Description:
English delft bottle decorated with a chinoiserie scene in blue of a man fishing. This form, which was normally described as "bottle" or "water bottle" in inventories, was also known as "guglet", probably for the sound of the liquid being poured out. This rare mallet-shaped bottle is based on contemporary glass examples. Norfolk, Virginia, shopkeepers - Balfour and Barraud - may have indicated bottles of this shape in their advertisement for "delf bottles" in the July 25, 1766, issue of the "Virginia Gazette". Like its glass counterpart, this bottle held wines and spirits, rather than dispensing water for hand and body washing. Bottles for washing traditionally have a baluster shape with round bases. Pottery containers for wine are rare in the eighteenth century since the use of glass bottles and decanters had become pervasive by then, in part because of the advantage of seeing the color of the wine though the glass. The cylindrical bottle has an angular "string rim" at the mouth, dark blue painted ring at the lip; over a long narrow neck surrounded at the top with stiff leaf and grass tuft shapes; sloping shoulders; round body decorated with the man holding his fishing rod with its line dangling in the water, rocks, trees, foliage, and running fence; and a flat base. A bottle resembling this one has been paired, in the 20th century, with a basin that depicts a portion of the same scene and has grape bunches forming the border. (see Chipstone #1964.9). Based on their shared motifs this bottle and basin can be considered a set. Although bottles of this shape, especially with grape motifs, normally would be assumed to have been used for serving wine, if the bottle and basin grouping is appropriate, hygienic uses can not be ruled out.
Tags:
fishing Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+67.208 |
