Fan-panelled tea bowl

A porcelain factory was established at Bow in the late 1740s. It was founded by the painter and engraver, Thomas Frye. Together with his partner, Edward Heylin, a potter who also had a glass business in the area, he experimented with different compositions of paste, and by 1748 they were producing a variety of 'useful and ornamental' china, strengthened by the addition of bone ash. Bow porcelain was purchased by the wealthy and the middle classes, and the factory was one of the most innovative and commercially successful. Known as 'New Canton', the factory was modeled on that at Canton in China, and at its peak of production, had about 300 employees.

The bulk of useful wares made in Bow were in blue and white, and mostly based on or copied from Chinese designs. This tea bowl has a powder-blue ground with fan-shaped reserves decorated with Chinese river scenes and circular reserves with stylized flowers. The base is marked in underglaze blue with crossed swords.