Milk Jug
ca. 1790-1800 (made)
Place of origin |
This milk-jug is of pearlware and the distinctive ornate handle terminals help to attribute it to the Leeds Pottery. Pearlware is a term that covers a wide range of wares and does not have an easily definable linear history. One view is that 'pearlware' was developed by Josiah Wedgwood and marketed in 1779. The ware he produced was basically a creamware body, modified to make it whiter by the inclusion of china clay, which was then covered with a glaze containing some china stone. Most importantly a small quantity of cobalt was added to the glaze, which gave it a blueish tint. It is this cobalt blue glaze over a whitish body which is regarded as the most distinctive feature of pearlware. Often the glaze can appear quite blue in areas where it has collected, such as around foot rings, or at the base of handles. Although technically 'pearlware' can be decorated in a number of ways the term is usually only used to refer to pieces decorated in underglaze blue.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | earthenware, moulded and painted |
Brief description | Milk jug, pearlware, Leeds, about 1790-1800 |
Physical description | Milk-jug, earthenware (pearlware) with painted decoration of a band around rim and single plant on main body, twisted handle with ornate terminals |
Dimensions |
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Production type | Mass produced |
Credit line | Bequeathed by Algernon Brent |
Production | Attribution based on handle terminals - see Towner, |
Summary | This milk-jug is of pearlware and the distinctive ornate handle terminals help to attribute it to the Leeds Pottery. Pearlware is a term that covers a wide range of wares and does not have an easily definable linear history. One view is that 'pearlware' was developed by Josiah Wedgwood and marketed in 1779. The ware he produced was basically a creamware body, modified to make it whiter by the inclusion of china clay, which was then covered with a glaze containing some china stone. Most importantly a small quantity of cobalt was added to the glaze, which gave it a blueish tint. It is this cobalt blue glaze over a whitish body which is regarded as the most distinctive feature of pearlware. Often the glaze can appear quite blue in areas where it has collected, such as around foot rings, or at the base of handles. Although technically 'pearlware' can be decorated in a number of ways the term is usually only used to refer to pieces decorated in underglaze blue. |
Bibliographic reference | Towner, Donald, English Cream-coloured Earthenware, (London: Faber and Faber), p.72 & p. 78 (ill.)
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Collection | |
Accession number | CIRC.398-1916 |
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Record created | February 2, 2009 |
Record URL |
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