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Public Domain

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CultureEnglish

Titles

Datec. 1765–1775

Probable placeEngland

Possible placeEngland

Probable placeLeeds, England

MediumLead-glazed earthenware (creamware)

Dimensions6 1/2 × 5 3/4 × 3 7/8 in. (16.5 × 14.6 × 9.8 cm)

Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by Mr. and Mrs. William S. Kilroy

Object numberB.89.14

Current Location

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens

Chippendale Bedroom

On view

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Department

Bayou Bend

Object Type

CERAMICS

DescriptionThough not well remembered today, John Wilkes was a political superstar of 18th-century Britain and colonial America who was skilled at manipulating the media and public sentiment. With an outspoken and flamboyant nature, he became a belligerent critic of the British government. The conflict culminated with a charge of libel against him in 1763 for attacking King George III in issue number 45 of the North Briton, Wilkes’s controversial and deliberately provocative political newspaper. Wilkes won an important court case against him and became a popular symbol—on both sides of the Atlantic—of resistance against unconstitutional authority.
Provenance[Art Trading, Ltd., New York]; purchased by MFAH, 1989.
Exhibition HistoryMuseum purchase from a dealer exhibiting at The Theta Charity Antique Show in Houston

Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Inscribed on the body: Wilkes / and Liberty / No. 45

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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