Teapot
Object NameTeapot
Manufacturer
Wedgwood
(English (Stoke-on-Trent, England), founded 1759)
Datec. 1770
OriginEngland
MediumCreamware (Queen's ware)
DimensionsTeapot: 4 1/4 × 7 1/2 × 3 in. diameter (10.8 × 19.1 × 7.6 cm)
Lid: 1/2 × 2 3/4 in. diameter (1.3 × 7 cm)
ClassificationsDecorative Arts, Ceramics
Credit LineGift of Ann and Henry Brunnier. In the Ann and Henry Brunnier Collection, Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
Object number2.8.103ab
Status
Not on viewCollections
CultureEnglish
Label TextAlthough many other ceramists made significant contributions, Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) changed the face of the European pottery industry during the eighteenth century with his development of Queen's Ware, or "creamware." Creamware offered a substitute for both porcelain and tin-enameled pottery and marked the beginning of the end of the tin-enamel industry in England. However, Wedgwood was interested not only in ceramic technology, but also in the principles of its manufacture. He analyzed the many separate operations that went into creating a finished product by studying the Chinese factories. The secret, he discovered, was essentially assembly-line production, where each step in the manufacturing process was the responsibility of someone skilled in that particular discipline. As a result of Wedgwood's analysis, he was able to lower his prices and deliver his production to a much broader constituency.
This transfer-print creamware teapot is a fine example of the pottery that eventually displaced tin-enamel in popularity. Transfer-print designs, rarely original designs, were usually copied or adapted from existing prints. John Sadler and Guy Green of Liverpool transfer-printed many of Josiah Wedgwood’s creamware until 1770, when Sadler retired. Green continued to work alone until 1799. Designs were reused on various forms with varying details in the imagery.
Locations
- (not entered) Iowa State University, Brunnier Main Storage
