Fine and rare early Worcester 'Scratch Cross' mug, circa 175...

Hammer

£4,800

Fine and rare early Worcester 'Scratch Cross' mug, circa 1754, of bell shape, finely painted in the bird and snail pattern in a kakiemon inspired palette of pale green, terracotta and yellow, the base with incised cross mark, height 15cm
Provenance: The property of a Gentleman
Note: This mug is previously unrecorded and is one of only four now known examples. Three bell shaped mugs with the same decoration have been previously recorded, each inscribed on the base 'Ex L 1754', one from the Grant Dixon Collection at Ampleforth Abbey, another is in the Victoria & Albert Museum Collection, bequeathed by Mr Arthur Hurst (accession number C350-1940), and the third is at Colonial Williamsburg. These recorded mugs are fundamental to the dating of 'Scratch Cross' porcelains and this present lot appears to be the only mug found to date without the 'Ex L 1754' inscription on the base. Whilst the numbers of porcelains in this pattern are few, the pattern does exist on a small number of waisted vases and a water bottle and basin which is now housed in the museum of Royal Worcester

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Some very minor pitting losses to the terracotta line at the rim. There is a pinprick blemish which appears as a minute chip but is in actual fact a tiny area of spitbeck within the rim. Elsewhere on the rim there are firing blemishes and a black firing spot on the edge of the rim. Spitbeck is visible around the handle base where it joins the body and also spots of spitbeck around the footrim. Some fine glaze scratches and some fine scratches are visible on the terracotta rock to the left of the bird. Overall this tankard is in remarkable condition. No restoration has been found. The piece has been viewed under ultraviolet light.