Teapot
1745-1755 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This teapot is small, reflecting the cost of tea in mid-18th-century Britain.
Materials & Making
The teapot is from a group of about 35 pieces made at an unidentified British porcelain factory. They are known as the 'A-marked' group, as most are marked 'A' underneath. This may have referred to the Duke of Argyll, who supported early experiments to make porcelain near Glasgow around 1749. However, they have also been attributed to Thomas Frye (1710-1762), working in London at a time prior to the establishment of the Bow factory. Most examples are very finely potted and painted. The raw materials in their manufacture probably included china clay (an ingredient of 'true' or hard-paste porcelain), rather than the 'ball' clays used at the other early British factories. This resulted in a much harder material than the 'soft-paste' imitations made at Chelsea, Bow and elsewhere.
Design & Designing
Many of the 'A-marked' porcelains are painted with figure subjects copied from prints by the French illustrator and designer Hubert-François Gravelot (1699-1773). The painter copied the figure scenes here from Songs in the Opera of Flora (1737), which was engraved by George Bickham junior (died 1771) after designs by Gravelot.
This teapot is small, reflecting the cost of tea in mid-18th-century Britain.
Materials & Making
The teapot is from a group of about 35 pieces made at an unidentified British porcelain factory. They are known as the 'A-marked' group, as most are marked 'A' underneath. This may have referred to the Duke of Argyll, who supported early experiments to make porcelain near Glasgow around 1749. However, they have also been attributed to Thomas Frye (1710-1762), working in London at a time prior to the establishment of the Bow factory. Most examples are very finely potted and painted. The raw materials in their manufacture probably included china clay (an ingredient of 'true' or hard-paste porcelain), rather than the 'ball' clays used at the other early British factories. This resulted in a much harder material than the 'soft-paste' imitations made at Chelsea, Bow and elsewhere.
Design & Designing
Many of the 'A-marked' porcelains are painted with figure subjects copied from prints by the French illustrator and designer Hubert-François Gravelot (1699-1773). The painter copied the figure scenes here from Songs in the Opera of Flora (1737), which was engraved by George Bickham junior (died 1771) after designs by Gravelot.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Semi-hard-paste porcelain, painted in enamels |
| Brief description | [*] songs in the opera of flora |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | Marked 'A' in underglaze blue |
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
Although technically perfect, the 'A-marked' wares such as this teapot were probably made at a small, short-lived factory. There were many such experimental porcelain factories in Britain between about 1745 and 1760. The possibility of making porcelain generated a great deal of excitement during these years.(27/03/2003) |
| Summary | Object Type This teapot is small, reflecting the cost of tea in mid-18th-century Britain. Materials & Making The teapot is from a group of about 35 pieces made at an unidentified British porcelain factory. They are known as the 'A-marked' group, as most are marked 'A' underneath. This may have referred to the Duke of Argyll, who supported early experiments to make porcelain near Glasgow around 1749. However, they have also been attributed to Thomas Frye (1710-1762), working in London at a time prior to the establishment of the Bow factory. Most examples are very finely potted and painted. The raw materials in their manufacture probably included china clay (an ingredient of 'true' or hard-paste porcelain), rather than the 'ball' clays used at the other early British factories. This resulted in a much harder material than the 'soft-paste' imitations made at Chelsea, Bow and elsewhere. Design & Designing Many of the 'A-marked' porcelains are painted with figure subjects copied from prints by the French illustrator and designer Hubert-François Gravelot (1699-1773). The painter copied the figure scenes here from Songs in the Opera of Flora (1737), which was engraved by George Bickham junior (died 1771) after designs by Gravelot. |
| Bibliographic reference | Owen, J. Victor and Panes, Nicholas G. Bow and ‘A’-marked porcelain: a tangible link from the Stratford (East London) factory site. English Ceramics Circle Transactions, Volume 23, 2012, pp153-162, illustrated fig 1 together with an excavated teapot lid and a cross-sectional drawing of the same shape. A small piece of the excavated lid (now in the collection of the Museum of London) was removed for chemical analysis, together with four sherds found nearby. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.50&A-1961 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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