Wedgwood tea set
- Audio guide stop: 472
- Gallery: Room 47
- Maker: John Figg
- Made in: Etruria (historic - England); London (England) (silver mounts)
- Date: 1840-1845 (circa)
- Object type: tea-set, milk-jug, sugar-bowl
- Materials: stoneware; silver
- Museum number: 1909,1201.108
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is a Wedgwood tea set, made in the late 1840s in Etruria, England, with silver mounts crafted in London. The set includes a teapot with cover, a sugar bowl with cover, and a milk jug—each made from unglazed red stoneware and glazed inside. Silver adds intricate details like pierced overlay and rosebud finials on the covers. The Revived Rococo style of the 1840s is clear in the elegant curves and asymmetrical shapes, reflecting the design tastes of over a century earlier.
Notably, the sugar bowl bears the impressed mark “WEDGWOOD ETRURIA” and the teapot and milk jug are marked with hallmarks for London silversmith John Figg. These marks give a deeper insight into its craftsmanship and history.
Though originally intended for use, the set's royal associations and fine craftsmanship have placed it among the notable objects in the history of ceramics. It was once owned by Queen Adelaide and later collected by Isaac Falcke. Its beauty and heritage are a testament to the artistry of the time.
See it in person
Wedgwood tea set is on display in Room 47 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 472, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
New, in beta. British Museum support has just launched and is still improving: over 1,000 objects so far, with more added all the time.
