Parker was a leading glass merchant as was another of Giles's suppliers, the Falcon glasshouse, near Southwark Bridge. The business was covered by Sun Insurance policies that valued his stock at £2 000 in November 1771, substantially more than the stock valuation of £680 for the Worcester factory at that time. Financial Problems Although he created outstanding works of art, Giles was financially incompetent. Dealing with the aristocracy and the affluent led to lengthy delays in their settling of accounts - delays of a few years were commonplace. Richard Brinsley Sheridan, for instance, settled his account three years after taking delivery. Worthies such as Lord Palmerston, Lord Melbourne, Lady Jersey and the Duchess of Leinster only paid their accounts after Giles's death and under pressure from the creditors. His declaration of bankruptcy in 1774 was brought about by his rivals in porcelain decorating, notably Worcester porcelain, in order to eliminate him from the trade. His many bankruptcies and their documentary trail have provided a rich source of information for modern scholars. On the other hand, he showed great skill in dealing with his staff, enabling his workshop to turn out a prodigious number of pieces of the highest quality. His staff would have included his daughters, Mary (1741–1806) and Sarah Teresa (1742–1800). Others employed were Lewis Barbar, a Swedish miniaturist and 'China Painter', and a Frenchman, Fidelle Duvivier. Aesthetic Qualities The identification of Giles's work is bedevilled by an absence of signatures or marks. Two Christie's auctions over this period help to clear up uncertainty by the complete catalogue descriptions of some 1 400 lots. His porcelain styles of decoration, despite their quality, are sometimes rightly criticised for being stylistically derivative, causing problems to all but the most knowledgeable of experts. His work in the style of Sèvres and Meissen is particularly difficult to attribute. The same observation cannot be made of his quite distinctive glasswork which in most respects was original. Some of his work was exported to America - notes from his ledger record sales between 1772 and 1775 of seven 'Parcels of China & Glass' to Sir Egerton Leigh, 1st Baronet, Attorney General of South Carolina for the princely sum of £380. References External links A Short History of Eighteenth-century English Glass 1718 births 1780 deaths English artists British glass artists English potters English ceramicists Ceramics decorators