Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Sheffield Silver Salver, 18th Century

Click on image to enlarge.

Silver Salver
Sheffield, 1740-1780
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the Eighteenth Century, small silver salvers (wee trays with no handles) were used for a variety of purposes such as presenting a glass or small object to the master of the house. However, by the mid Eighteenth Century, salvers were mostly used to carry letters, cards or newspapers. For a servant to hand something directly to the master of the house was considered very bad form, so, the silver salver served as a handy go-between.

Salvers were usually round or slightly oval. Every so often, they were made in a square or polygonal form, often with rounded corners. They, more often than not, featured little silver feeties upon which the tray could rest when left upon a flat surface such as a center table or sideboard.

This circular example with three feet is made in Sheffield plate—coated with silver on both sides, but with the upper layer being thicker to better withstand the wear that the top of the object would receive. Furthermore, thicker silver on the top surface allowed sufficient material for a coat of arms or monogram to be engraved without exposing the base metal of the copper core. Such salvers were typically engraved. This one, for example, has been adorned with a coat of arms and branches of laurel and palm. This salver is an excellent example of the type of salvers made in Sheffield between 1740 and 1780.

To Serve and Project: The Diana Coral Spoon, 1530-40

The Victoria & Albert Museum

This outstanding spoon features a silver-gilt bowl and a handle which has been formed from a branch of red coral. The bowl of the spoon bears an unidentified shield of arms, a coronet (probably of a Duke), initials, and adornment with elaborate scrolling patterns. The gilt bottom of the handle is decorated with classical heads in low relief. These busts represent the goddess Diana, identified by a crescent moon, her symbol, above.

Most likely, this was once part of a set, but after nearly five hundred years, it’s impossible to tell whether it paired with a knife or fork, or whether it was part of an impressive cutlery set. According to the V&A, “a similar coral-handled spoon, together with a matching knife and fork, was purchased around 1579 by the Elector Augustus of Saxony, who had one of the largest-known collections of coral-handled cutlery.”

Coral was prized for its beauty, but it was also believed to possess protective properties, such as the power to ward off evil magic. In the Sixteenth Century, for coral to be used in cutlery shows not only the desire for something beautiful, but perhaps a wish to be protected from malevolent forces which might have poisoned the food.

Though most coral pieces were made in Italy, this spoon appears to have been made in Germany.

To Serve and Project: The Summer Tile, 1881

Tile of "Summer"
Kate Greenaway, 1881
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the late Nineteenth Century, ceramic wall tiles were considered quite fashionable and the demand for them grew considerably, especially to be used in conjunction with fireplaces since the new cast-iron grates that began to appear during this period were specifically designed to be set with tiles. The tiles were fitted to metal panels that bolted onto the frame. At the start of this trend, pictorial tiles with pastoral scenes were especially popular and, often, tiles with series of different scenes were used.

The invention of “dust-pressing,” which developed in the 1840s, aided the mass production of tiles. The process allowed tiles to be formed by compacting powdered clay under high pressure in a screw-press. As many as 1,800 tiles a day—of a consistently high quality--could made on a single press, operated by two people. The result was tiles which were much less prone to warping than earlier examples.

Here, we see a tile made in such a manner—in 1881. It is one of a set of four tiles of the seasons. In this example, a woman is in her garden watering flowers, wearing a Japanese hairstyle and clothing. The style of the figure on this tile is close in appearance to figures drawn by one Kate Greenaway (1846-1901)-- one of the most celebrated children's book illustrators of the period. It is highly likely to have been her work since she often lent her talents to especially commissioned tile pieces.

To Serve and Project: The John Addis Jun Ware Bottle, 12th C.

Jun Ware Bottle, Song Dynasty, 12th C.
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This celestite blue bottle is representative of a type of Chinese ceramics known as Jun ware. Overall, Chinese ceramics are typically categorized by the geographical area in which they were made since the kilns of a particular region usually only produced one or two types of ceramics at any given time in history. 

Jun ware was a product of the kilns of the Henan province, reaching its apex during the Song dynasty (960-1279). This pottery is identified visually by its coarse stoneware body and its shiny blue glaze. Another identifying characteristic is the presence of a red spot or spots on the vessels, a visual cue evident in this example. This is due to the copper-rich pigment on the ceramic body beneath the glaze.

While some types of Chinese ceramics were made exclusively for the imperial household, Jun ware, conversely, was produced for popular. By the Qing dynasty the status of these ceramics had elevated since the Qianlong emperor (reigned 1736-95) was an admirer of them and used them for decorating his home.

To Serve and Project: A Meissen Coffee Pot and Cover, c. 1740

Coffee Pot
Meissen Porcelain Factory
circa 1740
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here’s a lovely pear-shaped coffee pot made by Germany’s Meissen Porcelain Factory and, possibly, decorated with enamels in the Netherlands. The coffee pot and cover are slightly gilded and the body of the pot depicts a pastoral scene of a shepherd who sits beside a stream. Near him a girl is spinning wool. They are surrounded by sheep who graze by a windmill and their faithful dog lies at their feet. 

The pot features a handsome scrolled loop handle and a projecting lip for pouring. The domed cover is typical of mid-Eighteenth Century Meissen Porcelain. It’s believed that once the pot was made in Germany, it was exported to Holland where it was painted. However, some curators challenge this idea and suggest that it was painted in England. 

The Home Beautiful: An Egg Stand, 1785

Sheffield Plate Egg Stand
Sheffield, 1785
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Eggcup sets or egg cruets first came about in the Eighteenth Century during a period when the upper classes began a long-standing preoccupation with elegant and refined dining. The earliest recorded eggcup frame that’s been found thus far dates to about 1740.

This egg stand was made around 1785 in Britain of Sheffield Plate (copper plated with silver) and conveniently boasts a salt cellar, in the center of the stand, in the form of an oval basket with a swing handle. Originally this cellar would have had a (probably cobalt blue) glass liner to protect the silver from the corrosive effects of the salt.


The stand and the pierced and chased egg cups are made in the Neo-classical style. This very clever contraption also features hooks for six egg spoons (which are now, sadly, missing).  Boiled eggs would have been nestled in each cup and carried into the dining room by a footman on the stand. Then, each person at table would have been given his or her own egg cup and spoon and could have salted his or her egg from the central cellar. 

To Serve and Project: The Bow Porcelain Coffee Pot, 1760

Coffee Pot
Bow Porcelain Factory, 1760
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This ornate pot was for intended for making and serving coffee. In the Eighteenth Century, when this coffee pot was made, coffee was usually drunk with milk, and often sweetened with sugar. At the time, Britain was importing approximately 3,000,000 lbs of coffee beans per annum, and nearly two-thirds of that came from plantations in the West Indies with the remainder from Arabia.

Coffee pots very similar to this one were made at the Niderviller faïence factory in Lorraine on the edge of eastern France. This example, from c. 1760, was made in at the Bow Porcelain Factory, London. Both the Bow and Niderviller pieces were possibly copied from an original pot which was made at the Italian Doccia porcelain factory near Florence.


The Bow factory use a porcelain making technique which strengthened the material with bone ash, making it suitable for tea- and table-wares. Bow was primarily concerned with utilitarian wares, but every so often, they’d create a special luxury piece like this one.

The pot is baluster shaped and it is modeled with a Rococo scroll and shell motif. The piece has been painted with exotic birds; with scrolls picked out in puce, blue and gilding.

To Serve and Project: The Diana Coral Spoon, 1530-40

The Victoria & Albert Museum

This outstanding spoon features a silver-gilt bowl and a handle which has been formed from a branch of red coral. The bowl of the spoon bears an unidentified shield of arms, a coronet (probably of a Duke), initials, and adornment with elaborate scrolling patterns. The gilt bottom of the handle is decorated with classical heads in low relief. These busts represent the goddess Diana, identified by a crescent moon, her symbol, above.

Most likely, this was once part of a set, but after nearly five hundred years, it’s impossible to tell whether it paired with a knife or fork, or whether it was part of an impressive cutlery set. According to the V&A, “a similar coral-handled spoon, together with a matching knife and fork, was purchased around 1579 by the Elector Augustus of Saxony, who had one of the largest-known collections of coral-handled cutlery.”

Coral was prized for its beauty, but it was also believed to possess protective properties, such as the power to ward off evil magic. In the Sixteenth Century, for coral to be used in cutlery shows not only the desire for something beautiful, but perhaps a wish to be protected from malevolent forces which might have poisoned the food.

Though most coral pieces were made in Italy, this spoon appears to have been made in Germany.

To Serve and Project: The Adams Fish Slice, 1850-1851

Fish Slice
Chawner & Co, London
1850-1851
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The Eighteenth Century saw a real turning point in the “table manners” business. More so than in any other century, diners increasingly became aware of how and what they were eating and what they were using to eat it. During this period, new utensil and implements were developed to make the experience of dining more refined, to make the whole of the meal more elegant and special, and, to distance the diner from actually having to touch the food.

I like this concept. I’m a fan of utensils—both enjoying their sculptural and artistic qualities, and, using them. I’m also a fan of a well-set table and a proper meal. After having braces, well over twenty years ago, I found myself unable to pick up a piece of food with my hands and eat it. Braces hinder one’s ability to bite neatly, you know. It’s only been recently—honestly, in my thirty-eighth year of life—that I’ve relearned how to eat “with my face.” I can now pick up a piece of pizza and eat it. I can also cram a sandwich into my mouth without fear. Hell, I even ate corn on the cob this year without first having my long-suffering father first have to cut it off the cob as one might do for an octogenarian. But, enough of my weirdness (though I think some of you enjoy my random admissions).

Where was I? Oh, yes, antique fish slice. Among the utensils developed to newly elegant proportions during the Eighteenth Century were attractive fish slices. These implements were used for exactly what their name implies. The fish slice was among the first of the family of utensils which dictated “you can only use this thing for this purpose.” By the mid-Nineteenth Century when the Victorian’s got their properly-gloved mitts on everything, dining had become such an all-consuming, elaborate affair and theatrical ritual that there were even different fish slices for different fish. See, I think that’s quite lovely.

The first fish slices which were developed in the early part of the Eighteenth Century rather resembled a garden trowel. But, by the end of the century, they’d become quite a different thing. Some were flat like cake slices, some were oblong and curvy and some even had a boat shape. These implements provided ample room for adornment. Those with asymmetrical blades especially tended toward being the perfect palette for Rococo-style fussiness. While the handles always matched the other sterling flatware of the household, the blades could be adorned with imagery appropriate to the food—reeds or shells, and, sometimes, even, fishies.  

Just like the one pictured above...

This example is a solid representation of a Victorian fish slice. It was made of silver with pierced and cast decoration by the London firm of Chawner & Co at the end of 1850. Under the direction of one George Adams (1808-1895), this fish carver was created to showcase the fineness of Chawner’s craftsmen. The piece was exhibited both at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and the later International Exhibition of 1862.

This piece, like many later fish slices—especially those of the Victorian era—was paired with a matching fork. Both feature a crest on the handle of a man with a ladder and a tree. And, both are marked for George Adams and Charner & Co. 

And, yes, I did just write that much about fish slices. 

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Sheffield Silver Salver, 18th Century

Click on image to enlarge.

Silver Salver
Sheffield, 1740-1780
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the Eighteenth Century, small silver salvers (wee trays with no handles) were used for a variety of purposes such as presenting a glass or small object to the master of the house. However, by the mid Eighteenth Century, salvers were mostly used to carry letters, cards or newspapers. For a servant to hand something directly to the master of the house was considered very bad form, so, the silver salver served as a handy go-between.

Salvers were usually round or slightly oval. Every so often, they were made in a square or polygonal form, often with rounded corners. They, more often than not, featured little silver feeties upon which the tray could rest when left upon a flat surface such as a center table or sideboard.

This circular example with three feet is made in Sheffield plate—coated with silver on both sides, but with the upper layer being thicker to better withstand the wear that the top of the object would receive. Furthermore, thicker silver on the top surface allowed sufficient material for a coat of arms or monogram to be engraved without exposing the base metal of the copper core. Such salvers were typically engraved. This one, for example, has been adorned with a coat of arms and branches of laurel and palm. This salver is an excellent example of the type of salvers made in Sheffield between 1740 and 1780.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Parian Punch and Judy Jug

Jug
Circa 1880
This and all related images from
The Victoria & Albert Museum

I find this to be a rather odd item.  It's parian/biscuit, but it's glazed.  Parian isn't usually glazed, which, actually is what makes it parian as opposed to "porcelain."  The whole point of parian was to mimic the look of costly marble items and allow for mass production of attractive, affordable art pieces.  Every so often, however, parian items found themselves glazed so that they'd actually be useful.  Such is the case of this peculiar jug.

Though it's hard to see, this pale blue Parian ware jug features a charming relief on both sides.  Each side has the raised title, "PUNCH."  On one side, in relief, we see a depiction
of Mr. Punch seated in front of an easel behind which is his dog Toby.  The other side shows two figures surrounding a traditional Punch and Judy booth.  Always at his best, our Mr. Punch hangs from the proscenium opening reaching down to the figures in front of the booth who most likely represent his Mrs. Punch and the baby.

The Home Beautiful: The De Morgan Punch Bowl, 1900

The De Morgan Punch Bowl
De Morgan Pottery
1900
The Victoria & Albert Museum

No, this is not a bowl for Mr. Punch to sit in, it’s a bowl from which Mr. Punch could have enjoyed a glass of punch.

This rather monumental bowl was described on its acquisition as a punch bowl but it was certainly never used as such. It’s lived a more decorative life than a practical one.  The bowl’s large size made it a perfect medium for scenic decoration and the subject matter of the design are taken from the celebrated Hispano-Moresque ship bowls of Fourteenth Century Malaga.  These ship bowls are among the most prized of ceramics for collectors of such things and museums.

This is the work of William De Morgan (1839-1917) whose ceramics were avidly collected by admirers. De Morgan was a close friend of William Morris (1834-1896) and the two collected ceramics, textiles and other art works from Persia (or, as we now call it, Iran), Turkey and China.  The pair was very much influenced in their own work by the designs of the pieces they collected.

This earthenware bowl is painted in deep turquoise blues and purples, and is an excellent example of De Morgan's "Persian" wares.   De Morgan finished the piece around 1900 at the De Morgan pottery, Sands End, Fulham, London.  It was painted by Frederick Passenger (active  1898-1907).

To Serve and Project: The Minton Phoenix Dish, c. 1825

Click Image for Original Size Picture
Dish, c. 1825
Minton &  Co.
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made at Minton’s Stoke-on-Trent factory, this porcelain plate is painted in enamel colors and adorned with fine gilding. Dating to about 1825, this oval plate features a high, shaped rim which frames the oval panel in the center which depicts flowering plants.

Two birds, based on Chinese paintings, adorn the plate. I’d guess they were meant to represent the phoenix. The sides come alive with panels of cloud ornament while the high rim is decorated with rosettes and a pattern of dots on a blue ground. Eight floral scenes punctuate the rim.

The 1820s, especially in England, saw a stylistic turn, a stylized nod to Asian themes, which found a comfortable spot in the home. Such Asian-inspired motifs adorned everything from porcelain to furnishings and offered an interesting counterpoint to the heavier, darker pieces which had long been in fashion. 

The Home Beautiful: A Silver Cheese Stand, 1760

Silver Cheese Stand
England, 1760
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the Eighteenth Century, cheese wasn’t just a sandwich’s best friend, it was a course all of it’s own. Actually, it still is—sometimes. But, cheese seems to have lost it’s important role in the culture of food. This dairy product enjoyed a period where it was treated with great respect.

Here’s an example of the care with which cheese was handled. Here, we see, a silver cheese stand or plate which would have been used to serve a large, whole cheese. The cheese would have been placed on the dining table towards the end of the meal, before or in place of the dessert. The cradle shape of this silver vessel held the circular cheese upright as it rested on its side. Cheese plates in silver are very rare as they were usually constructed in wood. In fact, this is one of only four similar plates that have ever been discovered.

This lovely plate of pierced and engraved silver was ordered by Brownlow Cecil, 9th Earl of Exeter (1725-1793), from the London goldsmiths Parker and Wakelin. The cheese plate cost the Earl £37 7s 6d; the engraving of his coat of arms, crests and coronets was an extra 15 shillings. That’s a lot of cheese.

To Serve and Project: The Dresser Vegetable Dish and Lid, 1884

Vegetable Dish and Lid
Christopher Dresser, 1884
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Designed by the famed Christopher Dresser (1834 – 1904) for Old Hall Works in 1884, this vegetable dish is from a dinner service of earthenware is adorned with a transfer-printed pattern. As we know, these were the most affordable methods of creating dinnerware at the time, and, so, materially, the set is not out of the ordinary. However, Dresser didn’t create anything which didn’t have something special about it, and this dinner set does have some interesting features.

Christopher Dresser was as much of a slave to practicality as he was to beauty. With this set, he included some special features which were designed to make life easier. For example, Dresser designed an extra dip in the soup bowls to help in scooping up the last spoonful. The design of the dinner plates incorporated indentations in the rims for condiments and sauces.

The design of the set is perfectly represented by this vegetable dish and lid with their strongly geometric form. This shape was typical of Dresser's design style as was the decoration. He trained as a botanist and, therefore, always had an interest in organic forms. Even during his own lifetime, Dresser was described as a “pioneer of modern design” and one of the most prolific designers of his time. He famously promoted quality, machine production and the use and discovery of new materials. Furthermore, his work was considered quite fashionable—elegant enough for the finest homes, but inexpensive enough for daily use.

Though made in 1884, this particular design was not registered until 1886. Curiously, Dresser called the pattern “Shanghai” even though there is no hint of Chinese or Asian ornament or style. The Victorians enjoyed referring to china patterns by unrelated names. Dresser also introduced two other patterns the same year, both named for places which had nothing to do with their design—“Persian” and “Hampden.”

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Pomona Serving Dish

The Victoria and Albert Museum

Here's a serving dish which would make any host or hostess proud. It is decorated with images that are influenced by typically asymmetrical Japanese designs. Such dishes were manufactured in large numbers and were meant to appeal to the late Nineteenth-Century customer with little money to spare.

The composition of the design of this transfer-printed pattern includes asymmetrically placed, unrelated scenes unified by an apple tree which is set in a marshy landscape. Two of the scenes appear to be of the British countryside, while the third is, rather curiously of a pelican. The pattern is named "Pomona" after the goddess of fruit, especially apple, trees.

This is probably the work of Worthington & Harrop of the Dresden Works, Hanley, Staffordshire, which is known to have been in operation from 1856 to 1873. However, it might also have been made by Wood & Hulme (Henry Hulme) of Garfield Pottery, Burslem, Staffordshire, operating from about 1882 to 1932. Oddly enough, both of these potteries used "W&H" as their mark.

The Art of Play: A Child's Chafing Dish, 1912-1918

Chafing Dish
1912-1918
Staffordshire
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Teddy bears had become very popular very quickly at the beginning of the 20th century.  Not only were the actual bears themselves all the rage, but depictions of teddy bears began to appear on a variety of objects.

Of great interest to many was the idea of bears behaving like humans.  This was a popular theme for many a drawing, and such images began to adorn all sorts of items—both for adults and children. 

Here’s one such item designed for a child.

On this dish, we see images of bears performing various sporting activities including cricket, football, skating and golf. It’s a chafing dish--when filled with hot water, the metal base kept the child's food warm.  Seems like a recipe for scaling to me.  But, what do I know?  Other such dishes showed bears dressed in suits and gowns for an elegant  ball.

The dish was made in Staffordshire between 1912 and 1918 by John Aynsley & Sons Ltd.  

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Bow Porcelain Coffee Pot, 1760

Coffee Pot
Bow Porcelain Factory, 1760
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This ornate pot was for intended for making and serving coffee. In the Eighteenth Century, when this coffee pot was made, coffee was usually drunk with milk, and often sweetened with sugar. At the time, Britain was importing approximately 3,000,000 lbs of coffee beans per annum, and nearly two-thirds of that came from plantations in the West Indies with the remainder from Arabia.

Coffee pots very similar to this one were made at the Niderviller faïence factory in Lorraine on the edge of eastern France. This example, from c. 1760, was made in at the Bow Porcelain Factory, London. Both the Bow and Niderviller pieces were possibly copied from an original pot which was made at the Italian Doccia porcelain factory near Florence.


The Bow factory use a porcelain making technique which strengthened the material with bone ash, making it suitable for tea- and table-wares. Bow was primarily concerned with utilitarian wares, but every so often, they’d create a special luxury piece like this one.

The pot is baluster shaped and it is modeled with a Rococo scroll and shell motif. The piece has been painted with exotic birds; with scrolls picked out in puce, blue and gilding.

The Home Beautiful: An Egg Stand, 1785

Sheffield Plate Egg Stand
Sheffield, 1785
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Eggcup sets or egg cruets first came about in the Eighteenth Century during a period when the upper classes began a long-standing preoccupation with elegant and refined dining. The earliest recorded eggcup frame that’s been found thus far dates to about 1740.

This egg stand was made around 1785 in Britain of Sheffield Plate (copper plated with silver) and conveniently boasts a salt cellar, in the center of the stand, in the form of an oval basket with a swing handle. Originally this cellar would have had a (probably cobalt blue) glass liner to protect the silver from the corrosive effects of the salt.


The stand and the pierced and chased egg cups are made in the Neo-classical style. This very clever contraption also features hooks for six egg spoons (which are now, sadly, missing).Boiled eggs would have been nestled in each cup and carried into the dining room by a footman on the stand. Then, each person at table would have been given his or her own egg cup and spoon and could have salted his or her egg from the central cellar. 

To Serve and Project: A Glass Epergne, 1895

Epergne
English, 1895
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The decoration of a Victorian dinner table was as important as the meal which was set upon it. Most households, especially those of the middle or upper classes, collected a variety of centerpieces to adorn their dining room tables when in use and when not. Most centerpieces included some variation of a vase or flower stand which would sometimes serve as a base for more elaborate displays.

An Epergne is a table centerpiece which usually incorporated a central bowl as a support for several tiers of other stands and containers used for anything from flowers to candy. These glass structures with their tiers of holders allowed both the designer (who provided a well-balanced framework to support the tiers), and the glassblower to work together to create impressive works of art. The third set of hands in the process of creating an epergne was the craftsman who fitted the various glass parts together with brass mounts set in plaster.

The epergne proved to be a popular home accessory well into the Twentieth Century. As time passed, they became increasingly complicated with some examples incorporating candelabra and suspended bon-bon dishes in addition to additional holders for flowers. Sometimes, in fact, lights, mirrors and a variety of twists, volutes, fronds, crimping and colors were incorporated into these designs.

This example is quite subdued, really. A masterpiece of hand-blown and hot-worked glass, blue-colored and opalescent is set into decorative glass mounts. Made in England in 1895, this epergne now resides at the V&A.