toleware, any object of japanned (varnished) tinplate and pewter. The term is derived from the French name for such objects, tôle peinte. The tinplate sheets of iron or steel dipped in molten tin or pewter (an alloy of tin and copper) were worked into a variety of domestic and decorative items, such as teapots, trays, urns, and candlesticks. The objects then were japanned with a varnish that differed from area to area but was generally based on a mixture of linseed oil, driers, and colours. Principal centres for the production of tolewares were Pontypool (see Pontypool ware) and Usk in England, Zeist and Hoorn in Holland, Paris, and, in the United States, Pennsylvania. The trade began in Europe in the first half of the 18th century, a little later in the United States, and had all but ceased by the end of the 19th century.