Description:
Dutch delft, circular two-handled strainer or drainer decorated with 15 blue fish. A variety of specialized ceramics used in dining developed in the mid-eighteenth century. Delftware strainers of this type allowed for the decorative presentation of fish while reserving the sauce and juices on a dish below; fish was most commonly served as the first course of a three-course meal. However, strainers were also used to drain or strain foods such as vegetables and salads. Strainers took two predominate forms: One version consisted of a removable strainer that fit snuggly into a compatibly shaped dish; the second, such as this example, had handles and feet that rested on a large, shallow dish. Very popular in the colonies, newspapers of the time, such as the "Boston Gazette" (Nov. 27, 1750) and the "Pennsylvania Evening Post" (July 11, 1776), had advertisements for 'Fish Dishes and Strainers', 'fish drainers', and 'Sallad Dishes and Fish Drains'. The 1770 inventory of Lord Botetourt's personal property at the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg, Virginia, recorded "6 round & 6 oval fish strainers" among the ceramics in the Servant's Hall. The 15 dark-blue fish, with their large eyes and fins, are arranged in a circular pattern with 7 fish facing left over 6 fish facing right and one fish on two sides. The applied coil handles are decorated with blue stripes; and the holes are arranged in two concentric circles around the outside edge and in a randon pattern in the center. The base has a deep groove around the circles and three, applied triangular-shaped feet. The Winterthur Museum in Delaware owns a similar fish strainer.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+60.222 |
