A Lowestoft Tea Canister, circa 1780
This rare Lowestoft tea canister of ribbed rectangular section and rounded shoulders, is painted in underglaze blue with the Immortelle pattern.
Crossed swords mark.
Although the use of a blue crossed swords mark was clearly an attempt by Lowestoft to imitate Meissen, the Immortelle pattern was most widely used by the Copenhagen and Thuringian factories. Worcester also produced a version of this pattern in the period 1770-90.
Condition: Excellent – no damage or restoration. There is a small file mark incision to the underside edge of the base. This curious practice amongst early collectors was to establish whether the body was of hard or soft paste porcelain. Minor potting and firing anomalies characteristic of Lowestoft porcelain. As with most 18th-century tea-caddies, the cover is now lacking.
Dimensions: Height 10 cm
The Illustrated Guide to Lowestoft Porcelain, Geoffrey A. Godden (Praeger, 1969).
Lowestoft Porcelain in Norwich Castle Museum, Volume 1, Sheenah Smith (Norfolk Museums Service, 1975).
Godden’s Guide to Blue and White Porcelain, Geoffrey A. Godden (Antique Collectors’ Club, 2004).