Description:
English pearlware white leaf-shaped, shallow pickle or sweatmeat dish with a cobalt blue rim edge, which is impressed "Davenport" on the base. Pickle shells or pickle leaves were popular forms for the elegant dining table; Imitiating naturalistic forms such as shells and leaves, British earthenware potters of the late 18th and early 19th centuries produced large quantities of both creamware and pearlware forms. George Washington owned Chinese blue and white porcelain and creamware pickle shells. After a partnership with Thomas Wolfe at the Islington China Works in Liverpool, John Davenport (1765-1848) took over John Brindley's Longport factory in 1784 where he produced both pottery and glass until he retired in 1830. The pottery was continued by his sons, Henry and William, but was in poor financial state under William's son, Henry, finally failing in 1887. The firm seems to have been been meticulous in marking its wares. The standard impressed mark consisted of the name Davenport curving above an anchor, with the name in lower case letters up to about 1815, but thereafter in capital letters. After about 1830, numbers were impressed on either side of the anchor to give the date of potting, such as the "4" and "8" for 1848. A wide variety of printed marks were used after 1830, almost invariably including simply the surname Davenport rather than any identifying initials. The place, Longport, also appears in later marks. The style of the printed cartouches as with the patterns, tended to follow current fashion. The body is molded with the veining of a leaf; rim is decorated in underglaze blue enamel; base has three conical feet.
Label Text:
Pickle leaves were filled with savory pickles during first or second course of dinner or could contain sweetmeats and be incorporated into the dessert service.
Subjects:
Pottery; glaze (coating by location) Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+90.209 |
