Teapot 1745 - 1755

This brown earthenware teapot, decorated with brightly colored enamel painting of figures and flowers, was made by John Astbury, a pioneer of the English pottery industry. The teapot is an excellent example of the early 18th-century fascination with Chinese porcelain and the "East India Company" trade. This piece, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a testament to Astbury's influence on the development of English ceramics.