A Rare and Important Chelsea scolopendrium-moulded teapot and cover, circa 1750-52

of globular form moulded with five lobes, highlighted with five twisting pale green scolopendrium leaves with yellow ribs and black veins, repeated on the cover with a brown enamel edged rim beneath the stamen-form knop, affixed with an acanthus leaf moulded spout with scroll terminal picked out in puce and a turquoise and puce vegetal handle, the spout slightly reduced.

The Property of Dr. and Mrs. Bellamy Gardner, Sotheby's, London, 12th June 1941, lot 32
The Property of the late Frank Hurlbutt, Esq., Sotheby's, London, 9th October 1945, lot 139
The Property of Mr. and Mrs. James Mac Harg, Sotheby's, London, 22nd May 1962, lot 129
The Property of the late Selwyn Parkinson, Sotheby's, London, 11th October 1966, lot 229
The Property of the late Honorable C. Douglas Dillon, Sotheby's, New York, 7th April 2004, lot 16

William King, Chelsea Porcelain, 1922, pl. 19, fig. 1
Bellamy Gardner, 'A Contribution to the History of Chelsea Porcelain', Connoisseur, October 1922, pp. 100 and 101, pl. 9
F. Severne Mackenna, Chelsea Porcelain, The Triangle and Raised Anchor Wares, 1948, pl. 23, fig. 52
Elizabeth Adams, Chelsea Porcelain, 2001, p. 80

The top edge of the tip of the spout has been reduced slightly. Otherwise 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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This appears to be the only known example of a Chelsea teapot surviving in this pattern. Whilst this pattern can occur rarely on teabowls, beakers and saucers, no other teapot has been recorded. A small cup moulded in this form with an identical handle decorated with small scattered sprigs, from the Tilley Collection, was sold in Sotheby's, London on 24th November 1938, and again on 18th April 1967. A second cup, with this form of handle left in the white and with its saucer was from the James McGregor Stewart Collection and was sold at Sotheby's, London on 13th November 1973, lot 72, all of these pieces bearing raised anchor marks. Whilst Meissen was a highly influential factory on English porcelain throughout the second half of the 18^th century, the Chelsea factory, in its earliest period often looked towards France and it is very likely that the French factory at Chantilly was the main influence on this pattern's appearing at Chelsea. A paper by T. H. Clarke entitled ‘French Influences at Chelsea’, E.C.C Transactions, 1959, vol. 4, part 5, pp. 45-57,describes the influence of the French factories on figures and groups and illustrates a Chelsea scolopendrium teabowl and its Chantilly prototype. An example of a Chantilly teabowl similarly moulded with five lobes and with a brown enamel edged rim is illustrated by Geneviève Le Duc, Porcelaine tendre de Chantilly au XVIII^e siècle, 1996, p. 136.