Anti-slavery vase, possibly by Coalport, Shropshire, c.1790-1820
The picture on this vase shows a woman being sold as a slave. The picture may be a scene from the legend of Inkle and Yarico. The story was about a woman being sold as a slave by the man she loved. It was a popular and well known story in Britain in the 1700s.
The vase was made to encourage support for the anti-slavery campaign of the late 1700s and early 1800s.
Many people believed the legend of Inkle and Yarico was a true story. The story was first introduced to Britain by a journalist in the âSpectatorâ in 1711.
According to the story, Thomas Inkle was a young British merchant who sailed for the West Indies in 1647. His ship ran into trouble and landed on the American mainland. Here he met Yarico, a native American woman. They fell in love and lived together for several months. However, when Inkle found a ship to take him to Barbados, he sold Yarico as a slave. At the time Barbados was dominated by European sugar plantations worked by slaves.
The story of Inkle and Yarico was made into an opera by George Colman. Colman changed the ending so that true love prevailed and Inkle took Yarico out of slavery. This made the story even more appealing to abolitionists.
It isnât clear which pottery factory manufactured this vase but it may have been made at Shropshireâs Coalport factory. John Rose established the Coalport factory on the banks of the River Severn around 1797. It specialised in fine porcelain.
The vase closely resembles some early Coalport pieces from 1797-1815. Few early Coalport pieces were marked with the makerâs name, so they are hard to identify. To add to the confusion, John Roseâs brother Thomas ran a rival factory at Coalport. It produced porcelain that was very similar to the products made at John Roseâs factory. John Rose bought this rival factory in 1814.
