firings and possible destruction in the kiln. For a more detailed discussion on George Owen's experiments see H. Sandon, Royal Worcester Porcelain, London, 1978, p. 31.

For similar examples, compare Christie's, New York, 20 April 2006, lot 366; Bonhams, London, 10 June 2003, lot 324; and Sotheby's, Melbourne, 17 May 2006, lot 192.