Figure
1691 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
One of many unique pieces of English delftware, this object demonstrates the diversity of forms which were made possible by using soft, pliable and painted earthenware. Although there are no other comparable examples in existence, its use as a decorative container for sweetmeats on the dining table - with a secondary role as a mantlepiece ornament - seems entirely plausible.
Time
Images of 17th-century city street traders, edging their way through bustling narrow street with a basket or milk-pail on their head, are almost unknown. In the case of this inscribed and dated tin-glazed earthenware figure, the simple fact that it was made of humble materials for presentation to somebody of a similar rank has ensured its survival as an heirloom. This in turn has preserved for us a fleeting glimpse of street life in the last decade of the 17th century.
One of many unique pieces of English delftware, this object demonstrates the diversity of forms which were made possible by using soft, pliable and painted earthenware. Although there are no other comparable examples in existence, its use as a decorative container for sweetmeats on the dining table - with a secondary role as a mantlepiece ornament - seems entirely plausible.
Time
Images of 17th-century city street traders, edging their way through bustling narrow street with a basket or milk-pail on their head, are almost unknown. In the case of this inscribed and dated tin-glazed earthenware figure, the simple fact that it was made of humble materials for presentation to somebody of a similar rank has ensured its survival as an heirloom. This in turn has preserved for us a fleeting glimpse of street life in the last decade of the 17th century.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Tin-glazed earthenware, painted |
| Brief description | Figure of a woman with a tub on her head and an inscription |
| Physical description | A standing female figure wearing a stiffened bodice trimmed with lace decorated with tulips, a rose and other flowers with a trained petticoat pinned up at the back, an apron trimmed with lace and a round hat with a brim curled on the sides. On her head she carries a container intended to be a basket or a wooden pail made of vertical slats. On the centre of its interior is the inscription W M/ 1691. All the decoration is in blue. Body colour: Buff. Glaze: White. The interior of the skirt is glazed and the rim of the base has been wiped clean of glaze. Shape: The side of the container opposite the woman's raised arm seems to have had a vertical projection, now broken off, which may have served as a lug for a lid. The skirt is hollow. (Alphabetic shape codes as used in appendix to Archer. Delftware. 1997) |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | The centre of the container on her head is inscribed W M/1691. |
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
Tin-glazed earthenware was soft and pliable enough to be modelled by hand, or press-moulded into a variety of novelty shapes. This figure represents a typical London street trader of the 1670-1690 period. It may have been used on a table, perhaps as one of a pair, loaded with sweetmeats or pickles.(27/03/2003) |
| Object history | Phillips. 11:1:1978. Lot 56. Messrs. Jellinek and Sampson, London, 1978. Possibly made at the Brislington pottery, near Bristol |
| Production | Dated 1691 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type One of many unique pieces of English delftware, this object demonstrates the diversity of forms which were made possible by using soft, pliable and painted earthenware. Although there are no other comparable examples in existence, its use as a decorative container for sweetmeats on the dining table - with a secondary role as a mantlepiece ornament - seems entirely plausible. Time Images of 17th-century city street traders, edging their way through bustling narrow street with a basket or milk-pail on their head, are almost unknown. In the case of this inscribed and dated tin-glazed earthenware figure, the simple fact that it was made of humble materials for presentation to somebody of a similar rank has ensured its survival as an heirloom. This in turn has preserved for us a fleeting glimpse of street life in the last decade of the 17th century. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Other number | L4. - <u>Delftware</u> (1997) cat. no. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.60-1978 |
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| Record created | January 29, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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