The four continents
Plymouth Porcelain Factory
Category
Ceramics
Date
1768 - 1770
Materials
hard paste porcelain
Place of origin
Plymouth
Order this imageCollection
Saltram, Devon
NT 873157
Caption
The Plymouth factory began producing larger figure pieces from 1769, including sets of the ‘Four Continents.’ These figures were originally produced at the Vauxhall factory in London. Nicholas Crisp (c.1704-1774) ran the Vauxhall factory with potter John Saunders but moved to Devon after the factory went bankrupt. He met William Cookworthy at the potteries at Bovey Tracey and later came to work at the Plymouth factory. Cookworthy also employed another ex-Vauxhall employee at Plymouth – the modeller Thomas Hammersley. It is likely that one of these men brought the moulds for these figures with them to Plymouth. The figures are allegorical depictions of the Four Continents based on European notions of the known world where each is personified as a female figure bearing attributes or objects associated with the continent. These kinds of depictions were standardised in the extremely popular publication Iconologia, an emblem book by Cesare Ripa (c.1560-1622) published in Rome in 1603. These depictions promoted a Euro-centric view of the world whereby Europe was shown with symbols of enlightenment and superiority, and where Africa, Asia and America were depicted as ‘exotic’ and with commodities that were to be exploited. As such they became symbols of Empire and wealth of the nations they represented. These kinds of depictions continued to be popular and recognisable in the 18th century but promoted the continued stereotyping and marginalisation of peoples from these continents. Europe is personified as a woman wearing robes and holding a book and paint palette to symbolise learning and artistic refinement. On the base sits a suit of armour with helmet and shield, a horse and a cannon to emphasise military dominance. America is personified as a women wearing robes and feathered headdress with a bow and arrow and a hunting dog at her feet. This depiction is a reference to the Indigenous peoples of the ‘new’ continent of America and its potential for Europeans to exploit their fertile lands. Africa is personified as a woman wearing robes and is painted dark brown. She is shown with an elephant head and a crocodile surmounting a lion – a reference to the fierce animals and the perceived exotic dangers of the continent. Asia is personified as a woman wearing an embellished robe and jewels with a turban at her feet. These reference the luxuries of the Persian court. She holds a perfume censer which showcases the continent’s rich production of spices and incense. The camel is a reference to the lucrative spice trade.
Summary
A set of four figures of the Four Continents made at the Plymouth porcelain factory 1768-1770. Hard paste porcelain moulded and assembled on a roccoco scrolled base and decorated in polychrome enamels with gilding.
Full description
The Plymouth Porcelain factory was established by William Cookworthy (1705-1780) in 1768. It was the first to produce so-called ‘hard paste’, or ‘true’ porcelain in the UK. This meant that it combined the materials of china clay (kaolin) and china stone (petunse) to produce a hard-fired body to the same recipe as Chinese porcelain. Many European factories attempted to re-create Chinese porcelain which was famed for its translucency and much in demand. The recipe for porcelain was a closely guarded secret. Only a handful of factories managed to re-create it, the first being Meissen in Germany in 1708. Cookworthy was a chemist based in Plymouth who experimented with the china clay he found in Cornwall. Tests and trial firings went on for over 20 years before he was finally able to establish industrial production in Plymouth in 1768. The factory produced a range of domestic and decorative wares in blue and white and in polychrome enamels. However, the factory was beset with manufacturing problems. Impurities in the materials, challenges with firing the kiln, and potters inexperienced in working with the new material meant that the quality of porcelain was extremely varied. The factory only ran for two years before it transferred to Bristol under the management of Richard Champion (1743-1791) in 1770.
Provenance
Bequeathed to the National Trust in 2003 by Miss Marion Ross Bethal.
Makers and roles
Plymouth Porcelain Factory, manufacturer