Goat-and-bee jug
Cream Jug
ca. 1745 (made)
ca. 1745 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Black teas were more popular in Britain than green teas by the date that this cream jug was made. Like coffee, these fermented black teas were usually drunk with milk or cream and often sweetened with sugar. In comfortably-off household, afternoon and after-dinner tea and coffee were generally served by the lady of the house in the drawing room.
Time
Chelsea's 'goat-and-bee' jugs are the earliest dated English porcelains.
People
The jug may have been designed and modelled by Nicholas Sprimont (1716-1771), the manager of the Chelsea porcelain factory. A visitor to England said of Chelsea's earliest years that 'an able French artist' (Sprimont was from a French-speaking part of Flanders) supplies 'or directs the models of everything manufactured there'. Sprimont had earlier worked as a silversmith, and the motif of the two goats, placed parallel, but facing in opposite directions, also occurs on silver bearing his sponsor's (or 'maker's') mark.
Black teas were more popular in Britain than green teas by the date that this cream jug was made. Like coffee, these fermented black teas were usually drunk with milk or cream and often sweetened with sugar. In comfortably-off household, afternoon and after-dinner tea and coffee were generally served by the lady of the house in the drawing room.
Time
Chelsea's 'goat-and-bee' jugs are the earliest dated English porcelains.
People
The jug may have been designed and modelled by Nicholas Sprimont (1716-1771), the manager of the Chelsea porcelain factory. A visitor to England said of Chelsea's earliest years that 'an able French artist' (Sprimont was from a French-speaking part of Flanders) supplies 'or directs the models of everything manufactured there'. Sprimont had earlier worked as a silversmith, and the motif of the two goats, placed parallel, but facing in opposite directions, also occurs on silver bearing his sponsor's (or 'maker's') mark.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Goat-and-bee jug |
| Materials and techniques | Soft-paste porcelain, slip cast and painted in enamels |
| Brief description | Cream-jug of soft paste porcelain, the lower part of the body moulded with two goats, decorated with a bee on a spray of flowers beneath the spout. English, about 1745. Made by the Chelsea Factory. |
| Physical description | Of upright form, with handle formed as a simulated branch with applied oak leaves; the lower part of the body moulded with two goats; beneath the spout an applied bee climbs up a moulded and brightly enamelled flowering shrub. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | British Galleries:
Soft-paste (or imitation) porcelains were made in England from about 1745, when the first of Chelsea's jugs with the 'goat and bee' decoration were produced. Early Chelsea porcelain was a fragile, glassy-bodied material. This made it suitable only for light or ornamental use. Chelsea porcelain products were considered luxury items.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology, Jermyn Street |
| Object history | One of two such jugs, both of which are said to have been in the Strawberry Hill and Bandinel Collections. Given by Dr Page. Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology. Historical significance: 'Goat and bee' jugs of this type are amongst the earliest examples of English porcelain. Their asymmetry and their whimsical blending of functional shape with whimsical detail make them good examples of English Rococo. The motif of the the two goats placed parallel but facing in opposite directions, is reminiscent of a silver centrepiece by Nicholas Sprimont of 1747 (V&A Museum Number: M.46-1971). Not all genuine Chelsea 'goat and bee' jugs have the bee. Some few are decorated in underglaze blue and manganese, while many were left white. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type Black teas were more popular in Britain than green teas by the date that this cream jug was made. Like coffee, these fermented black teas were usually drunk with milk or cream and often sweetened with sugar. In comfortably-off household, afternoon and after-dinner tea and coffee were generally served by the lady of the house in the drawing room. Time Chelsea's 'goat-and-bee' jugs are the earliest dated English porcelains. People The jug may have been designed and modelled by Nicholas Sprimont (1716-1771), the manager of the Chelsea porcelain factory. A visitor to England said of Chelsea's earliest years that 'an able French artist' (Sprimont was from a French-speaking part of Flanders) supplies 'or directs the models of everything manufactured there'. Sprimont had earlier worked as a silversmith, and the motif of the two goats, placed parallel, but facing in opposite directions, also occurs on silver bearing his sponsor's (or 'maker's') mark. |
| Bibliographic reference | Rococo: Art and Design in Hogarth's England. Victoria and Albert Museum Exhibition Catalogue. London: Victoria and Albert Museum and Trefoil Books, 1984. p.244, Cat. No. O3. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 2875-1901 |
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| Record created | June 23, 1998 |
| Record URL |
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