A rare and impressive Bristol three vase garniture, c.1770, comprising two flared vases and a

A rare and impressive Bristol three vase garniture, c.1770, comprising two flared vases and a central vase and cover, the hexagonal forms painted with panels of tall trees in landscapes in polychrome and blue monochrome, the necks and shoulders finely reticulated with diaper designs among applied flowerheads and gilt foliage, the domed cover with a flowerpot finial, some high quality restoration, 39.5cm. (4) Together with the illustrated watercolour of the interior of Woollas Hall.

Provenance: formerly in the collection of Mrs Aymer Whitworth at Woollas Hall, Eckington and thence by descent. The discovery of six of these rare Bristol vases in the possession of Mrs Whitworth was announced by F Severne Mackenna in a September 1947 article for Apollo magazine, where he described the occurrence as "surprising and incredible". This garniture comprised three of the vases, the others (lacking the elaborate piercing) were sold at Bonhams, London on 18th May 2011 (lot 432). In his 1947 article, Mackenna states that he knew no other "recorded instance of a complete set of this type", despite having by then identified at least 17 other individual examples. The decoration has been attributed to the French artist 'Mons Soqui', who is thought to have previously worked at Sèvres and was taken on by William Cookworthy, continuing to work for the Bristol factory when it was taken over by Richard Champion. David Peters has suggested the identity of the painter as being Michel Soquet, who worked at Sèvres from 1756-64 and then again in 1774-74. The painting included with the garniture shows them displayed in Woollas Hall during the first half of the 20th century. The Whitworth family sold Woollas in the 1950s.

Illustrated: F. Severne Mackenna, 'Bristol Vases: an Important Unrecorded Series', Apollo magazine, September 1947. Also, F. Severne Mackenna, 18th Century English Porcelain, fig.24.

For similar examples, see Yvonne Hackenbroch, Chelsea and Other English Porcelain; the Collection of Irwin Untermeyer, fig.294 for three vases without the piercing, which formerly part of a five vase garniture in the collection of Lord and Lady Fisher. These vases are now in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, Object no: 64.101.772. The pair that made up the garniture were sold from the Trapnell Collection at Christie's, 18th May 1992, lot 64. See also, Transactions of the English Ceramic Circle, Vol. 26, pp.13-19 for Roger Massey's article, 'The Elusive Mons. Soqui: A French porcelain painter in London and Plymouth’.