Description:
One of a pair of English creamware cornucopia-shaped wall pockets with a bird-on-twig design and tortoiseshell decoration in green, yellow, and purple-brown, which is often associated with Thomas Whieldon (1719-1795) of Fenton Vivian, Staffordshire, but was made in many of the approximately 130 North Staffordshire contemporary potteries and later in Yorkshire. Fresh, dried and artificial flowers were commonly used as room decorations in the 18th centuries, and were displayed in pockets, flower bricks, vases, pots, and bowls. Wall pockets, which first appeared in China in the 17th century, reached the peak of their popularity in mid 18th century England. Wall pockets came in three basic shapes: faces (the incorporation of a human visage or grotesque mask in the design), balusters, and cornucopiae. Sold in pairs, they could be symmetrical or asymmetrical with left and right-handed shapes; examples such as these asymmetrical horns of plenty or cornucopia pockets were termed "flower horns" in 18th century documents. Wall pockets found their way to the American market in limited quantities, and advertisements for them in American newspapers are rare. William Ellery of Hartford advertised delft “flower horns” in the Connecticut Courant of November 5, 1771. The Ellery day books list sales of “1 pr. Large grane [green?] Flower horns” 6s to John Ledyard, Esquire on August 24, 1767, and another pair of “large Agle [angel or eagle?] flower horns” sold to him in May 10, 1768 for 4s 6p. 18th century delftware potteries rarely produced molded forms, preferring to paint the thick tin glaze for decoration; however, several molded Liverpool delftware wall pockets are exact copies of Staffordshire pottery examples, such as this bird-on-twig design which is found in tin-glazed and Staffordshire lead-glazed earthenware. Given the proximity of Liverpool, where most of these pockets were produced, to Staffordshire, there was undoubtedly an active exchange of design ideas, potters, and technology. As in this example, pockets were usually constructed of press-molded fronts joined to a flat, slab back, which was invariably pierced with two holes for hanging. This horn is press-molded in a manner following the decoration; the shaped rim has a cream-colored shell in the center flanked by two cream and green flowers with scrolling leaves; and the body is decorated with a large, yellow and brown bird perched on a flowering branch. There are two holes on the flat slab back for hanging.
Label Text:
Wall pockets, which first appeared in China in the 17th century, reached the peak of their popularity in mid-18th century England. Wall pockets came in three basic shapes: faces (the incorporation of a human visage or grotesque mask in the design), balusters, and horns of plenty. Sold in pairs, they could be identical or asymmetrical with left and right-handed shapes. Examples such as these horns of plenty were termed "flower horns" in 18th-century documents.”
Subjects:
Pottery; glaze (coating by location) Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+65.232.1 |
