page_title: Elers brothers
hierarchical_section_title: Elers brothers
caption_attribution_description: Britain Loves Wikipedia at the Victoria and Albert Museum Teapots English: English teapot (left) 1690-98 David Elers and John Philip Elers Red stoneware, slip-cast with applied sprig-moulded decoration Made at the Elers' factory, Bradwell Wood, Staffordshire (active 1690-98) Impressed with four imitation Chinese characters This teapot appears to be unique, although another example of the body shape is known, with a normal loop handle at the back. The overhead 'bucket' handle was common on Chinese porcelain or enamel teapots from Canton (Guangzhou province), but is not known on the red stonewares from Yixing (Jiangsu province). Here it may have been copied by the Elers brothers from a European engraving of Chinese teawares rather than from an actual Chinese teapot. Given by W.W. Winkworth https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O77866/teapot/ Chinese teapot (right) With an inscription dating it to 1627 Chinese red stoneware with European silver-gilt mounts Made by the potter Hui Mengchen at Yixing in Jiangsu Province, China On the base is incised an inscription in Chinese characters translating as 'In 1627 Mengchen made this for the Hall of Friendship' (a room in the home of the client who ordered the teapot). The teapot was made for a Chinese client and has specifically Chinese symbolism and writing. However, it ended up in Europe, where it was embellished with silver-gilt mounts. By contrast, many teapots that reached Europe were designed with more simple shapes, and without decoration with special symbolic meaning. The prunus design was popular on both imported and home-produced wares. https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O22866/teapot/ Collection ID: C.17-1932 and C.16&amp;A-1968 This photo was taken as part of Britain Loves Wikipedia in February 2010 by David Jackson.
context_page_description: John Philip Elers and his brother David Elers were Dutch silversmiths who came to England in the 1680s and turned into potters. The Elers brothers were important innovators in English pottery, bringing redware or unglazed stoneware to Staffordshire pottery. Arguably they were the first producers of "fine pottery" in North Staffordshire, and although their own operations were not financially successful, they seem to have had a considerable influence on the following generation, who led the explosive growth of the industry in the 18th century.
  The difficulty of distinguishing their wares from those of the many imitators who continued their broad style well into the 18th century has long been recognised by scholars, though considerable progress has been made, based on an understanding of their distinctive technique. The works of the imitators are often described as "Elers type", "style of Elers", and similar terms.
context_section_description: John Philip Elers (7 September 1664 – 1738) and his brother David Elers were Dutch silversmiths who came to England in the 1680s and turned into potters. The Elers brothers were important innovators in English pottery, bringing redware or unglazed stoneware to Staffordshire pottery.  Arguably they were the first producers of "fine pottery" in North Staffordshire, and although their own operations were not financially successful, they seem to have had a considerable influence on the following generation, who led the explosive growth of the industry in the 18th century.
  The difficulty of distinguishing their wares from those of the many imitators who continued their broad style well into the 18th century has long been recognised by scholars, though considerable progress has been made, based on an understanding of their distinctive technique. The works of the imitators are often described as "Elers type", "style of Elers", and similar terms.
caption: Two teapots: left by the Elers; right, Chinese Yixing ware of 1627.
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