Description:
English creamware, cylindrical food warmer or veilleuse or night lamp or beverage warmer with a food-bowl, liner or 'bain -marie' (water reservoir used to hold hot water), pedestal stand, and covered godet. This glazed earthenware food warmer was used to keep food warm for patients or invalids or to prepare pap. Flour or bread was mixed with milk diluted with water to make pap, which could be used to wean infants off breast milk. The hollow space at the bottom was used to house an oil or spirit lamp which burned alcohol to provide a source of heat. The perforated cover was placed over the lamp and then the food was placed at the top in a lidded jar called a pannikin. Under the pannikin there is a space, known as a liner, for hot water. The steam given off from the liner warms the food. The name '"veilleuse" is probably derived from the French "veiller" (to keep vigil at night) and originally referred to any night lamp, but soon came to be applied to keeping food or beverages warm during the night for one person, and used in a sick-room, nursery, or on a bedside table. Food warmers were produced in silver and all ceramic forms (including delftware, creamware, pearlware, and porcelain) from the mid 1700's through the mid 1800's in England by a number of manufacturers, Europe, and America. Veilleuse forms are particularly difficult to date because the form did not change enormously over time. In his '1790' Catalogue, Wedgwood illustrated a "Night lamp to provide illumination and conserve hot liquids"; and several shapes are illustrated in Plate 211 the circa 1802 Shape Drawing Book, but the food warmer was probaby in production at Wedgwood's some 20 years earlier. Wedgwood's 1817 Catalogue continued to show food warmers with kettle or porringer tops, and the form of this veilleuse is very similar to Plate 15 engraved by William Blake for that 1817 catalogue. Late in the 19th century, japanned tin food warmers were produced, usually with a covered food pan, water pan, and small double-wick lamp; one was named the "Berlin Nursery Lamp." Normally varying in height from 9 to 12 inches, the food warmer form was usually a hollow pedestal, into the top of which fit a flanged container such as a covered bowl or small teapot; the container's contents were heated by by a small cup called a godet (or oil-boat, heater or spirit burner) that held a flaming wick in oil, which was passed through the small opening at the pedestal's base. The veilleuse has a slightly domed cover with a ball finial; and the food-bowl, which fits into the 'bain marie', has a small pouring spout that can be covered by a molded triangular projection on the cover and two attached elongated, strap handles on opposite sides. The pedestal stand has two curving lines of decorative piercings or openwork designs (for air circulation and some illumination); shaped opening in the front; and two ribbed strap handles. The circular godet has a lid with a small finial with a hole on the top and three holes around its rim; a small molded handle extending from one side of the cup body; and fits into a circular flange on the base.
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2006.33.65 |
