Very Rare Complete Floral Sprays Pattern Veilleuse C1765-75

A very rare Lowestoft food warmer hand painted in underglaze blue with a floral pattern c1765-75.

It measures 18.1cm in diameter including the handles and stands 24.5cm tall.

The cover is in excellent condition. There is a heat crack to the foot pot from use and a chip to it’s rim. The base has a 7.5cm crack running from the rim, and to the right of the shell. There is also a chip to the foot and one to the left hand shell. The oil well and wick holder are both cracked and have staining to the paste.

Workman’s marks to the cover, foot pot and base.

From the collection of Robert Woodthorpe-Browne.

The moulded faces on this example are unusual, I wonder if this example was made for a member of the church.

The Norwich castle museum has an example in their collection, however this isn’t complete. For images of this, see Lowestoft in the Norwich castle museum by Sheenah Smith. This example has the more commonly found large grotesque face moulding.