Thomas Astbury is generally credited with the development of English cream-colored earthenware between 1720 and 1740. However, it was the young Josiah Wedgwood who refined and improved the creamware body and its glazes during the 1740-1760 period.

Eventually named Queensware to honor the royal patronage of Queen Charlotte, Wedgwood’s creamware was wildly popular. It earned Wedgwood a worldwide reputation that exists to this day. The refined lightweight body with a creamy ivory-colored glaze lent itself to a range of decorative motifs that included embossed, painted, and scratch-blue treatments.

Creamware is highly sought after by today’s collectors on both sides of the Atlantic. It is little wonder because the ware is stunning, whether heavily molded in the Rococo taste or reduced to a simple geometric classical form. We have selected three examples from the collections of Historic Deerfield, Inc. to illustrate the range and popularity of this medium.

Images courtesy of Historic Deerfield, Inc., P.O. Box 321, Deerfield, MA 01342, (413) 775-7214, www.historic-deerfield.org.