Tea or hot water urn
1760–65
Medium
Enamel on copper
Dimensions
Overall: 18 3/4 × 9 1/2 in. (47.6 × 24.1 cm)
Classification
Enamels-Painted
Culture
British, South Staffordshire
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1964
Accession Number
64.101.849a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant tea or hot water urn, by Joseph Wagner around 1760–65 in South Staffordshire, England, exemplifies the British passion for refined tea culture during the Georgian era. Made of enamel on copper—a durable medium where finely ground glass pigments are painted onto the metal base and fired in a kiln to create vibrant, translucent colors—this piece stands at nearly 19 inches tall. South Staffordshire was a hub for such painted enamels, rivaling continental workshops in Bilston and Battersea, and Wagner's work reflects the technical mastery needed to achieve jewel-like finishes resistan...
About the Artist
Joseph Wagner · 1706–1780
Joseph Wagner (1706–1780) was a highly accomplished German engraver and draughtsman who spent the majority of his career in Venice, where he became one of the most important figures in eighteenth-century Venetian printmaking. Born in Thalendorf near Lake Constance in 1706, Wagner initially trained as a painter under the Venetian-born artist Jacopo Amigoni before being persuaded to dedicate himself...