An early Worcester Warbler Coffee Can, circa 1758
This coffee can is painted in underglaze blue with the Warbler pattern, in which the eponymous bird perches on a reed. Flowering branches emerge from a large rocky outcrop and shade the bird. Perhaps supper for the bird, an insect flies above a fretwork fence. The inside rim is decorated with a trellis and demi-flower head border. The can is slightly waisted in shape, flaring slightly at the base and rim, with a finely modelled grooved loop handle.
Workman’s mark to the base in underglaze blue.
Provenance: The Bayard Collection.
This cup would make an attractive addition to any collection of early blue and white Worcester.
Condition: Excellent – no chips, cracks or restoration. The painting is a particularly pleasing inky blue. From manufacture, some specks of kiln dust are present within the well, and a few traces of cobalt escaped into the glaze during firing.
Dimensions: Height 6.1 cm
Worcester Blue and White Porcelain 1751-1790, Branyan, French & Sandon, I.C.4 (Barrie & Jenkins, 1989).