Worcester Porcelain Manufactory
Tea Bowl

CultureEnglish
Titles
  • Tea Bowl
  • from the "Fence" pattern
Datec. 1765–1785
Made inWorcester, England
MediumSoft-paste porcelain
Dimensions1 5/8 × 3 1/16 in. diameter (4.1 × 7.7 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Marjorie M. Moorhead
Object numberB.97.36.1
Non exposé

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Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
DescriptionDoctor John Wall and three partners established the Worcester Porcelain Factory in 1751. The following year, the firm purchased the Bristol factory of Benjamin Lund and so acquired much technical know-how. The factory soon began producing good quality, thinly potted, and durable soft-paste porcelain that did not crack or craze in contact with hot liquids. It made large quantities of tea and coffee wares and decorative vases. The factory pioneered the use of transfer-printing, from 1757 in black and by 1760 in underglaze blue. In the 1770s, there was a rapid growth in the area of blue transfer-printed wares. This object is decorated in the "Fence" pattern, the most popular of all the Worcester underglaze blue printed designs. It is decorated with a zigzagging fence, two birds in flight, flowers, and an island.
ProvenanceMrs. William H. Moorhead, Houston; given to MFAH, 1997.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
[no inscriptions]
Marked on underside: blue Worcester shaded crescent

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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