This is a very rare Factory 'X' (A & E Keeling partnership) oriental shaped sugar bowl and cover. I have never had the pleasure of seeing one of these before in all my years of collecting!

The sugar bowl and cover are circular with a shanked body ( spiral moulded fluting). The sugar bowl has a wide lip into which the circular lid fits. The item is very well and finely potted.

The decoration of this charming sugar box and cover includes an underglaze cobalt blue wide border to the top portion of the bowl and rim of the lid. This border has open white ovals in which are orange flower heads with gilded dots at their centre.

The ovals into which the flowers are applied are given a gilded frame and the border is edged on either side with a gilt line in a honey rich gold.

A delicate foliate swag threads its way around the floral panels within the blue band. On the sugar bowl below the blue band border there is a very delicately gilded fine foliate swag. the fine quality of the gilding is excellent.

The same decorative treatment is applied to the circular shanked lid of the sugar bowl.

This low domed shaped lid has a low circular handle in the centre. this is very reminiscent of Chinese porcelain designs. It is also a design used in early eighteenth century English silver design of covered sugar bowls, but very rare to see it in English porcelain designs.

The raised collar handle has in the centre a gilded star and a gilt line around the outer rim.

The sugar bowl stands upon a raised foot rim, this having a gilded line around it.

The underside of this beautiful and very rare sugar bowl is marked with the pattern number in  red '94'. Interestingly it also has an underglaze blue mark of '165' that has been crossed out in the same red as the '94' mark.

This is certainly a very rare sugar bowl and cover. A sugar sugar bowl the same as this one, even the same pattern, is illustrated in 'Godden's New Guide to English porcelain', a Millers publication, ISBN 1 84000 987 X, page 164, plate 197. His valuation on it was £1,500.

This is a very rare Factory 'X' (Keeling) Covered Sugar Bowl of 'Oriental Shape', Shanked body with blue border, red flowers and gilded swags, pattern 94, c1800-1805.

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Size and Weight: (values are approximate)

• 4¼" (107mm) in height to the top of the lid handle.
• 5" (130mm) max. diameter.
• 12¼oz (346gms) total weight.

Marks:

The underside of this beautiful and very rare sugar bowl is marked with the pattern number in  red '94'. Interestingly it also has an underglaze blue mark of '165' that has been crossed out in the same red as the '94' mark. It is a sugar bowl and cover from 'Factory 'X', now know to be the A & E Keeling Staffordshire factory.

Condition:

This charming and very rare sugar bowl and lid is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, repairs or restoration. There is only the tiniest amount of wear to the gilding, which is mainly to an area on the rim of the bowl itself. This is certainly a very rare item for the collector of early English porcelain.