A Very Rare Bow Teapot with "Grape and Vine" Decoration 1752-55 Possibly by James Welsh

A very rare and early Bow porcelain teapot decorated with red black and pink enamels with gilding laid over the red.  The porcelain body has a wonderful creamy soft quality.  The glaze is quite glassy.

Bow requested the loan of a collection of oriental porcelain from Hillary Torriano, a friend of Thomas Frye, the founder of the Bow factory.  She was a wealthy land owner who possibly owned the land on which the Bow factory was built.  

She had a collection of Chinese and Japanese ceramics, and this pattern may have developed from something they saw within her collection. 

This distinctive pattern occurs on Bow porcelain around 1752-55.  Reference to this pattern can be found in the book by Anton Gabszewicz, Bow Porcelain, the Geoffrey Freeman collection, figs. 19 and 20 where he dates it as 1754.

This teapot is marked with a distinctive mark which has been seen on work decorated by James Welsh, of which there are only currently approximately twenty known pieces.  

Here a piece sold by Sothebys has the identical mark.  

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/a-taste-of-rococo-porcelain-from-an-american-private-collection/a-rare-bow-oval-spoon-tray-painted-by-james-welsh

Bow porcelain is also known to have been enamelled in Kentish Town by Giles as well as in John Bolton’s workshop. 

There is a similar teapot, though a little smaller, earlier and with slightly less refined decoration in the British Museum collection.

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1959-1102-10

The top edge of the pot is very thin, and clearly has been potted this way with no thickening toward the top edge.  This is very unusual for any potter to leave a top edge so thin, and I believe that this top edge would have had a silver covering mounted over it. 

This would also account for the staining at the top of the pot where tea may have become trapped within the mounting and become absorbed though the edge of the porcelain.  

The fact this ring has at some point been removed or become lost exposing the fragile thin edge accounts for the chipped top edge.  

This is a theory and i have never seen a porcelain teapot of this period with such a silver mounted edge (although it is known on tankards) but I think it is likely in this case and would have looked amazing with the black and gold and pink enamels.

Despite some light damage and staining at the top rim, this remains a handsome and early English porcelain teapot in a fabulous and rare pattern.  And it displays very well.

After 270-ish years, dare I say it still holds its own.  


Makers marks:
None.  A hand painted mark in black enamel probably a tally mark.  Unrecorded.

Dimensions:
135 mm tall, 193mm from spout to handle

Weight:
531 g

Age:
270

Condition:
Good antique condition. 
The top edge of the pot has multiple small chips.  There is a 1cm fine and tight hairline to the top edge.  Some chips to the lip of the spout.  Some staining to the top edge.  The handle has a firing crack from the time of manufacture.  The cover is good, minor staining around the bottom edge.  The gilding and enamels are in excellent condition. 

Maker:
Bow