Teapot
ca. 1755 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This teapot is small, reflecting the high cost of tea in mid-18th-century Britain. In 1747, a decade or so before this pot was made, the tax on tea imported from China was greatly increased, and the official figures for imports fell accordingly. However, a good deal of tea was smuggled in.
Materials & Making
Longton Hall porcelain has a very glassy composition. This could not withstand the thermal shock of contact with boiling water, so the teapot probably had to be slowly warmed up before use.
Trading
Longton Hall sold its wares from the factory site in Staffordshire, through London auctions, and at the 'Longton Hall China-Warehouse' in St Paul's Churchyard in London. In 1760 more than 90,000 pieces were sold at a closing down sale held in Salisbury.
Design & Designing
Ceramic vessels naturalistically modelled and painted as vegetables and animals were very fashionable in mid-18th-century Europe. The fashion probably originated in France or Germany and was soon taken up in Britain, especially at the Chelsea and Longton Hall porcelain factories. The Meissen factory in Germany may have been the first to make such illusionistic serving vessels.
This teapot is small, reflecting the high cost of tea in mid-18th-century Britain. In 1747, a decade or so before this pot was made, the tax on tea imported from China was greatly increased, and the official figures for imports fell accordingly. However, a good deal of tea was smuggled in.
Materials & Making
Longton Hall porcelain has a very glassy composition. This could not withstand the thermal shock of contact with boiling water, so the teapot probably had to be slowly warmed up before use.
Trading
Longton Hall sold its wares from the factory site in Staffordshire, through London auctions, and at the 'Longton Hall China-Warehouse' in St Paul's Churchyard in London. In 1760 more than 90,000 pieces were sold at a closing down sale held in Salisbury.
Design & Designing
Ceramic vessels naturalistically modelled and painted as vegetables and animals were very fashionable in mid-18th-century Europe. The fashion probably originated in France or Germany and was soon taken up in Britain, especially at the Chelsea and Longton Hall porcelain factories. The Meissen factory in Germany may have been the first to make such illusionistic serving vessels.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Soft-paste porcelain, painted in enamels |
| Brief description | In the form of a gourd, Longton Hall porcelain factory, Staffordshire, ca.1755 |
| Physical description | TEAPOT in the form of a gourd |
| Dimensions |
|
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
During the 1750s, several British porcelain factories made teapots and tureens in the form of animals, vegetables or fruit. The Longton Hall factory probably took this idea from the Chelsea factory. Naturalistic forms continued to be made in pottery throughout the 1760s.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by Mr Arthur Hurst |
| Object history | Made at the Longton Hall porcelain factory, Staffordshire |
| Summary | Object Type This teapot is small, reflecting the high cost of tea in mid-18th-century Britain. In 1747, a decade or so before this pot was made, the tax on tea imported from China was greatly increased, and the official figures for imports fell accordingly. However, a good deal of tea was smuggled in. Materials & Making Longton Hall porcelain has a very glassy composition. This could not withstand the thermal shock of contact with boiling water, so the teapot probably had to be slowly warmed up before use. Trading Longton Hall sold its wares from the factory site in Staffordshire, through London auctions, and at the 'Longton Hall China-Warehouse' in St Paul's Churchyard in London. In 1760 more than 90,000 pieces were sold at a closing down sale held in Salisbury. Design & Designing Ceramic vessels naturalistically modelled and painted as vegetables and animals were very fashionable in mid-18th-century Europe. The fashion probably originated in France or Germany and was soon taken up in Britain, especially at the Chelsea and Longton Hall porcelain factories. The Meissen factory in Germany may have been the first to make such illusionistic serving vessels. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.265&A-1940 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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