Teapot
1690-1698 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Object Type
This is one of the earliest types of English teapot, small, expensive and intended for a wealthy consumer of the newly fashionable tea. In the absence of Chinese porcelain prototypes, this was inspired by red stoneware pots imported from Yixing.
Materials & Making
Red stoneware, favoured by the Chinese for making teapots that could safely be heated over a brazier, were imported into Europe shortly after the mid-17th century. Dutch potters immediately made copies, followed by the experiments of John Dwight at Fulham and his patent of 1684, and the arrival in London from Holland shortly after of the Elers brothers. They worked as Dwight's assistants in 1690-1693, then moved to Staffordshire, where they identified veins of suitable red clay at Bradwell Wood. The material was expensive, and there was no glaze to hide any blemishes formed in the course of manuftacture. Gold-leaf decoration, as on this piece, greatly added to the cost. The extremely high standard of craftsmanship displayed in the Elers's pots, as well as their subsequent bankruptcy in 1700, are attributable to their exclusive use of the silversmithing techniques they had learned years before in Holland: slip-casting and lathe-turning.
People
John Phillip Elers and David Elers, though claimed now as pioneer potters in Britain, always remained aloof from other potters, obsessively hiding their processes from possible rivals. Thus when red stoneware teawares were again manufactured in Staffordshire from around 1750, it was an independent rediscovery by local potters.
This is one of the earliest types of English teapot, small, expensive and intended for a wealthy consumer of the newly fashionable tea. In the absence of Chinese porcelain prototypes, this was inspired by red stoneware pots imported from Yixing.
Materials & Making
Red stoneware, favoured by the Chinese for making teapots that could safely be heated over a brazier, were imported into Europe shortly after the mid-17th century. Dutch potters immediately made copies, followed by the experiments of John Dwight at Fulham and his patent of 1684, and the arrival in London from Holland shortly after of the Elers brothers. They worked as Dwight's assistants in 1690-1693, then moved to Staffordshire, where they identified veins of suitable red clay at Bradwell Wood. The material was expensive, and there was no glaze to hide any blemishes formed in the course of manuftacture. Gold-leaf decoration, as on this piece, greatly added to the cost. The extremely high standard of craftsmanship displayed in the Elers's pots, as well as their subsequent bankruptcy in 1700, are attributable to their exclusive use of the silversmithing techniques they had learned years before in Holland: slip-casting and lathe-turning.
People
John Phillip Elers and David Elers, though claimed now as pioneer potters in Britain, always remained aloof from other potters, obsessively hiding their processes from possible rivals. Thus when red stoneware teawares were again manufactured in Staffordshire from around 1750, it was an independent rediscovery by local potters.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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Materials and techniques | Unglazed red stoneware |
Brief description | [*] Tea pot - red stoneware - gilded - Elers |
Physical description | TEAPOT imitating Chinese pottery |
Dimensions |
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Gallery label | British Galleries:
This teapot was one of the earliest to be produced in Britain. It is a copy of the unglazed stoneware teapots produced at Yixing in China which were imported to Europe by the Dutch during the 17th century.(27/03/2003) |
Object history | Made by David and John Philip Elers (active from about 1690-1698) at Bradwell Wood, Staffordshire |
Summary | Object Type This is one of the earliest types of English teapot, small, expensive and intended for a wealthy consumer of the newly fashionable tea. In the absence of Chinese porcelain prototypes, this was inspired by red stoneware pots imported from Yixing. Materials & Making Red stoneware, favoured by the Chinese for making teapots that could safely be heated over a brazier, were imported into Europe shortly after the mid-17th century. Dutch potters immediately made copies, followed by the experiments of John Dwight at Fulham and his patent of 1684, and the arrival in London from Holland shortly after of the Elers brothers. They worked as Dwight's assistants in 1690-1693, then moved to Staffordshire, where they identified veins of suitable red clay at Bradwell Wood. The material was expensive, and there was no glaze to hide any blemishes formed in the course of manuftacture. Gold-leaf decoration, as on this piece, greatly added to the cost. The extremely high standard of craftsmanship displayed in the Elers's pots, as well as their subsequent bankruptcy in 1700, are attributable to their exclusive use of the silversmithing techniques they had learned years before in Holland: slip-casting and lathe-turning. People John Phillip Elers and David Elers, though claimed now as pioneer potters in Britain, always remained aloof from other potters, obsessively hiding their processes from possible rivals. Thus when red stoneware teawares were again manufactured in Staffordshire from around 1750, it was an independent rediscovery by local potters. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | C.4&A-1932 |
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Record created | March 27, 2003 |
Record URL |
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