creamware

creamware

Leeds creamware teapot decorated with green enameling and pierced work, Yorkshire, England, late …

(credit: Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London)

Cream-coloured English earthenware made in the late 18th century. It was designed as a substitute for Chinese porcelain. In 1762 Josiah Wedgwood achieved commercial success with this modestly priced utilitarian ware; restrained designs and elegant transfer printing (see Battersea enamelware) were compatible with his cream-glazed products. By 1790 many other factories (e.g., Liverpool, Bristol, Staffordshire) were producing creamware with success; continental imitations were generally inferior. Creamware was continually made throughout the 19th century and later.