A Chinese porcelain English-decorated teapot and cover 1st half 18th century

A Chinese porcelain English-decorated teapot and cover 1st half 18th century, the lotus-moulded form left in the white and later-enamelled with finely painted sprays of European flowers and colourful butterflies, and a Chinese lotus-moulded coffee cup with similar decoration of moths, insects, beetles and flower sprigs, 17cm. (3)

Provenance: the Helen Espir Collction, nos. 567 and 914.

Illustrated: Stephen Hanscombe, The Early James Giles and his Contemporary London Decorators, p.77, no.69 for the teapot.

While the teapot's decoration is certainly of a London origin, the flowers do not fit in with Watney's classifications of Type A and Type B flowers, nor are the butterflies alike to those painted by the Giles atelier. The wares decorated in this hand have come to be known as the 'Smith' service, as 'F Smith' was incised on the back of a saucer dish with the same decoration.