Minton Creamware Neoclassical Cup and Saucer Set
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An early 19th century creamware cup and saucer, probably Minton, transfer decorated with neoclassical scenes in sepia.
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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. - Transfer Printed / Decorated Transferware - Transfer printing is method of decorating ceramics, reducing the cost of decoration when compared to employing artists to paint each piece. A print was taken on transfer-paper from an engraved copperplate, covered in ink prepared with metallic oxides, and the image on the paper was then applied to the biscuit-fired ceramic body. The print was fixed by heating the object in an oven, and then glazed, sealing the picture. Early transfer prints were blue and white, as cobalt was the only colour to stand firing without blurring. Early in the 19th century advances in the composition of the transfer paper resulted in better definition and detail, and enabled engravers to combine line-engraving with stipple.
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