A Böttger porcelain Hausmaler coffee pot and cover, the porcelain circa 1713-15

modelled by Johann Jacob Irminger, the baluster body applied at the base with acanthus leaves picked out in gilding, probably painted in Augsburg by Bartholomäus Seuter, with a bird in branches observing a spider hanging from its web surrounded by scattered insects, the reverse painted with a large spray of tied flowers and insects below a moulded tasselled border, the circular foot moulded with gadroons enriched in gilding,

The collection of the late Michael Moseley, Esq., Sotheby's London, 16th July 1946, lot 103;
Acquired from that sale by Delomosne;
Christie's Geneva, 13th May 1985, lot 172

Ulrich Pietsch, Preziosen, einer süddeutschen Kunstsammlung, 2001, p. 57

Some wear to gilding, particularly to the acanthus moulding and to the gadroon moulding around the foot. Minor wear to enamels, particularly to the majority of one leaf on the branch beneath the bird.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A second coffee pot of this form with similar decoration also from the collection of the late Michael Moseley was sold in the same sale at Sotheby's London, 16th July 1946, lot 102, subsequently sold Sotheby's London, 21 October 1980, lot 115; a third coffee pot decorated in this manner, with applied acanthus leaves at the foot is in the Museum of North Bohemia, Liberec, published by Gustav E. Pazaurek, Deutsche Fayence und Porzellan Hausmaler, Vol. 2, 1925, p. 262, pl. 226.

Variations of Irminger's basic form were achieved by different applied ornaments, handle forms and relief decoration; two examples without enamel decoration which illustrate these subtle differences are in the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Porzellansammlung, Inventar-Nr. P.E.2825 and 2826, published by Ulrich Pietsch / Claudia Banz, Triumph der blauen Schwerter, 2010, cat. no. 23.

The small group of wares with this finely-pencilled enamelling has also been attributed to Bayreuth and to Holland in the past; certainly a German rather than a Dutch origin seems more likely.