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Butter bowl: C.1695 & A-1928

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Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Production: Vauxhall Pottery

Entities

Categories

Description

Tin-glazed earthenware painted in blue, green, yellow and red with flowers in vases and Chinese figures

Buff earthenware, thrown, tin-glazed and painted in blue, green, yellow, and red. The circular bowl stands on a footring. It has a pyramidal spike in the middle, curved sides and a narrow rim on which the slightly domed cover rests. Its knob is missing. The exterior of the bowl is decorated with two Chinese figures bending forwards, alternating with stylized flowers and foliage in vases with pairs of blue leaves between them. The cover has three floral sprays alternating with three winged insects and three four-petalled flowers. The stump of the knob is encircled by two blue bands and the outer edge by a broad blue band.

Notes

History note: Mr Jolley, Cambridge from whom bought for 10s.0d. on 25 November 1904 by Dr J.W.L. Glaisher, FRS, Trinity College, Cambridge

Legal notes

Dr J.W.L. Glaisher Bequest

Measurements and weight

Height: 6.5 cm
Width: 14.2 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1928-12-07) by Glaisher, J. W. L., Dr

Dating

1720s
George I
George II
Circa 1720 CE - 1730 CE

Note

The central spike indicates that this bowl was probably used for butter. Fragments of bowls with spikes have been found in Lambeth and at Vauxhall, and the decoration of this example links it to the pottery at the latter

Components of the work

Decoration composed of high-temperature colours ( blue, green, yellow, and red)
Bowl

Materials used in production

buff Earthenware
Tin-glaze

Techniques used in production

Tin-glazing

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.1695 & A-1928
Primary reference Number: 72466
Old object number: 2197

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 30 April 2024

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Butter bowl" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/72466 Accessed: 2025-12-05 10:23:24

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/72466 |title=Butter bowl |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 10:23:24|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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