chocolate pot

Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd.

founded 1759

chocolate pot, circa 1769–1795

Where object was made: Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom

Material/technique: stoneware; glaze

Credit line: William Bridges Thayer Memorial

Accession number: 1928.3267.a,b

Not on display

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Empire of Things

Drinking chocolate was a luxury item for Europeans in the 1700s as cocoa beans had to be imported from Central and South America. This chocolate pot may have been produced at Wedgwood’s Etruria, the world’s first modern ceramics factory. The matte surface and bamboo relief pattern are intended to imitate Chinese teapots; however the height of the Wedgwood pot seems better suited to represent a stand of bamboo than does the typical teapot shape.

Archive Label 2003: This chocolate pot may have been produced at Wedgwood’s Etruria, the world’s first modern ceramics factory. The matte surface and bamboo relief pattern are intended to imitate Chinese versions; however the height of the Wedgwood pot seems better suited to represent a stand of bamboo than does the typical teapot shape. The Yixing ware teapot in this case is an example of bamboo relief teapots made in China.