A rare Bristol small delftware Bowl painted in the manner of John Bowen. Probably Redcliff Back, circa 1750-70
This rare, unusually small delftware bowl is painted in the distinctive manner of the Bristol delft painter, John Bowen.
Making use of the entire surface of the bowl and reflecting Georgian enjoyment of the idyllic pastoral landscape, the scene depicts two ladies wearing panniers, walking between sponged trees, towards a country house.
Artists of the period, such as Thomas Gainsborough and Paul Sandby, would often portray fashionably dressed ladies within a parkland setting (see the last photo for an etching by Sandby, circa 1740-65 © The Trustees of the British Museum).
Condition: Excellent – no cracks or restoration, just typical minor losses to the fragile tin glaze around the edge.
Dimensions: Diameter 17.5 cm; Height 3.4 cm
Delftware: The Tin-glazed Earthenware of the British Isles, Michael Archer (V&A/HMSO, 1997).
English Delftware, F.H. Garner and Michael Archer (Faber & Faber, 1972).