Penrose Antiques

Description

We have for sale a very unusual and very striking 18th century, most probably AE Keeling porcelain tea bowl and saucer dating to somewhere around 1785.

This very attractive tea bowl and saucer is decorated with a unique polychrome pattern incorporating themes used by both the 18th Century English hard paste porcelain manufacturers New Hall and Keeling. However, what makes this particular tea bowl and saucer stand out from the rest is the combination of themes included in the pattern. The tea bowl and saucer is decorated with an iron red looped border contained within two lines around an iron red vine entwined about a single line around six different floral sprigs including Lily of the Valley and Forget-Me-Nots around a black wavy doted line incircling a central sprig incorporating a red and yellow rose.

The tea bowl and the saucer also has an experimental feel, there is a firing fault to the body of the saucer and the incorporation of sand grains in both the glaze of the tea bowl and the saucer. The pattern is not a known New Hall pattern and as such is most probably a rare pattern used by Keeling possibly during the early experimental period whilst the factory was being established.

The saucer is 5 inches (12.7cm) in diameter and the tea bowl stands 2 inches (5cm) high. Both are in an excellent antique condition with no chips, cracks or repairs.