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Antique Ceramics

Staffordshire saltglaze 'King of Prussia' teapot and cover, circa 1757-60

Staffordshire saltglaze 'King of Prussia' teapot and cover, circa 1757-60

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A rare and finely enamelled Staffordshire salt-glazed stoneware teapot and cover of globular form, with a distinctive crabstock handle and spout. The body is decorated with a titled profile portrait of King Frederick II ('Frederick the Great') of Prussia, shown facing sinister, wearing regal armour and crowned with a laurel wreath beneath the inscription 'Fred. Prussiae Rex'. The reverse is painted with a crowned Prussian eagle bearing the motto 'Semper Sublimis'. Both panels are reserved against turquoise grounds framed by puce scrollwork, all set upon a finely executed black-spotted 'ermine' ground extending across the body, beneath the base and onto the domed cover, which is surmounted by a naturalistic branch finial.

Height: 10 cm

Produced during the opening years of the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), this teapot celebrates the alliance between Great Britain and Prussia against France, Austria, Saxony and Russia. Frederick II (1712–1786), better known as Frederick the Great, enjoyed enormous admiration in Britain for his military successes and enlightened rule, becoming one of the most celebrated foreign monarchs of the eighteenth century. Patriotic wares depicting Frederick were produced by Staffordshire potteries to satisfy strong public enthusiasm, reflecting both political allegiance and the growing market for topical ceramics.

Comparable examples are held in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum (Inv. No. CIRC.249-1920), the Shand Kydd Collection Sotheby's 25th Nov. 1997 lot 224, while another from the distinguished Sampson and Horne Collection was sold by Bonhams on 28 April 2010, Lot 288.

Published: Mary White, Drinking at the Whites' House, Vol. 2, 2021, p.272.

A particularly attractive and historically significant example of mid-eighteenth-century Staffordshire salt-glazed stoneware, combining refined enamel decoration with a subject of considerable political and historical importance.

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Condition: Very good to the naked eye. Visible under UV there is very minor restoration to; a very fine hairline on the cover, a tight hairline around the base of the handle, and some over wash around the spout, although I'm not able to determine whether there is even restoration here on not. 

 

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