comprising: circa 1780, tea bowl having possibly arms of Bland, checkered black and gilt shield, in pretense Benson, inset with three escallops on black chevron between three goat heads, the whole ribbon tied, having foliate swag decoration to body, and gilt borders, 3-1/8 in.; circa 1760, saucer with arms of Butler, black ground with white chevron, between three gilt covered cups, surmounted with crest of green cockatrice's head, gilt border to rim, 4-3/4 in.

Note: Bland: The arms are those of Bland with Benson in pretense, indicating marriage with an heiress. There was originally uncertainty about the Bland arms, but a record has now been found of a marriage in Sedbergh, York, on 10 December 1761 between George Bland and Ann Benson.

Chinese Armorial Porcelain Volume I, David S. Howard, Faber & Faber, 31 May 1974, p. 626 (additional information from Angela Howard).

Butler: "..is the coat of Butler of London and the cinquefoil indicates, in all probability, a cadet branch, although this is not a usual 'difference.' The crest, A cockatrice's head vert, was used by the Butlers of Cambridge in the sixteenth century. Many branches of the Butler family bear covered cups in their coats and this alludes to the employment from which they took their name.

Chinese Armorial Porcelain Volume I, David S. Howard, Faber & Faber, 31 May 1974, p. 572.

Provenance: Heirloom & Howard, Ltd., UK, November 2005; Christopher M. Weld, Essex, Massachusetts

each with scratching, spotting, discoloration, anomalies (as made), labels to base, wear to gilt and paint decoration; tea bowl fluoresces under black light, reveals two hairlines; saucer does not fluoresce