Teapot

This stoneware teapot with applied prunus branch sprigs was made at the factory of Arij de Milde, in Delft. Tea drinking became popular among the European elite during the 1660s, creating a market for imported redware teapots from Yixing, China. European producers soon began to imitate these Chinese prototypes; de Milde’s factory was one of three Dutch potteries established during this period to create domestically-made redwares, known as rode Delftse trekpotjes.

While these unglazed clay wares might appear modest, European potters struggled to match the hardness and impermeability of Chinese examples. De Milde was undoubtedly the most successful of the Delft potters who specialized in such teapots. He was registered as a member of the guild of St. Luke in 1658 and, until 1665, was the manager of the prestigious pottery factory known as De Grieksche A. He left this enterprise to specialize in the firing of red teapots, quickly developing a thriving business.