Description:
One of a pair of English press-molded, salt-glazed stoneware wall pockets in a cornucopia/horn shape with a wavy rim, decorated in relief with a flowering branches with flowers issuing from a vase above, on a diaperwork ground and a leaf-molded stem highlighted in green, red, yellow, blue, and pink. Fresh, dried and artificial flowers were commonly used as room decorations in the 18th centuries, and were displayed in pockets, flower bricks, vases, pots, and bowls. Wall pockets, which first appeared in China in the 17th century, reached the peak of their popularity in mid 18th century England. Wall pockets came in three basic shapes: faces (the incorporation of a human visage or grotesque mask in the design), balusters, and cornucopiae. Sold in pairs, they could be symmetrical or asymmetrical with left and right-handed shapes; examples such as these asymmetrical horns of plenty or cornucopia pockets were termed "flower horns" in 18th century documents. Wall pockets found their way to the American market in limited quantities, and advertisements for them in American newspapers are rare. William Ellery of Hartford advertised delft “flower horns” in the Connecticut Courant of November 5, 1771. The Ellery day books list sales of “1 pr. Large grane [green?] Flower horns” 6s to John Ledyard, Esquire on August 24, 1767, and another pair of “large Agle [angel or eagle?] flower horns” sold to him in May 10, 1768 for 4s 6p.18th century delftware potteries rarely produced molded forms, preferring to paint the thick tin glaze for decoration. A mold directly taken from a Staffordshire model may have inspired this design; identical examples appear in Staffordshire lead-glazed earthenware with metallic oxide colors. Given the proximity of Liverpool, where most of these pockets were produced, to Staffordshire, there was undoubtedly an active exchange of design ideas, potters, and technology. As in this example, pockets were usually constructed of press-molded fronts joined to a flat, slab back, which was invariably pierced with two holes for hanging. See HD 59.109 for plain (non-decorated) example of this design. This design was also made in tin-glazed earthenware.
Subjects:
Pottery; Enamel and enameling; glaze (coating by location); polychrome; Stoneware Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+58.221 |
