An extremely rare and important pair of First Period Dr. Wall Worcester Double Handled and Double Lipped Sauceboats in the Silver Taste, moulded all over in crisp low relief with a running Guilloche of stylised acanthus leaves forming circular reserved containing panels printed with the earliest ‘smokey primitive’ prints, on one the set of the four seasons and on the other a series of ships in full sail, the interior of both with water birds after Robert Hancock, including: swans, cranes, ducks and moorhens. The borders and lips further enhanced with sprigs of flowering chrysanthemum, the lips and handles enriched with a rich purple enamel.

The silver taste at Worcester is seen here in the form and ornament of the pair of sauceboats, the ‘smokey primitive’ prints further enhance the ornament to simulate silver engraving, whilst the glaze is tinted grey to increase the visual comparison of the silver taste. The sauceboats have been further enriched with coloured decoration in London within a year of their manufacture, raising their overall decoration appeal to the highest possible fashion of the day.