A Chinese porcelain European-decorated teacup and saucer with matching coffee cup 18th century

A Chinese porcelain European-decorated teacup and saucer with matching coffee cup 18th century, originally left in the white, the coffee cup with a brown line rim, later-decorated, probably in London, in purple monochrome with a dishevelled bird perched on flowering stems issuing from holey rockwork, a butterfly in flight above, 11.6cm. (3)

Provenance: the Helen Espir Collection, nos. 509 and 510. Purchased from James Norbury, April 1996.

Illustrated: Stephen Hanscombe, The Early James Giles and his Contemporary London Decorators, p.99, no.106 for the teacup.

The camaïeu decoration copies the purpurmalerei designs of Meissen and other Thuringian factories of the time. The butterfly with narrow wings and crossed legs over antennae is quoted by Stephen Hanscombe as being a peculiarity of the Giles atelier, and Gerald Coke illustrates this trio in his book, In Search of James Giles, (p.235) as being possibly the work of his atelier.