A Worcester moulded Bowl, circa 1765
This moulded slop bowl, with its iron-red and gilt loop-and-dot border, is beautifully painted with the attractive Pu-Tai pattern, a colourful design copied from the Chinese original. Pu-Tai is seen here with three other Daoist Immortals. Known as feather moulded, this design was referred to as ‘Wav’d‘ in the London warehouse records.
Pu-Tai Ho-shang was a Tang Dynasty Buddhist monk, usually portrayed as a grinning, pot-bellied man, accompanied by two attendants. He is generally regarded as the Buddha of the future, or god of luck. The figure holding the lotus flower represents Guanyin, goddess of compassion.
Unmarked.
Condition: Good – no damage or restoration. The painting of Pu-Tai and the Immortals is especially fine and detailed, with only very light surface wear. There is wear to the interior base, consistent with use, some light kiln dust on the underside, and a manufacturing flaw (clay tear) beneath the inner rim, which the painter subsequently disguised with a red flower.
Dimensions: Diameter 15.4 cm
Worcester Porcelain 1751-1790: The Zorensky Collection, Simon Spero & John Sandon (Antique Collectors’ Club, 1996).