Mug

David Elers|John Philip Elers

ca. 1695 · Red earthenware · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The Elers brothers, John Philip and older brother David, were Dutch born silversmiths who came to London in the 1680s. They produced pottery at Bradwell Wood, in Staffordshire, for a brief period between ca. 1690 and 1698, creating high quality unglazed red stoneware. The Elers brothers were pioneers in the rise of the salt-glazed stoneware industry in Staffordshire. The mug demonstrates the high quality and elegant design characteristic of the Elers’ stoneware production. The fine color is indicative of the native clay deposits in Staffordshire, the reason the Elers and many others established pottery works in the region. The unglazed red stoneware is inspired in part by Chinese Yixing wares, imported by the Dutch East India Company and widely imitated by Dutch and English potters. [Elizabeth Sullivan, 2014]

Artist

David Elers|John Philip Elers

Date

ca. 1695

Medium

Red earthenware

Culture

British, Staffordshire

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Robert A. Ellison Jr. Collection, Gift of Robert A. Ellison Jr., 2014