A Rare Bow Oval Spoon Tray painted by James Welsh, Circa 1758

Sotheby's New York, April 19, 2001, lot 311

The identification of porcelains painted by James Welsh begins with the documentary inkwell signed on the foot Ja Welsh, now in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, mus. no. C.2-1990. The very individual style of painting on this inkwell can provide the means of identifying unsigned works. A paper read by Tony Stevenson, 'Some Bow Inkstands', E.C.C Transactions, 1993, vol. 14, part. 3, highlights the characteristics of Welsh's work. As a result of this important work by Stevenson it is known that Welsh was active at Bow, employing the numeral 5 as his painter's mark, until his death in 1762. There are now approximately twenty pieces of painted Bow porcelain attributed to James Welsh, which include a square shaped dish and a pair of pierced baskets, one of which bears his painter's numeral 5.

A rare teapot painted by Welsh, perhaps once associated to the present lot, was sold at Sotheby's several times in the 20th century, most recently when part of the Hanley Collection of teapots, Sotheby's London, May 15, 2014, lot 161. A pair of small circular baskets with similar decoration to the present was sold at Sotheby's New York, October 21, 1999, lot 155.