Lot Essay
The "Hob in the Well" was the title given to this design by the Chelsea factory, based on a farce written by Colley Cibber in 1715 entitled "Flora" or "Hob in the Well". It illustrates an 11th century Chinese story in which a boy was rescued from drowining by the quick action of his friend Sze-ma Kwang (Shiba Onko), who broke the large water jar into which he had fallen.
A similar example is in the Sherborne Castle collection, see, Hinton, Mark and Impey, Oliver, Kakiemon, Porcelain From The English Country House, (Christie's, 1989), p. 55, pl. 31.
A similar example is in the Sherborne Castle collection, see, Hinton, Mark and Impey, Oliver, Kakiemon, Porcelain From The English Country House, (Christie's, 1989), p. 55, pl. 31.