Worcester scalloped rim cabinet plate, exotic birds by Duvivier, c. 1775

21.5 cm

ref. Sandon- Dictionary of Worcester I- p122. George Davis was apparently a bird painter at Dr Wall's Worcester works, and also an independent decorator in Worcester before settling at the Chamberlains factory. Sandon notes that a few pieces of the early Flight period porcelain are signed by him, and they show signs of mis-firing. These are taken to be his independent workshop pieces, and the body of this plate has a green translucency, along with bubbles and kiln specks, apparently a late First Period product of the 1770's. The decoration, however, is untypical of the factory patterns. The style of the birds relates to known works by Davis, with a shift away from the earlier Fancy Birds found on Worcester in the 1760's (very dramatic and exotic) to his more robust, even plump examples. The landscapes also change, with later Davis works showing great detail, with small buildings and mountains. This example is closer to earlier examples, with soft trees and a closed horizon very much in the early Sevres style. This piece is therefore most probably a transitional piece by Davis as an independent decorator in Worcester, using a late First Period blank and before his employment and refinement of his style at Chamberlains in the mid 1780's.