A Wedgwood Etruria creamware fruit bowl on pedestal base, diameter 8.07 in.
- Creamware - Creamware, also known as "Queens Ware" is the
cream-coloured English earthenware developed by Josiah Wedgwood in the 1760s.
The invention of creamware was the result of experimentation in order to find a
British substitute for imported Chinese porcelain, and the cream colour was
considered a fault at the time. The lightweight fine white earthenware with a
clean rich yellowish proved ideal for tableware
and decorative items during the 18th and 19th centuries and is still produced
today.
Creamware is made from a
mixture of kaolin, feldspar, and ball clay, and is typically glazed before
firing to give it its glossy finish. It was developed by British potters as a
cheaper alternative to porcelain.
At Wedgwood, Royal patronage
boosted sales. In 1765 Queen Charlotte, the consort of King George III placed
an order for a 12 place tea set and allowed Wedgwood to use the name
"Queens Ware" for the line. In 1770 Wedgwood produced a creamware
dinner service of 952 pieces supplied to Catherine II the Great of Russia.
Other potteries such as
Doulton, Neale & Co. and Spode produced smaller quantities of creamware.
Creamware continued to be
made throughout the 19th century and later.
- Etruria - The Etruria Works was one of the ceramics factories opened by Josiah Wedgwood in 1769 on the Ridge House Estate in a district of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which he named Etruria. The source of the name was from that given to Greek vases which at that time were thought to be from Etruria in Italy, the source of Etruscan ceramics. The factory ran for 180 years, as part of the wider Wedgwood business.
This item has been included into following indexes:
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Wedgwood (England), item types