Antique English Prattware Pearlware Tea Caddy, 1700s

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Description

An English pearlware tea caddy dating to circa 1790–1800, decorated with moulded relief figures painted in underglaze colours characteristic of … Read more An English pearlware tea caddy dating to circa 1790–1800, decorated with moulded relief figures painted in underglaze colours characteristic of Prattware. The satirical subject and crisp modelling reflect the lively decorative vocabulary of late Georgian domestic ceramics.

The decoration employs green, cobalt blue, yellow and warm ochre tones beneath the glaze, enhancing facial expression and costume detail while maintaining strong contrast against the pale pearlware body.
The figures represent the “Macaroni” type, a satirical motif popular in England between about 1765 and 1790. Exaggerated powdered wigs, narrow shoulders and elongated forms act as visual shorthand for contemporary fashion satire.


While Staffordshire was the principal centre of Prattware production, limited Scottish manufacture has been suggested at Prestonpans.

Dimensions: Height 12.5 cm; width 8.5 cm; depth 6.8 cm; weight 232 g. See less