Teapot
1775/80
Medium
Stoneware (jasperware)
Dimensions
20.4 × 24.3 × 15 cm (8 × 9 9/16 × 5 7/8 in.)
Classification
teapot
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
67654
Art Historical Context
This elegant teapot, crafted by the Wedgwood Manufactory between1775 and 1780, exemplifies the refined taste of late eighteenth-century Europe. Made from stoneware known as jasperware, it features the characteristic matte finish and delicate white reliefs on a colored ground that Josiah Wedgwood perfected. The medium allowed for crisp, cameo-like details inspired by ancient Roman and Greek artifacts, transforming an everyday object into a work of art suitable for display in fashionable homes. Jasperware represented a breakthrough in ceramic production during the Industrial Revolution, combini...
About the Artist
Wedgwood Manufactory
Wedgwood Manufactory, founded on 1 May 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood in Burslem, Staffordshire, England, revolutionized ceramics during the Industrial Revolution. Born into a family of potters, Josiah apprenticed under his elder brother Thomas at the Churchyard Works from age 14, mastering traditional techniques before partnering with Thomas Whieldon from 1754 to 1759, where he honed innovative glazes. ...