Description:
English creamware silver-form, rococo-style sauceboat molded with an elaborate female bust handle and a scene of “The Fox and the Crane” from Aesop’s Fables between stiff acanthus leaf borders. The Fable of the Fox and the Crane reads: Once upon a time there was a Fox who decided to play a trick on his friend the Crane. Fox invited Crane over for dinner, much to Crane’s delight. However, when Crane arrived, he found that Fox’s dinner consisted of soup served in a shallow dish. Fox easily lapped up his soup, but Crane’s long bill kept him from tasting a single drop. Fox was delighted with the success of his trick, but Crane went away hungry and annoyed. The next day, Crane visited Fox, thanking him for the delightful dinner and inviting Fox to have dinner at his home the next evening. Fox, always eager to avoid extra work, agreed happily. On arrival at Crane’s house, though, Fox found his dinner presented in a jar with a tall, narrow neck that was too tight for his own short snout, and he could only watch Crane enjoy his own delicious meal. The moral of this story was to treat others the way that you would like to be treated. Literate diners knew the tale and its subtle relationship to dining. This subject occurs in the numerous editions of "Fables of Aesop" by Samuel Croxall, DD., which was first published in London in 1722 as Fable no. 12. There other versions of this scene such as one engraved by S. Sparrow after O'Neals for "The Ladies Amusement" (third edtion), pl. 108. First published by the London print dealer and map seller, Robert Sayer (1725-1794) in 1759-1760, "The Ladies Amusement; or, Whole Art of Japanning Made Easy. / Illustrated in upwards of Fifteen-Hundred different Designs on Two Hundred Copper Plates; ... Drawn By Pillement and other Masters, and excellently Engraved. To which is added, in Letter-Press, The most approved Methods of Japanning, from the Preparation of the Subject to be decorated, to its being finished: with Directions for the due Choice of Composition, Colours, &c. &c...." was an important design source used by contemporary artist-designers and skilled craftsmen for the decoration of not only of Japanned wares, but for enamels, ceramics, furniture, textiles, tapestries, carpets, silver, etc. A second edition was published in 1762 and a third around 1775. A related sauceboat with a different handle is in the collection of the Leeds City Art Museums.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2006.33.85 |
