Cup
1660-1665 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Colourful little mugs, like this one, painted with schematic portraits of Charles II must be among the very earliest of commercial British commemorative wares. They were probably meant as much for display as for strong ale. The cup-shaped form seems to have been used in England exclusively by the London delftware potters.
Materials & Making
Tin-glazed earthenware, though soft and brittle, had the unique advantage among British ceramic materials of being easily decorated in bright oxide colours.
Collectors & Owners
Such mugs, which were never included in the inventories or lists of products of the London potteries, must have formed a minute proportion of their output. Undoubtedly they would have been cheap to buy, yet their decoration has ensured that they were seldom used, so that they have survived in greater numbers than might be expected. Today they are in great demand by delftware collectors.
Colourful little mugs, like this one, painted with schematic portraits of Charles II must be among the very earliest of commercial British commemorative wares. They were probably meant as much for display as for strong ale. The cup-shaped form seems to have been used in England exclusively by the London delftware potters.
Materials & Making
Tin-glazed earthenware, though soft and brittle, had the unique advantage among British ceramic materials of being easily decorated in bright oxide colours.
Collectors & Owners
Such mugs, which were never included in the inventories or lists of products of the London potteries, must have formed a minute proportion of their output. Undoubtedly they would have been cheap to buy, yet their decoration has ensured that they were seldom used, so that they have survived in greater numbers than might be expected. Today they are in great demand by delftware collectors.
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Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Tin-glazed earthenware (delftware) |
| Brief description | Cup, tin-glazed earthenware (delftware), with a bust portrait of Charles II, probably Southwark, 1660-1665 |
| Physical description | A bust portrait of Charles II under an arch in dull blue, ochre, yellow and manganese-purple inscribed C R X. White interior. The underside has a marking in blue. Body colour: Buff. Glaze: Pinkish white with thick greenish additions on rim and on part of handle. Shape: Handle flat on inside, rounded on outside. Underside glazed except at outer edge, concave without foot-rim. (Alphabetic shape codes as used in appendix to Archer. Delftware. 1997) |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'C R' |
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
EARTHENWARES with portraits of Charles II Ceramics were a very popular medium for royal portraits. Cups, bottles and other ceramics were used widely in households and taverns. The different images of Charles II on these two pieces are very simple; they probably derive from prints available at the time.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Mellor Bequest |
| Object history | Made in London (probably Southwark) |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type Colourful little mugs, like this one, painted with schematic portraits of Charles II must be among the very earliest of commercial British commemorative wares. They were probably meant as much for display as for strong ale. The cup-shaped form seems to have been used in England exclusively by the London delftware potters. Materials & Making Tin-glazed earthenware, though soft and brittle, had the unique advantage among British ceramic materials of being easily decorated in bright oxide colours. Collectors & Owners Such mugs, which were never included in the inventories or lists of products of the London potteries, must have formed a minute proportion of their output. Undoubtedly they would have been cheap to buy, yet their decoration has ensured that they were seldom used, so that they have survived in greater numbers than might be expected. Today they are in great demand by delftware collectors. |
| Bibliographic reference | Archer, Michael. Delftware: the tin-glazed earthenware of the British Isles. A catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: HMSO, in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1997. ISBN 0 11 290499 8 |
| Other number | C9. - <u>Delftware</u> (1997) cat. no. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.85-1947 |
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| Record created | January 29, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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