Dendritic Forest: English Mochaware Flower Pot

Details

Description

Dendritic Forest: English Mochaware Flower Pot,
Circa 1800

A classic and highly decorative English Mochaware flower pot, dating to the … Read more Dendritic Forest: English Mochaware Flower Pot,
Circa 1800

A classic and highly decorative English Mochaware flower pot, dating to the early 19th century (circa 1800).

This vessel features a tapering, cylindrical circular form with a classic rolled rim. The body is decorated against a smooth, cream-colored ground with striking dendritic (tree-like) motifs of varying heights that mimic a miniature forest landscape. The design is elegantly framed by a solid brown slip band situated just below the rim.

Measurements:
Height: 5 3/4 inches (14.6 cm).
Width (Across Rim): 6 inches (15.2 cm).
Interior Diameter: 5 1/4 inches (13.3 cm).

Provenance: Private Pennsylvania Collection. Formerly with Mr. & Mrs. Jerome Blum, Willow Corner Antiques (retains original paper label on the base).

Condition: Good antique condition with light wear around the edge of the rim.

Historical Context:

Dendritic Decoration: The iconic tree-like decoration seen on this pot was achieved through a fascinating chemical reaction. The artisan would apply a drop of an acidic coloring agent—historically a mixture called "mocha tea" (often containing tobacco juice, stale urine, and metallic oxides)—to the wet, alkaline slip on the vessel's surface. The acid would rapidly bleed out into the organic, fern-like shapes that give Mochaware its name (referencing the dendritic patterns found in moss agates exported from Mocha, Yemen).

Utilitarian Elegance: While often associated with tavern wares (like jugs and tankards), Mochaware techniques were also brilliantly applied to horticultural and domestic items, bringing vibrant, affordable decoration into the Georgian home.

(Ref: NY11050-mrx) See less