A PAIR OF WORCESTER 'BLIND EARL' SPOON-TRAYS

Used at Worcester from the 1750's, 'Blind Earl' moulding gained its name in the 19th century when the Earl of Coventry lost his sight in a hunting accident and subsequently ordered a service in this pattern in order to feel the embossed decoration. The pattern is only found on scalloped dessert plates, twig-handled sweetmeat dishes, and oval spoon trays, such as the present lot. These were often decorated in the Giles workshop, without reference to the moulding beneth.

For a more detailed account of this pattern, see John Sandon, The Dictionary of Worcester Porcelain Volume I 1751-1851 (Woodbridge, 1993) p. 71.