Description:
Tall conical coffee pot with domed lid with a bird finial; molded, faceted spout and applied strap handle at a right angle to the spout, composed of thrown creamware, decorated with sponged iron oxide to form a surface decoration resembling tortoiseshell, applied vines, berries, and leaves. Several modern white labels on the base. One circular white label reads "STARLING COLLECTION/ C 73". Condition: There is an area of roughness on the underside of the base which appears to be sand or grit. Two white labels for BONHAMS 1793/117/20950" are inside the pot.
Label Text:
Earthenware forms inspired by fruits, vegetables, and natural materials (such as tortoiseshell) were extremely popular in England throughout the 1760s and into the next decade. They were produced by numerous potters including Josiah Wedgwood. These wares were their response to the fashionably naturalistic creations of the Chelsea and Longton Hall porcelain factories and more broadly to the current taste for such forms, which were characteristic of the rococo style. Handles and spouts were often created as bent twigs or branches often called “crabstock” style. Molded flowers, vines, or leaves often decorate these vessels. These body types and forms would have been available to middle class residents of the Connecticut River Valley. These ceramics were brought from either New York or Boston china and glass dealers such as Ebenezer Bridgham and Frederick Rhinelander. The ceramics continued to be popular in the Valley into the 1770s, far beyond their fashion heyday in urban areas. On September 1, 1778, Josiah Blakeley advertised in the Connecticut Courant (Hartford, CT): "A general assortment of Crockery Ware by Wholesale of Retail consisting of … coli flower, cream colour, melon and black Tea Pots; cream colourd green, and turtle shell Cream Cups….”
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+2025.6.3 |
