Bagpiper 1755 - 1765

This six-inch earthenware figure of a bagpiper was likely made in 18th-century England by a Whieldon-type pottery. Staffordshire potteries like Whieldon’s mass-produced affordable objects that reflected the culture of the time. Here, the bagpiper embodies the romanticization of rural life then in vogue. The instrument itself, strongly associated with Scottish folk culture, creates a sense of rustic authenticity that was highly fashionable in England at the time. The figure's clothes also indicate a lower social class, contrasting with the refined tastes of those who could afford such ornaments. We see the figure not just as a representation of a musician but as a social artifact. The item may have been inspired by period paintings, prints and literary sources on rural life and culture. By tracing its production and consumption, we can better understand the social and cultural values of 18th-century England.