A rare and early Lowestoft blue and white inkwell

A rare and early Lowestoft blue and white inkwell, c.1760, the cylindrical form with slightly sloping shoulders, painted with birds perched on flowering Oriental branches, the shoulder with four circular quill holes around a central opening, traces of a painter's number, some cracking, 6.6cm dia.

Provenance: formerly the Gilbert Bradley Collection.

Illustrated: Christopher Spencer, Early Lowestoft, p.84, fig.99.