Description:
Chinese export porcelain oval teapot decorated in the Famille rose palette of rose, orange-red, green and blue, which was owned by Ashley family of Deerfield along with a tea canister (HD 89.037) and cream pot (HD 89.041). The Reverend Jonathan Ashley (1712-1780), a 1730 graduate of Yale College, was the spiritual and community leader of this town from 1732 until his death in 1780. In 1736, he married Dorothy Williams (1713-1808), daughter of the Reverend William Williams and Christian Stoddard Williams of Hatfield, Massachusetts, thus linking him to two very important Valley families, the Williamses and the Stoddards. Jonathan Ashley suffered from periodic unpopularity during his tenure, mainly for opposing the great revival of 1740, and for supporting the Loyalist cause instead of America’s struggle for independence. Historical sources report that in defiance of the ban against drinking tea, “Parson Ashley had a tea party” and “his son carried a pound of tea,” which he had procured from Israel Williams of Hatfield. One would love to imagine that these tea wares were used in that gathering, but their shape and decoration reflect a style found later in the 18th and early 19th century. Although there are references to pewter teapots, no listings for porcelain occur in the Reverend Jonathan Ashley’s probate inventory. These porcelain tea wares, representing three different patterns, were probably purchased either by the minister’s wife Dorothy or the subsequent generation of Ashleys. In the 1790s, "sets of china," "china cups and saucers," and "china tea sets" had begun to appear in Connecticut Valley estate inventories. Prior to this time, the few porcelain tea drinking forms owned in this region were rarely owned in sets with matching decoration. The 1803 account book of Amos Porter (1763-1815) of Vermont, which is owned by Connecticut Historical Society, lists Porter's transactions in Canton, China, and includes "Bot of Synchong / 3 Setts of China ware for Luke Wadsworth / 2 Setts China ware for Children." The inset oval cover has a molded strawberry finial over green leaves; the rim of the lid and body are painted with flowers, leaves and vines in rose, orange-red, green and blue. Each side of the straight-sided body is painted with a floral spray within an oval of wavy orange dots. The double, ribbed strap handle has red-painted flower terminals; the upturned spout is plain.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+89.040 |
