Pineapple Tea Cannister and Slop Basin. Manufactured by Josiah Wedgwood & Sons. 1760-70. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Given by Lady Charlotte Schreiber. Click on image to enlarge it.
“From the 17th century onwards, the pineapple captured the consumer imagination in Britain. The fruit’s distinctive shape and crown of leaves was perfect for the Roccoco moment, and representations of the “pride of vegetable life”, as it was called , rapidly appeared on fabrics, furniture, garden urns, coffee pots, and even curch towers. In ceramics, William Greatbatch would prove himelf the great modeller of pineapple moulds, able to turn the outline and veining of leaves into clear-cut geometrical forms. At the same time, Josiah Wedgwood’s new glazes were perfect for capturing the browns, yellows and pineapples on a wide range of products. These tea-making items were moulded from a block and made by either Josiah Wedgwood or Thomas Whieldon.” — Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Bibliography
Hunt, Tristram. The Radical Potter: Josiah Wedgwood and the Transformation of Britain. London: Allen Lane, 2921.
Created 5 April 2022