A pair of Meissen teabowls the porcelain circa 1730, the decoration circa 1760

each diamond-engraved in black, in the style of Canon August Otto Ernst von dem Busch of Hildesheim, with a European landscape scene depicting ruins, crossed swords marks in underglaze-blue.

The Lesley and Emma Sheafer Collection, Bequest of Emma A. Sheafer, 1973

Both in good condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Canon Busch of Hildesheim (1701-1779) was an amateur Hausmaler using a technique of engraving with the point of a diamond. Signed pieces are recorded from 1748-1775. A list of all the pieces known to the author is included in Herbert Dreyer, Der Porzellanmaler August O. E. von dem Busch. 

A coffeepot and two teabowls from the Wark Collection, similarly decorated with landscape scenes of ruins, are illustrated in Ulrich Pietsch, Early Meissen from the Wark Collection from The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, p. 561, cat no. 685, where the author mentions that the depictions are executed in the style of August Otto Ernst von dem Busch and "possibly came from the hand of his pupil Johann Gottfried Kratzberg". Pietsch further states on p. 45 that von dem Busch and Kraztberg "cannot be called Hausmaler in the true sense of the word", as these "painters from the nobility engaged in the decoration of Meissen porcelain, though only as a hobby and not with the intention of making financial gain."