Lidded Serving Dish
MakerPossibly made by
Staffordshire potteries
(English, 17th century-present)
Dateabout 1830s
MediumDrape-molded buff-colored earthenware with a blue-tinted glaze and underglaze cobalt blue decoration
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height including lid x width x depth): 6 3/4 x 10 1/4 x 10 1/4in. (17.1 x 26 x 26cm)
ClassificationsCeramics
Credit LineBequest of Martha R. Lambert
Object number1979.68.201a-b
DescriptionSquare, eight-sided, lidded and footed buff-colored earthenware serving dish with a blue-tinted glaze, a type of ceramic known as pearlware. The serving dish (.a) and lid (.b) are decorated in a pale blue, transfer-printed underglaze decoration. The transfer-printed scenes show romanticized landscapes with waterfalls, hills, trees, and castles. The primary landscape, located on the inside bottom of the dish and the top of the domed lid, shows four people wearing clothing appropriate to the second quarter of the nineteenth century, standing on a cliff overlooking a river. In the far middle distance, the river originates among several rugged mountains and cascades down to the cliff in a series of waterfalls. A large structure is located on the left bank and appears to be a castle or villa influenced by Italian architecture. Trees and two tents are located on the right bank of the river. On both the lid and the dish, the primary landscape is surrounded by a side border. This border divides the rim of the dish and the lid into panels, with flowers and meandering vines running the length of the border. The outside of the dish has four small transfer-printed scenes with subjects related to the larger landscape: an Italian villa, rivers and mountain, tents beneath trees. The foot of the dish has a smaller version of the same border that decorates the inside of the dish and lid. A small molded finial is applied to the center of the domed lid. The landscape on the lid is designed to go around the handle.
The dish has an accumulation of dirt at the rim, and three brown spots on the landscape, probably the result of imperfections in the earthenware or glaze. The foot shows patterns of wear and dirt accumulation indicating use over time.
NotesHistorical Note: The home of Martha Ruhamah Tryon Lambert (1892-1979) was located at 712 Main Street in South Glastonbury, Connecticut.The dish has an accumulation of dirt at the rim, and three brown spots on the landscape, probably the result of imperfections in the earthenware or glaze. The foot shows patterns of wear and dirt accumulation indicating use over time.
Status
Not on view
