Chinese porcelain teabowls had been in use in England since the 17th century, and Worcester Royal Porcelain Company introduced the shape from its inception in 1862. It was only after Continental porcelain from Meissen began to exert an influence that we find the fashion for handles on cups. Generally speaking, tea services decorated in "oriental" style were supplied with teabowls, while European patterns were painted on handled teacups.

Drawn from

John Sandon, The Dictionary of Worcester Porcelain, Volume I, 1751-1851, (Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club Ltd.), 1993, 331.