Vauxhall China Works

English, active c. 1751–c. 1765

Sauceboat, c. 1760

soft-paste porcelain

8.7 x 7.6 x 18.7 cm

Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Acquired with funds from the Cavendish Investing Ltd. donation in memory of Mr. and Mrs. R.H.G. Bonnycastle and with funds from the Estate of Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Naylor, funds administered through The Winnipeg Foundation

2000-236

Categories:

Ceramic, Decorative Arts Ceramic

One of England’s early pioneering porcelain factories, Vauxhall China Works was unknown until the late 1980s when porcelain shards were unearthed at a building site along the Thames River. It was a short-lived factory, established around 1751 and driven by fierce competition into bankruptcy by 1765. As evidenced by this sauceboat, Vauxhall production was influenced by European forms and decoration, rather than by Chinese export wares popular at the time. Its vessels were finely potted, often featuring exuberant forms and a sense of wit, as can be seen here in the crabstock handle entwined with a biting snake. This sauceboat was acquired from the collection of Dr. Bernard Watney, a leading authority on early British porcelain who did key research on Vauxhall.