Teapot
ca. 1760 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Staffordshire salt-glazed stoneware teapots of the mid-18th century were invariably small, like this example. Very large versions were used for serving hot punch. By 1760 these finely-made pots were also being made in Yorkshire and elsewhere.
Design & Designing
Although from about 1740, moulded stoneware teapots were being mass-produced in Staffordshire, there remained a need for wheel-thrown and lathe-turned pots which offered a perfect surface for fine enamel decoration. This teapot demonstrates the plain crisp profile that could be achieved by an experienced thrower and turner, counterbalanced by the rustic moulded handle and spout - all assembled with great skill, and at minimal cost in material and labour.
The expensive aspect of this teapot would have been its enamel decoration. Quite apart from the skill of the artist, the palette of colours used would have fused onto the pot at different temperatures, necessitating several firings in a low-temperature muffle-kiln. Independent, often itinerant, enamel painters worked in North Staffordshire at this period, decorating batches of pots supplied by local factories. The standard of design execution varied widely. This example, with its carefully arranged sprays of naturalistic flowers in thick enamel and formal borders with diaper pattern, combines faint echoes of East Asian porcelain with a flair for perfectly adapting floral decoration to a geometric shape.
Staffordshire salt-glazed stoneware teapots of the mid-18th century were invariably small, like this example. Very large versions were used for serving hot punch. By 1760 these finely-made pots were also being made in Yorkshire and elsewhere.
Design & Designing
Although from about 1740, moulded stoneware teapots were being mass-produced in Staffordshire, there remained a need for wheel-thrown and lathe-turned pots which offered a perfect surface for fine enamel decoration. This teapot demonstrates the plain crisp profile that could be achieved by an experienced thrower and turner, counterbalanced by the rustic moulded handle and spout - all assembled with great skill, and at minimal cost in material and labour.
The expensive aspect of this teapot would have been its enamel decoration. Quite apart from the skill of the artist, the palette of colours used would have fused onto the pot at different temperatures, necessitating several firings in a low-temperature muffle-kiln. Independent, often itinerant, enamel painters worked in North Staffordshire at this period, decorating batches of pots supplied by local factories. The standard of design execution varied widely. This example, with its carefully arranged sprays of naturalistic flowers in thick enamel and formal borders with diaper pattern, combines faint echoes of East Asian porcelain with a flair for perfectly adapting floral decoration to a geometric shape.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Salt-glazed stoneware, painted in enamel colours |
| Brief description | Teapot, salt-glazed stoneware, painted in enamel colours, made in Staffordshire, ca. 1760 |
| Physical description | Stoneware teapot with cover, globular with crabstock handle, spout and loop handle to lid. Painted with bold flowers in colours in which a greyish turquoise green predominates; round the lid a diaper border in the same colour. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by Mr Wallace Elliot |
| Object history | Hanley, Butters & Sons, 25/10/1927. From the Micah Salt Collection. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type Staffordshire salt-glazed stoneware teapots of the mid-18th century were invariably small, like this example. Very large versions were used for serving hot punch. By 1760 these finely-made pots were also being made in Yorkshire and elsewhere. Design & Designing Although from about 1740, moulded stoneware teapots were being mass-produced in Staffordshire, there remained a need for wheel-thrown and lathe-turned pots which offered a perfect surface for fine enamel decoration. This teapot demonstrates the plain crisp profile that could be achieved by an experienced thrower and turner, counterbalanced by the rustic moulded handle and spout - all assembled with great skill, and at minimal cost in material and labour. The expensive aspect of this teapot would have been its enamel decoration. Quite apart from the skill of the artist, the palette of colours used would have fused onto the pot at different temperatures, necessitating several firings in a low-temperature muffle-kiln. Independent, often itinerant, enamel painters worked in North Staffordshire at this period, decorating batches of pots supplied by local factories. The standard of design execution varied widely. This example, with its carefully arranged sprays of naturalistic flowers in thick enamel and formal borders with diaper pattern, combines faint echoes of East Asian porcelain with a flair for perfectly adapting floral decoration to a geometric shape. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.32&A-1938 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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