Coffeepot
ca. 1745
Medium
Lead-glazed earthenware
Dimensions
Height: 8 in. (20.3 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Pottery
Culture
British, Staffordshire
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Russell S. Carter, 1944
Accession Number
44.39.4a, b
Art Historical Context
This elegant coffeepot, crafted John Astbury around 1745, exemplifies the vibrant pottery tradition of Staffordshire, Britain—a region that would later birth giants like Wedgwood. at 8 inches tall this lead-glazed earthenware vessel was designed for everyday use amid the 18th-century coffee craze sweeping British homes. Coffeehouses buzzed as social hubs, and affordable ceramics like this allowed middle-class families to indulge in the fashionable beverage ritual at home. Astbury, a pioneering Staffordshire potter, helped popularize durable, glossy earthenware through lead glazing, which crea...