Description
Staffordshire pottery creamware bodied relief molded cauliflower pattern oval dish from one of the Whieldon, Wedgewood, Greatbach triumvirate, the pioneers of English pottery in the mid 18th century. This rare piece crisply modeled a very clean example.
Wedgwood, Greatbach and Whieldon all produced versions of teapots, tea canisters, teaware and coffee pots, etc. in the form of cauliflower florets and leaves. This dish is a previously unrecorded example and is most likeythe work of the William Greatbach pottery. Shards of this specific pattern with its rather unique leaf and scroll decoration have been found during major excavation work at the Greatbach pottery site. Most of the output of cauliflower-ware related to tea and coffee drinking. This dish is a most unusual find and is probably one of the largest piece of this ware produced.
Greatbach commenced production of cauliflower ware in c1763. The ware is made on a creamware body with relief molding and lead-glazed in white and green.
The glaze on this dish is very clean and translucent with crisp and fresh modeling giving good rendition to the leaves and florets.
Some fine examples of Cauliflower Ware can be viewed at the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte North Carolina and the British Museum in London.