Collections Database

Description:
Liverpool soft-paste porcelain (bone ash body) waste bowl decorated with a chinoiserie design in blue, which may have been made by Seth Pennington's factory (identification of this piece to Seth Pennington was made by John White of the English Ceramic Circle, 10/26/2008). A small city, small factories, different family members concerned with different factories, and the itinerancy of workers and decorators has all helped to add to the confusion that has and may still be the Liverpool factories. The porcelain factories at Liverpool produced a great variety of wares and some figures. The main production was with blue and white but also printed wares, over and under glaze, were made as well as polychrome decorated pieces. Seth Pennington (1744-1827) was the youngest of three brothers, James (1728-1804) and John (1733-1786) Pennington, each of whom operated porcelain factories in Liverpool. Seth opened his factory in 1778 by taking over an existing porcelain factory on Shaw's Brow previously operated by Richard Chaffers and Philip Christian. Seth used a composition based on bone ash rather than continuing with the soapstone body used by Chaffers and Christian. He was initially in partnership with John Part from 1778-1799, then John Edmundson from 1799-1803, and John Edwards from 1803 to 1805 when production ceased.

Subjects:
Porcelain; glaze (coating by location); Enamel and enameling

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+54.061

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