I am happy to offer an excellent very rare 4.5 inch high, unusual size, Botanic Garden canister topped with a ceramic lid rather than the more usual wooden lid. Ceramic lids were produced in about 1980 for a limited amount of time. They have not been made for at least 20 years and now difficult to come by.

The base on this canister carries the retired common version of the Orchid which was retired years ago in 1976. The motif on the lid is the VERY rare 'Double' form of Canterbury Bells or Redstar.

This canister is as nice as can be in shiny and clean condition with NO crazing and no signs of use. There is a factory flaw on the side of the canister lid with a full set of photos and complete description below.


The Canterbury Bells flower was one of the four original oatmeal motifs, introduced in 1972 and retired early in 1978, that did not have a Latin name printed next to the common name. The other three unnamed oatmeal motifs were retired in the same year. The design was inspired by an image in the 1840 botany book La Flore des Dames by A. Jacquemart.

Each oatmeal motif had a 'cut-off' or 'double' version made sometime between 1978 and 1982. This jar has the extremely rare Double version.

---> View Of Lid <---

The Orchid flower was one of the four original oatmeal motifs, introduced in 1972 and retired early in 1978, that did not have a Latin name printed next to the common name. The other three unnamed oatmeal motifs were retired in the same year. The design was inspired by an image in the 1840 botany book La Flore des Dames by A. Jacquemart.

---> View Of Base <---

Size	A little over 4-1/2" high and 3-1/4" wide
Transfer	Both transfers have nice bright color and are wonderful with no fading, wear scratches, etc.
Ground	Very white There is a factory flaw on the side of the lid. It is completely under the glaze and not all that uncommon on older Portmeirion Botanic Garden. It is located on the right side, relative to the transfer position. Please see the photo below.
Glaze	Excellent flawless glaze overall with no crazing. The only flaw to note is the factory flaw noted above.
Chips/Cracks	None
Stains	None, except for a slight bit of shelf wear on the bottom unglazed ring where it sits. Please see the photo below. And, there is a spot of pale oxidation on the unglazed underside of the lid which was too faint to catch in a photo.
Use Marks	None, although it could have been used but very well taken care of.
Other Comments	The lid gasket is very clean and still holds a nice tight seal A very rare and hard to find ceramic lidded canister featuring two long ago discontinued original oatmeal motifs including a rare version of Canterbury Bells.

The bottom is marked with a 2nd Susan Williams-Ellis Trophy ID mark, as is the case with most ceramic lidded canisters.

---> Bottom <---

---> ID Mark <---