Tea canister

Object Type
In the absence of prototypes, the Elers brothers adapted the shape of this tea canister or bottle from the form of a much larger Chinese red stoneware jar made at Yixing (Jiangsu province) in the late 17th century. The size of these little canisters and the tiny contemporary teapots reflects the very high price of tea in this period, as only a small quantity of tea leaves needed to be used, and the pot would be refilled with hot water for subsequent cups.

People
The silversmith brothers John Philip and David Elers attempted not just to substitute their own red stonewares for those imported from China, but also to add specifically European shapes to the range by introducing coffee cups, little beer mugs and tiny tea canisters. These are all notable for their superb workmanship, which is also evident in the expensive gilt metal mounts.

Materials & Making
The properties of the red stoneware which trickled into England from China from about 1680 must have appeared almost magical: it was unglazed yet not porous, and could withstand the fierce flame of a spirit lamp without cracking. When the Elers brothers discovered a vein of this iron-rich clay in Staffordshire, they applied their silversmithing techniques of casting in plaster moulds and lathe-turning to supply the luxury market in London. Unfortunately their ignorance of the basic technique of throwing pottery on a wheel made production uneconomical and led to their bankruptcy.