A rare dated and inscribed blue and white pipe tamper

A rare dated and inscribed blue and white pipe tamper, Lowestoft or perhaps Liverpool, modelled as the bust of a man wearing a tricorn hat and a neck scarf, detailed in cobalt blue. The reverse inscribed 'C.W. S***, 1763' . Chips to the corners of his hat, and cleanly re-glued through the neck. 7cm. A mould for a pipe tamper with a female bust, was found during excavations on the Lowestoft factory site, but no models of this form are recorded. The calligraphy of the date '1763', bears close similarities to a Lowestoft tea bowl inscribed 'Ann Walker 1763' cf. M. Corson, No.8, and the idiosyncratic 'W' is very similar to that on a Lowestoft fragment, cf. S. Smith, No. 19, page 74. The bust appears to be Naval, and quite possibly depicts Rear-Admiral Rodney, (later Lord Rodney, 1718-92). Apart from the fact that the Seven Years War ended in 1763, Rodney was the Naval "hero of the hour" having captured Martinique and Grenada in February 1762 and more importantly, captured Havana in October 1761 with ships and treasure worth million. Furthermore, Rodney is one of the very first personalities to appear on commemorative ceramics and is almost always shown wearing a tricorn hat.