This set exemplifies why Turner stands first among the competitors of Josiah Wedgwood, rivaling him in quality, style and--when their entire output is compared-- in innovation.

Lush violet blue jasper of a silky texture is enriched with a formal border of dagger and acanthus sprigging and crisp engine-turned fluting on the saucer and lower part of the cup. On the cup itself putti engage in their typical mythological games--though of a somewhat adventurous nature involving bows and arrows and a leopard. Characteristic of Turner is the tight detailed modeling of the relatively small-scaled figures--and delicate touches like the tiny, but detailed butterfly..

We often remark that eighteenth-century jasperware offers a sensuous, perhaps even sensual, experience that certainly cannot be conveyed over the internet. The delicacy of the thin, almost brittle, potting, the sharp precision of the molding, and above all the baby's bottom smoothness of the body require touch to be appreciated. Turner's work is fully the equal to Wedgwood's in this regard.

One eccentricity of Turner's work should be pointed out. While potters who opted to mark their work almost invaribly placed the mark on the bottom, Turner, now and then, tucked his mark on the outside of the table ring. Once one knows this, one can have the fun --and profit--of discovering Turner's mark on pieces that have been dismissed as unmarked. As the final photo shows, our cup is a good example.