Agateware Teapot

Agateware, developed in 18th-century England at potteries like those of Josiah Wedgwood, is a ceramic technique in which differently colored clays are marbled together to imitate the natural patterns of agate stone. Made by blending differently colored clays together, the combined clays are then sliced, twisted, or thrown, so the colors marble through the body before the piece is shaped and fired. In this way, the pattern runs through the material itself, rather than sitting on the surface like a decorative glaze. This 1870s French teapot, made around 1870, was made through the application of black, white, and tan glazes to create the beautifully marbled agate decoration. The bottom is stamped, “SARREGUMINES / FRANCE”.

Year: c 1870

Material: Clay

Dimensions: W 7 ¾ x D 8 ½  H 5 ½ in