Wedgwood Ulysses Teapot (Taupe Jasperware)
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| Wedgwood Small Teapot in Taupe Jasperware 1 |
A Miniature Teapot Inspired by Wedgwood's Historic Forms:
Among Wedgwood's many interpretations of the classical world, the Ulysses Teapot is a particularly charming example of how historical ceramic forms could be transformed into miniature works of art.
This small Jasperware teapot was inspired by an early 19th-century teapot form, while its decoration draws upon the classical mythology and neoclassical visual language that became so closely associated with Wedgwood.
Rather than simply reproducing an ordinary household teapot, Wedgwood treated the object as a miniature historical document: the form recalls an earlier period of British ceramics, while the applied white relief decoration connects it with the long artistic tradition of Wedgwood Jasperware.
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| Wedgwood Small Teapot in Taupe Jasperware 2 |
The Ulysses Teapot and the Trojan War:
The central relief of the teapot depicts Ulysses Staying the Chariot of Victory, a dramatic classical scene associated with the hero of the Trojan War.
Ulysses is the Roman name for the Greek hero Odysseus. According to the traditional Homeric epic, The Odyssey, Odysseus became famous not only for his role in the Trojan War but also for the extraordinary adventures he experienced during his long journey home after the war.
The particular scene represented on Wedgwood objects is known as “Ulysses Staying the Chariot of Victory.” The composition shows the heroic figure intervening with a horse-drawn chariot, creating a sense of movement and dramatic action within a relatively compact relief panel.
The same subject appears on other Wedgwood Jasperware objects. The Birmingham Museum of Art, for example, records a Wedgwood Jasperware plaque entitled Ulysses Staying the Chariot of Victory, dated to about 1880 ( https://www.artsbma.org/collection/ulysses-staying-the-chariot-of-victory ) .
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| Wedgwood Small Teapot in Taupe Jasperware 3 |
Homer, Odysseus and Ulysses:
The name Ulysses can sometimes cause confusion when studying Wedgwood's classical designs.
The Greek hero is properly known as Odysseus, while Ulysses is the Latin/Roman form of his name. Wedgwood, like many European artists and designers working within the neoclassical tradition, frequently used the Roman name when referring to classical subjects.
His adventures after the Trojan War are traditionally narrated in Homer's Odyssey.
This combination of Greek mythology, Roman terminology and neoclassical artistic interpretation is particularly characteristic of Wedgwood's decorative vocabulary.
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| Wedgwood Small Teapot in Taupe Jasperware 4 |
A Miniature Historical Teapot Collection:
One of the most interesting aspects of this teapot is its place within Wedgwood's concept of historical miniature teapots.
The design concept was to carefully select six representative teapot forms from the various shapes produced during the 18th and 19th centuries, and then reproduce them on a much smaller scale.
The result was not merely a collection of miniature household objects. It was a compact survey of Wedgwood's own ceramic history.
The Ulysses Teapot therefore represents two histories at the same time:
1. the historical development of the teapot form, and
2. the historical development of Wedgwood's classical Jasperware decoration.
A surviving auction record for the six-piece Jasper Miniature Teapot Collection identifies the group as including the Ulysses, Icarus, Portland, Garland, Domestic Employment, Egyptian and Dancing Hours designs, illustrating the variety of historical and decorative themes represented in the collection.
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| Wedgwood Small Teapot in Taupe Jasperware 5 |
The Beauty of Jasperware Relief:
The real charm of this teapot becomes especially apparent when viewed closely.
The body is formed in Wedgwood's characteristic Jasperware, while the classical decoration is created through applied bas-relief, producing a subtle contrast between the matte ceramic ground and the raised decorative figures.
On this particular teapot, the relief decoration is not restricted to the central Ulysses scene. Decorative bands run around the upper and lower portions of the body, while additional classical and botanical motifs frame the central composition.
The lid is equally distinctive. Its radiating fluted decoration leads the eye toward the spherical finial, giving the small teapot an architectural quality despite its diminutive scale.
This combination of sculptural relief, restrained colour and classical symmetry is one of the reasons Jasperware remains instantly recognizable as a Wedgwood creation.
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| Wedgwood Small Teapot in Yellow and Taupe Jasperware |
The Elegant Proportion of a Small Teapot:
According to my measurements, the total length from the tip of the spout to the end of the handle is approximately: 13.5 cm. The total height, including the lid and finial, is approximately: 9.8 cm
Despite these modest dimensions, the teapot retains the complete visual vocabulary of a full-sized tea service: a defined spout, curved handle, lidded opening, decorative body, raised borders and classical central relief.
This is precisely what makes miniature historical ceramics so fascinating. Reducing the scale does not eliminate the character of the original form; instead, it concentrates the design.
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| Wedgwood Small Teapot in Taupe Jasperware 6 |
A Wonderful Example for Jasperware Collectors:
For collectors of Wedgwood Jasperware, the Ulysses Teapot is particularly attractive because it combines several important characteristics in a single object.
It has a historically inspired teapot form, a well-known classical subject, applied Jasperware relief decoration, carefully structured ornamental borders and a miniature scale that makes the piece especially appealing for display.
The central Ulysses Staying the Chariot of Victory scene is also significant because the subject can be found across a wider range of Wedgwood Jasperware objects, demonstrating how Wedgwood reused and reinterpreted successful classical relief designs across different forms.
The National Trust Collections, for instance, records a Wedgwood Jasperware matchbox from approximately 1860–1880 whose cover also features Ulysses Staying the Chariot of Victory ( https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/730500 ).
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