Tea set

ARTIST / MAKER: Josiah Wedgwood & Sons (manufacturer)
DATE: ca. 1864 (made)
PLACE: Staffordshire (made)
MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES: Unknown
COLLECTION NUMBER: 249

This tea set, composed of a teapot, sugar bowl and milk jug, is made from rosso antico, an unglazed, dry-bodied red stoneware that was developed at the Wedgwood factory between 1765 and 1770. This material was inspired by the red pottery produced by the Staffordshire factories during the 17th and 18th centuries. The material was often used to make tea sets, vases, plates, and jugs. Wedgwood began decorating the red stoneware produced at the factory with enamelled flowers after Josiah Wedgwood II introduced this peony pattern in 1810.