Description:

This rare moulded sauceboat is transfer printed with two chinoiserie waterscapes in the reserves on either side and with a third smaller scene in a reserve below the spout.  The decoration within the lip and on the interior base are also printed.  Indeed, the only handpainting is the blue outlining of the two narrow moulded panels at the rim and the flowerhead within each.  The small printed scenes on this sauceboat are not recorded in Branyan, French and Sandon's book on Worcester blue and white. These scenes are somewhat similar to hand painted scenes such as the Fisherman and Billboard Island pattern that appear on early sauceboats.  This sauceboat and another example, printed with the same scenes, that was in the Zorensky collection (lot 378 in part 1 of the sale catalogue) appear to be very rare survivals of what, for some reason, appears to have been an abandoned experiment.