Wedgwood Creamware Armorial Dishes Collection
A collection of five Wedgwood creamware armorial dishes, 18th century, the first being a soup bowl with blue gilt borders, painted centrally with the arms, crest and motto ('Nosce Teipsum') for Samuel Ecton of Northampton impaling those of this wife, Barbara Percy. Samuel and Barbara were married on October 20th 1795, and shortly afterwards they ordered the armorial service. Impressed Wedgwood to reverse, circa 1795-1796. The second, a plate, the centre painted with the arms of William Bennet, Bishop of cork and Ross, above the motto 'Bene et Constanter', within a purple and gold formal border. Impressed 'Wedgwood' to reverse. The third, a soup bowl bearing an armorial to the centre with the motto 'non sibi sed patriae natus'. The arms are for Sir Richard Paul Jodrell ( Bart.) impaling King. Circa 1818. Ordered on 24th April 1818 from Wedgwood. Impressed Wedgwood to reverse. Lastly a pair of plates, both impressed Wedgwood to reverse. The largest 9.84 in. diameter. Provenance: The John Scarce Collection of Porcelain
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- 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. - Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
- Armorial / Armourial - Bearing a coat of arms. Coats of arms came into general use by feudal lords and knights in in the 12th century, and by the 13th century, arms had spread beyond their initial battlefield use to become a flag or emblem for families in the higher social classes of Europe. They were inherited from one generation to the next. When a family crest is used on individual items of silver or furniture it is an indicator of the aristocratic standing of the family represented.
Armorials were also used to decorate mass produced ceramic souvenir ware by such companies as Goss, Carlton & Shelley, and in these cases the coats of arms displayed were of boroughs and cities.
This item has been included into following indexes:
- Wedgwood (England), item types
