Mocha Pottery Mug With Ochre Slip Ground

Details

Description

The Tavern Stripe: English Mocha Ware Mug

This is an elegant English Mocha Pottery mug or tankard, a fine example … Read more The Tavern Stripe: English Mocha Ware Mug

This is an elegant English Mocha Pottery mug or tankard, a fine example of utilitarian wares from the Georgian period. The cylindrical body, which sits on a subtly flared foot, is made from a ceramic body and coated in a smooth, ochre-colored slip ground (a thin layer of liquid clay).

The decoration relies on precision banding, a characteristic of the earliest and most classic Mocha ware:

Rim: A wide band of contrasting white slip is bordered by a narrow brown line.

Body: A narrower white band is positioned horizontally halfway down the body.

Lower Handle/Base: Parallel white and brown bands mark the terminal of the handle, with a final white band near the foot.

The combination of the warm ochre ground with the crisp white and brown banding is typical of the restrained, early neoclassical taste of the turn of the 19th century.

Origin: England (likely Staffordshire)

Date: circa 1790–1810 (Late Georgian Period)

Material: Earthenware (Creamware/Pearlware, with Slip Decoration)

Condition: Good antique condition, noting an invisibly repaired hairline.

Dimensions: 4 ⅝ inches (High) x 4 ¾ inches (Wide, including handle) x 3 ¼ inches (Deep, rim diameter)

Historical Context

This mug belongs to the category of "dipped wares" or Mocha Pottery, a style of utilitarian earthenware that flourished in the Staffordshire potteries and was mass-produced for both the English and booming American markets.

Early Mocha Ware (1780s–1810s): Unlike later, more complex pieces that featured dendritic ("seaweed" or "tree") patterns, the earliest Mocha ware, like this mug, often focused solely on vibrant banding. This decoration was achieved while the vessel was spun on a lathe, allowing a skilled turner to apply concentric rings of colored liquid clay (slip) with mechanical precision.

Utilitarian Elegance: Though considered an affordable, everyday item—the glassware of its day, often used in taverns, pubs, and working-class homes—the form and pale colors reflect the refined simplicity of the Neoclassical taste popular at the time of its manufacture. The use of a warm ochre slip indicates a conscious decorative choice, contrasting with the more common white or blue-banded examples. The clean, crisp banding on this piece predates the later, heavier, and more brightly colored wares of the Victorian era, placing it firmly in the late 18th and very early 19th centuries.

References

Kowalsky, Arnold & Dorothy. Spongeware and Spatterware (A Schiffer Book for Collectors). Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2001. (Covers early banded Mocha wares).

Mocha decorated pottery. Wikipedia and various archaeological/museum records, which confirm that simple banded and dendritic Mocha ware was in production in Staffordshire by the 1790s.

Museum Collections: Institutions such as Colonial Williamsburg and Winterthur Museum hold extensive collections of this English utilitarian pottery.

(Ref: NY9488-iun) See less