CultureEnglish
Datec. 1740–1750
Possible placeWincanton, England
Probable placeBristol, England
MediumTin-glazed earthenware (delftware)
Dimensions5/8 × 6 5/8 in. diameter (1.6 × 16.8 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg
Object numberB.56.150
Current LocationBayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Ceramics Study Room
Exposé
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DescriptionDelftware is a variety of earthenware with tin oxide added to its lead glaze formula to give an opaque white effect that was often used to imitate, or at least suggest, the appearance of Chinese porcelain. First produced in England in the late 1500s, delftware grew in popularity in the 1600s as potteries flourished in London, Bristol, and elsewhere in the British Isles. Metallic oxides provided a range of colors for decoration: cobalt for blue, manganese for purple, iron for red, copper for green, and antimony for yellow. Delftware was relatively soft and chipped easily. By the mid-1700s, more durable soft-paste porcelains and salt-glazed stonewares grew in popularity; by the early 1800s, delftware production in England had declined dramatically. This manganese-powdered plate is decorated with a hexagonal reserve of a shepherd boy herding two sheep.
Provenance[D. M. & P. Manheim, New York]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, May 4, 1956; given to MFAH, by 1966.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks[no inscriptions]
[no marks]
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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