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Tureen in the form of a Melon: C.547 & A & B-1928

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An image of Tureen
An image of Tureen
Current Location: In storage

Titles

Tureen in the form of a Melon

Maker(s)

Production: Unidentified Staffordshire factory

Entities

Categories

Description

Press-moulded white salt-glazed stoneware

Off-white stoneware, press-moulded, and salt-glazed. The tureen and its cover are in the form of an oval melon with veined skin, and the stand is in the form of a leaf standing on three feet. The bowl of the tureen has the remnant of a stalk at one end, and above it a rectangular cut out in the rim to take a spoon. The domed cover has an applied handle in the form of a stalk with at each end. three leaves of different sizes which extend over the top of the cover. Inside it has an applied flange which fits inside the top edge of the bowl of the tureen. The stand has a flat area in the middle surrounded by a border of overlapping leaves, and a short stalk at one end. The three feet are conical with a cup-shaped top attached to the base of the stand.

Notes

History note: Sotheby's, 20 May, 1926, English Pottery and Porcelain, lot 101; bought by Hunt for £7 on behalf of Dr J.W.L. Glaisher, FRS, Trinity College, Cambridge.

Legal notes

Dr J. W. L. Glaisher Bequest

Acquisition and important dates

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

Dating

18th Century, third quarter
George II or George III
Circa 1755 CE - 1770 CE

Note

Tableware in the form of fruit or vegetables was an aspect of the mid-18th century Rococo style in European ceramics. The form of this tureen is close to soft-paste porcelain examples made by the Longton Hall porcelain factory, and seems likely to have been influenced by them.

School or Style

Rococo

Components of the work

Surface composed of salt-glaze
Tureen Whole Height 14.8 cm Length 18.7 cm
Stand Height 4.6 cm Length 22.5 cm Width 17.4 cm
Handle
Inside Rim

Materials used in production

off-white Stoneware

Techniques used in production

Press-moulding : White stoneware, press-moulded, and salt-glazed; the body of the tureen was moulded in two parts; the cover in one, with an applied moulded handle and leaf terminals, and inside an applied flange; the stand has three applied moulded feet
Salt-glazing

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.547 & A & B-1928
Primary reference Number: 75486
Old object number: 4897

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) "Tureen in the form of a Melon" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/75486 Accessed: 2025-12-06 10:41:42

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/75486 |title=Tureen in the form of a Melon |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-06 10:41:42|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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