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Teapot
Greatbatch, born 1735 - died 1813 - Enlarge image
Teapot
- Place of origin:
Great Britain, UK (made)
- Date:
1760-1765 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Greatbatch, born 1735 - died 1813 (probably, designer)
- Materials and Techniques:
Earthenware, moulded in relief, with lead glaze stained green, yellow and brown
- Credit Line:
Bequeathed by Mr Arthur Hurst
- Museum number:
C.20&A-1940
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 52b, case 2
Object Type
A typical 1760s teapot, this moulded example follows the simple globular form of thrown and turned creamware teapots, sharing the same moulded spout and handle.
People
Apart from the various members of the Wood family, William Greatbatch (1735-1813) was the most talented and prolific designer and maker of potters' moulds during the second half of the 18th century. Not only was his reputation such that the Staffordshire potter Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) employed him regularly to supply block-moulds, but he also ran his own pottery, apparently without any conflict of interest. Long before the Victorian Age, when ceramic designs could be patented, the close-knit fraternity of Staffordshire potters accepted the sharing and copying of designs. The advantage was that identical tablewares or figures could be made simultaneously by several potteries in order to fill urgent orders.
Recent excavations of Greatbatch's pottery site have revealed his distinctive style in his moulds, applied sprigs and engraved transfer-prints. Although the design of this particular teapot was not found there, its period and style make an attribution to Greatbatch most likely. And if the block-mould was made by Greatbatch, then the likely maker of the teapot would have been Wedgwood, or his partner during 1754-1759, Thomas Whieldon (1719-1795).
