Liverpool Creamware Tankard with American Ship
Liverpool, England, circa 1800
Height: 4¾ inches
 
A Liverpool creamware tankard transfer-printed with a sailing vessel flying an American flag rendered with twelve stars in a folk-like arrangement. Variations in the depiction of the early national flag were common in the period, when engravers and decorators often interpreted the constellation of stars with considerable freedom.
 
Produced in Liverpool for export to the American market, such wares reflect the city’s important role in the transatlantic ceramics trade at the close of the eighteenth century. Maritime imagery proved especially appealing to American consumers, celebrating the commercial and naval identity of the young republic. An attractive and evocative example of Liverpool’s export ceramics made for the American trade.
 
Condition: Excellent.