Edward Lycett Espresso Cup and Saucer
date: label: date made
content: ca 1890-1909
name: label: maker
content: Lycett, Edward
notes: label: Description
content: About Edward Lycett Pottery:
label: Description
content: Edward Lycett arrived in the United States in 1861 and quickly received important commissions such as the 1865 White House painted porcelain service for President Abraham Lincoln. He produced the first vitrified china in America with pure gilt decoration for Tiffany & Company. Travelling across America, Lycett taught the decorative technique of china painting at major ceramic centers such as Cincinnati and East Liverpool, Ohio, where soon-to-be influential women in the art pottery movement, Maria Longworth Nichols and Mary Louise McLaughlin, began their careers as china painters. Within his own time, Lycett was called “the pioneer of china painting in America” by ceramic historians. In 1890, at the age of 57, Edward Lycett left Faience Manufacturing (See About Faience Manufacturing Company) when it was sold and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to work in his son William’s studio. He continued to experiment with clay and glaze materials as well as different firing techniques until he died in 1910. A number of small pieces were donated to the Smithsonian and illustrate the breakthroughs of Edward Lycett’s experimentation. Rather than making flat test tiles, Lycett chose to make miniature forms to test his various metallic effects. Such cruets, vases, pitchers, and heart-shaped dishes display red iridescence, mirrored and matte gilding, and bubbling glaze techniques.
label: Description
content: About the Object:
label: Description
content: A Japanese eggshell porcelain expresso cup with straight sides and a circular handle. Hand painted decoration by Edward Lycett depicting carved coral design and dotted gilding. Gilding is also on the rim, foot, and handle. Interior of the saucer matches the exterior of the cup and also has gilt rim. Cup has been repaired but the cracks are still visible. Decoration similar to 96406 except the pattern is of branching lines powdered with gold specks.
label: Description
content: In 1890, at the age of 57, Edward Lycett left Faience Manufacturing when it was sold as an agent to a French porcelain company. This, however, was not a setback in Lycett’s ceramic venture. Although retired, Edward Lycett continued to follow his passion for new ceramic inventions. He soon moved to Atlanta, Georgia to work in his son’s studio where he and continued to experiment with clay and glaze materials as well as different firing techniques with William until he died in 1910 at the age of 77.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Georgia, Atlanta
topic: label: Subject
content: Art Pottery
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Ceramics and Glass
label: See more items in
content: Domestic Furnishings
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of William Lycett
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: CE.96407ab
label: accession number
content: 30423
label: catalog number
content: 96407a
objectType: label: Object Name
content: cup, espresso; saucer
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: ceramic; porcelain (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: gilding (outside material)
label: Physical Description
content: blue (cup color)
label: Physical Description
content: dots (joint piece description of decoration)
label: Physical Description
content: dots (overall description of decoration)
label: Physical Description
content: ceramic, porcelain, hard-paste (cup material)
label: Physical Description
content: ceramic, porcelain, hard-paste (saucer material)
label: Physical Description
content: gilt (overall production method/technique)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2 in x 2 in; 5.08 cm x 5.08 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 3/4 in x 4 5/8 in; 1.905 cm x 11.7475 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall cup: 2 in x 2 13/16 in x 2 in; 5.08 cm x 7.14375 cm x 5.08 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall saucer: 3/4 in x 4 5/8 in; 1.905 cm x 11.7475 cm