Teacups
Original OwnerProbably originally owned by
Frances Caroline Adams
(American, 1825 - 1905)
Original OwnerProbably originally owned by
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
(American, 1828 - 1914)
MakerMade by
Unknown
Date1855-1875
MediumMechanically-molded porcelain with overglaze gilding and enamels in pink, green, purple, and blue
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width including handle x depth of each teacup): 2 5/8 x 4 x 3 5/16in. (6.7 x 10.2 x 8.4cm)
ClassificationsCeramics
Credit LineGift of Eleanor Wyllys Allen
DescriptionEight round, porcelain teacups with gilding and hand-painted enamels in pink, green, purple, and blue. The teacups are part of a partial set of teawares, consisting of a teapot (.1a,b), a lidded sugar bowl (.2a,b), a cream pitcher (.3), a slop bowl (.4), two cake plates (.5 and .6), nine plates (.7-.15), eight teacups (.16a-.23a) and eight saucers (.16b-.23b). The entire set is decorated with a naturalistic printed and hand-painted enamel border. The border consists of a green vine with large and small pink flowers and buds. The vine is highlighted with purple enamel and green leaves. The center of the large flowers are delineated with blue dots arranged in a semi-circle. The handles and spouts in this set, not found on every object, are in the shape of branches or acorns. The intersection of spouts, handles, and the body of the ceramic are decorated with raised and gilded leaves, probably oak leaves. The entire set is also decorated with bands of gilding at the rim and feet.
The eight teacups are each decorated with the border of pink flowers on green vines just below the rim. Each teacup has a molded and applied handle with gilding. There is gilding at the foot and rim of each teacup, as well as a circular band of gilding found on the bottom of the inside of each teacup. The gilding is worn on all of the teacups, especially at the rim and inside. Teacup .16a has a hairline crack at the rim that runs down the side.
The eight teacups are each decorated with the border of pink flowers on green vines just below the rim. Each teacup has a molded and applied handle with gilding. There is gilding at the foot and rim of each teacup, as well as a circular band of gilding found on the bottom of the inside of each teacup. The gilding is worn on all of the teacups, especially at the rim and inside. Teacup .16a has a hairline crack at the rim that runs down the side.
Object number1979.40.16a-.23a
NotesProvenance Note: According to a letter written by the donor, this was given as a wedding gift to one of her grandmothers. Her maternal grandmother, Frances Caroline Adams (1825-1905), married Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (1828-1914) in December 1855. Her paternal grandmother, Ann Maria Gridley, married the Honorable Stephen Merrill Allen (1819-1894) on 15 April 1841. According to Arlene Palmer, the ceramics and glass consultant for the NEH Home Life cataloging project, the set dates from 1855 to 1875. Therefore, based on the grandmothers' wedding dates and the date of the set, the original owner was most likely Frances Caroline Adams Chamberlain. It is also possible that the set was given to the couple after their wedding. (Hunt 2/9/2005)
Subject Note: According to family history, the gilded oak leaves found on various objects in this tea set symbolize the Charter Oak in Hartford, Connecticut. Palmer indicated that there was no "Charter Oak" pattern, as indicated by the donor, but that acorns and oak leaves were a standard ceramic design motif at the time. However, Frances Caroline Adams was a direct descendant of George Wyllys, of Charter Oak fame. It is possible that the family acquired the set in the nineteenth century because of the oak leaf motifs, or that later descendants associated the set with the Charter Oak because of the design. (Hunt 2/9/2005)
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