Liverpool Porcelain Tea Bowl and Saucer, John & Jane Pennington Manufactory, Circa 1789
Liverpool Porcelain Tea Bowl and Saucer, John & Jane Pennington Manufactory, Circa 1789
3915
A superb late 18th-century Liverpool porcelain tea bowl and saucer, produced at the John and Jane Pennington manufactory, circa 1789. A refined and increasingly sought-after example of English provincial porcelain, this elegant pair reflects the technical ambition and distinctive character of Liverpool's important porcelain industry during the Georgian period.
The tea bowl and saucer have a delicacy of form perfectly suited to the fashionable tea-drinking rituals of the late 18th century. Their fine porcelain body, carefully finished glaze, and decorative appeal demonstrate the quality achieved at the Pennington works, one of the leading Liverpool manufactories of its day. Tea bowls of this period were made without handles, intended to be held in the hand, while the accompanying saucer offered both a practical resting place and a complementary surface for the decoration.
John Pennington was among the principal members of the celebrated Pennington family of Liverpool porcelain makers. Following his death, the factory continued under his widow, Jane Pennington, and wares produced during this period remain closely associated with the Pennington name. Their output is prized for its confident design, lively decorative traditions, and important place in the story of early English porcelain.
This handsome tea bowl and saucer offers a tangible connection to Georgian domestic life, when tea had become an essential element of polite society and beautifully made porcelain was central to its enjoyment. A fine addition to a collection of Liverpool porcelain, English ceramics, or Georgian tablewares, it has the elegance, rarity, and historical interest to display beautifully in a cabinet or on a table setting.
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