Tea cup and saucer
Swansea, Glamorganshire, Wales
1810-1815
Maker
Dillwyn & Co. (1811-1870), successor to Cambrian Pottery (1764-1811)
Measurements
Cup, 2 in x 3-3/8 in (dia); saucer, 1-1/4 in x 5-1/2 in (dia)
Materials
Transfer-printed white earthenware (pearlware)
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation, The David Wilson Mansion, Inc.
Accession Number
1971.755
Condition Notes
Both the tea cup and saucer broke into several pieces and are glued together.
Provenance
Ex coll. Mrs. E. Tatnall (Mary Corbit) Warner
Comments
This tea cup and saucer, each transfer-printed in brown on white earthenware, depicts a complex, bisymmetrical image of snail and other mollusk shells. The undersides of each object reveal the blue-tinted glaze used to give the white ceramic body a cooler tone in keeping with fine Chinese porcelains, a product known in its time as “pearlware.” Both the cup and saucer have blue enamel painted at the rims, which contrasts gently with the brown printed image. The saucer is slightly deeper than usual.
Lewis Weston Dillwyn (1778-1855) became a partner of the Cambrian Pottery (1764-1811) in 1802 and sole owner in 1810. The name of the pottery was changed to Dillwyn & Co. in 1811. Dillwyn, born in Essex, England, was well-known for his books on botany and conchology (the scientific study or mollusk shells). The names of several species of snails and mollusks were named after him. Almost certainly, he was the inspiration behind the decoration of this cup and saucer.
