Prattware Pearlware “Macaroni” Tea Caddy, Staffordshire, c.1790–1800
£850.00
Skip to product information
A late 18th-century English pearlware tea caddy decorated in the distinctive Prattware manner, with sharply moulded relief figures painted in characteristic underglaze colours. The pale pearlware body is enlivened by satirical "Macaroni" figures, placing the piece firmly within the tradition of humorous domestic ceramics popular in England at the end of the Georgian period.
The decoration employs the recognised "Pratt colours", including green, cobalt blue, yellow and warm ochre tones. These underglaze colours retain their clarity and contrast, allowing facial features, costume details and expressive modelling to remain crisp against the pale body.
The relief figures represent the so-called "Macaroni" type, a satirical subject fashionable in England between about 1765 and 1790. Macaronies were young men returning from the Grand Tour with exaggerated Continental dress and manners, frequently caricatured in contemporary prints and decorative arts.
Their towering powdered wigs and elongated silhouettes form an immediate visual shorthand for fashionable excess.
Prattware was produced predominantly in Staffordshire, with more limited production also suggested in Scotland, notably at Prestonpans, possibly the Bankfoot Pottery. Prattware is actively collected and studied by a dedicated international community, with specialist collectors' societies devoted specifically to these distinctive satirical wares.
Dimensions: Height 12.5 cm; width 8.5 cm; depth 6.8 cm; weight 232 g.
Condition: Minor age-related wear to the enamel, consistent with age. Overall excellent antique condition.
Please study the accompanying photographs carefully as they form an integral part of this description. If you have any questions, we will be happy to answer them. The item will be shipped with full tracking and insurance.
Prattware Pearlware “Macaroni” Tea Caddy, Staffordshire, c.1790–1800
£850.00
The decoration employs the recognised "Pratt colours", including green, cobalt blue, yellow and warm ochre tones. These underglaze colours retain their clarity and contrast, allowing facial features, costume details and expressive modelling to remain crisp against the pale body.
The relief figures represent the so-called "Macaroni" type, a satirical subject fashionable in England between about 1765 and 1790. Macaronies were young men returning from the Grand Tour with exaggerated Continental dress and manners, frequently caricatured in contemporary prints and decorative arts.
Their towering powdered wigs and elongated silhouettes form an immediate visual shorthand for fashionable excess.
Prattware was produced predominantly in Staffordshire, with more limited production also suggested in Scotland, notably at Prestonpans, possibly the Bankfoot Pottery. Prattware is actively collected and studied by a dedicated international community, with specialist collectors' societies devoted specifically to these distinctive satirical wares.
Dimensions: Height 12.5 cm; width 8.5 cm; depth 6.8 cm; weight 232 g.
Condition: Minor age-related wear to the enamel, consistent with age. Overall excellent antique condition.
Please study the accompanying photographs carefully as they form an integral part of this description. If you have any questions, we will be happy to answer them. The item will be shipped with full tracking and insurance.