A Baddeley-Littler Tea Bowl and Saucer, circa 1777-85
Decorated with a Chinese export style pattern of elegant floral swags, forming a star shape. Although essentially Chinese, the swags and festoons of this design with its simple geometry, perhaps nod towards the Neoclassical taste which was beginning to replace that of the oriental during the last quarter of the 18th century.
William Littler was connected with the Longton Hall manufactory in Staffordshire from 1750-60, before going on to produce porcelain at West Pans, near Musselburgh in Scotland. After 1777, it is likely that Littler returned to Staffordshire where he began to produce porcelain with Ralph Baddeley, although the enterprise was relatively short-lived.
Baddeley-Littler porcelains do not fit into the usual porcelain groups of the period as it is not of the hard paste type, nor does it have a soapstone or bone-ash body. It is a glassy soft paste frit porcelain with a high lead content, similar to that of the earlier Longton Hall wares. There is a tendency for the glaze to bubble and discolour.
Condition: Excellent – no chips, cracks or restoration.
Dimensions: Saucer – Diameter 12.9 cm
Staffordshire Porcelain, Geoffrey Godden, Ed. (Granada, 1983).