Description:
English thrown 'melon' ware teapot with lid covered overall with horizontal bands of rouletted tightly-spaced tiny dots and vertically striped with yellow and green glazes on the exterior. The interest in the rococo style manifested itself in ceramics by embracing a naturalistic style for tablewares. Inspiration for these ceramics were drawn from fruit and vegetables such as apples, pears, cauliflowers, pineapples, and melons. Melon-shaped and decorated ceramics were a common sight on Connecticut River Valley tea tables in the third quarter of the 18th century. Documentation for the sale of the melonware forms exist in the following account books: Samuel Boardman of Wethersfield, Connecticut, 1774: "1 Groce [1 gross=12 dozen] Melon Cups and Saucers;" "1 Doz. Melon bowls"; Samuel Boardman of Wethersfield, Connecticut, 1774: "1/2 gross of melon cups and saucers"; Fisher Gay of Farmington, Connecticut, 1773: "1/2 Doz. Melon Tea potts"; William Ellery of Hartford, Connecticut, 1775: "32 setts mellon cups & saucers"; William Ellery of Hartford, Connecticut, 1776: "6 gross green & yellow cups & saucers"; "1 doz green & yellow sugar dishes"; John Williams (1751-1816) and James Upham (1755-1827) of Deerfield, Massachusetts, 1773, "1 Gro Mellon Teas." On September 1, 1778, Josiah Blakeley advertised in the "Connecticut Courant" of Hartford: "A general assortment of Crockery Ware by Wholesale of Retail consisting of Tureens; compleat setts of Oblong Dishes; Ditto Plates; Soup Plates; enamelled Tea Cups and Saucers; cream color'd Coffee and Chocolate, Ditto; enamelled red, coli flower, cream colour, melon and black Tea Pots; cream colourd green, and turtle shell Cream Cups; cream colour'd, blue and white and black, Sugar Pots; cream colour'd and white Bone? Bowls; Sallad dishes; Butter Boats, & c & c." According to Leslie Grigsby, the colored glazes used on melon and other vegetable subjects were not discovered by Josiah Wedgwood until 1759, the last year of his partnership with Thomas Whieldon. Melon ware wasters have been excavated at Whieldon's Fenton Vivian factory site (1747-1780) and at William Greatbatch's Lower Lane, Fenton factory waste site (from the 1765 to c.1775 production period). Many other factories were indoubtedly producing competitive pieces during the same period. The teapot's cover has a finial shaped as a vine with an applied, press-molded flower of a squash or melon plant and terminates in a single sprig-molded leaf with incised veining. The globular-shaped pot has a shaped spout molded with overlapping patterns; and foliate-molded scroll handle with an applied, press-molded melon flower and sprig-molded leaf with incised veining extending left from the upper terminal, and terminating in a split terminal. During the firing, a small section of the base lost glaze, exposing the creamware (cream-colored earthenware) body with rouletting below.
Label Text:
In addition to cauliflower-shaped tea wares, rococo-style “melon” teapots and matching tea wares were preferred imports into the Connecticut River Valley. In 1773, Farmington, Connecticut, merchant Fisher Gay sold "1/2 Doz. Melon Tea potts.” Likewise in 1773, Deerfield, Massachusetts, merchants John Williams and James Upham sold a gross of “Mellon teas” referring to tea cups. This teapot has an unglazed area at the base where one can see the rouletting on the body, which creates the dimpled surface of the melon.
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