Tureen thumbnail 1
Tureen thumbnail 2
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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
British Galleries, Room 118a

Tureen

ca. 1756 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
The tureen was probably for serving stewed fruit or other sweet foodstuffs during the dessert course. Other similar Chelsea tureens are known from factory sale catalogues to have been used for the dessert, and some of these match the 'English China ... Melons and Leaves for a Dessert of Fruit and Cream, or the like' that Benjamin Franklin sent his wife in 1758. The dessert was the final stage of a grand dinner, and during the 18th century it was the course on which the greatest effort and expense was lavished. Dessert wares of fine porcelain were costly and fragile, and they satisfied the same taste for artifice and luxury as the fruit and confectionery they were made to serve. Being hygienic and odour-free, ceramics were favoured above silver and other metals for serving the dessert. The tureen would have originally had a stand.

Marketing
Similar tureens were included in the Chelsea porcelain factory's auctions held in London in the mid-1750s. The London sale of 1756 included several pairs of 'fine bundles of asparagus and plates'.

Design & Designing
Ceramic vessels naturalistically modelled and painted as vegetables and animals were very fashionable in mid-18th century Europe. The fashion probably originated in France or Germany and was soon taken up in England.

Delve deeper

Discover more about this object
read Fooling the eye: Trompe l'oeil ceramics In the 18th century, a fashionable person's taste was always under scrutiny – from what they wore, to their home decoration, to the food on their table. One of the greatest representations of good taste at dinner came in the form of 'trompe l'oeil' ceramics.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Box
  • Cover
Materials and techniques
Soft-paste porcelain, painted in enamels
Brief description
Box and cover, in the form of a bundle of asparagus, porcelain, painted in colours, made at the Chelsea porcelain factory, ca. 1756

C
Physical description
Box and cover, in the form of a bundle of asparagus, porcelain, painted in colours. Asparagus moulded and coloured after nature in purple and green, bound with a brown ribbon.
Dimensions
  • Width: 17.8cm
  • Depth: 10.2cm
Dimensions checked: Registered Description; 11/10/1999 by RK
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'No 30' (inside base and cover)
  • red anchor symbol (inside base and cover)
Gallery label
British Galleries: At formal occasions, even humour was subjected to conventions. Visual 'puns', such as serving dishes in the form of food, were popular. Asparagus was cheap and abundant in the 18th century and was frequently served in soups and stews. This tureen, however, is for cream or stewed fruit.(27/03/2003)
Credit line
Bequeathed by Mr Arthur Hurst
Object history
Made at the Chelsea porcelain factory, London
Subject depicted
Summary
Object Type
The tureen was probably for serving stewed fruit or other sweet foodstuffs during the dessert course. Other similar Chelsea tureens are known from factory sale catalogues to have been used for the dessert, and some of these match the 'English China ... Melons and Leaves for a Dessert of Fruit and Cream, or the like' that Benjamin Franklin sent his wife in 1758. The dessert was the final stage of a grand dinner, and during the 18th century it was the course on which the greatest effort and expense was lavished. Dessert wares of fine porcelain were costly and fragile, and they satisfied the same taste for artifice and luxury as the fruit and confectionery they were made to serve. Being hygienic and odour-free, ceramics were favoured above silver and other metals for serving the dessert. The tureen would have originally had a stand.

Marketing
Similar tureens were included in the Chelsea porcelain factory's auctions held in London in the mid-1750s. The London sale of 1756 included several pairs of 'fine bundles of asparagus and plates'.

Design & Designing
Ceramic vessels naturalistically modelled and painted as vegetables and animals were very fashionable in mid-18th century Europe. The fashion probably originated in France or Germany and was soon taken up in England.
Collection
Accession number
C.176&A-1940

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Record createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
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