On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Cheese Dish

1883 (designed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
Wedge-shaped cheese dishes and covers provided a hygenic storage and serving dish for sections of cheese cut from a full round. They were one of many types of dish designed to suit a particular food. Extensive glass table services became increasingly popular towards the end of the 19th century. Cheaply made, in pressed glass, such sets, which were often elaborate, became widely available. The grandest examples of cheese dish were fully cylindrical covers fitted on a circular platter and designed to hold a complete Cheddar or Stilton.

Materials & Making
The technique of press-moulding glass with the aid of a hand-operated machine was first perfected in the United States of America in the early 1820s. It took only two people to shape a measured quantity of hot glass in a heated metal mould. By simply depressing a lever, a metal plunger was lowered into the glass, forcing it into the patterned mould. By the 1830s this method had spread to Europe and Britain, giving rise to stylistic changes and revolutionising the availability of glassware. The technique made the mid-to late 19th century the first period of true mass production. In the 1890s the introduction of steam-powered presses improved quality while cutting costs even further.

People
Sowerby & Co. already had a long history when John Sowerby moved the factory to Ellison Street, Gateshead, in around 1850. He died in the mid-1870s and was succeeded by his son John George Sowerby, who introduced a wide range of coloured glass and continued the expansion and development set in motion by his father. Although the setting up of other Sowerby works by cousins of J.G. Sowerby in the late 1880s subsequently complicated the story, the Ellison Street works became enormously successful, and opened offices in Gateshead, Birmingham, London, Paris and Hamburg. In 1882 it was recorded as 'the largest pressed glass manufactory in the world'.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Cheese Dish
  • Cheese Dish
Materials and techniques
Press-moulded glass
Brief description
Cheese dish
Dimensions
  • Height: 22.4cm
  • Width: 30.4cm
  • Depth: 20.8cm
Dimensions checked: Measured; 07/07/1999 by Terry dish L 20.0, W 15.8, H 18.8Stand L 30.4, W, 20.8 and H 3.6 cms
Marks and inscriptions
Marks: maker's mark of a peacock head, moulded; diamond registration mark
Gallery label
(27/03/2003)
British Galleries:
Covered dishes for serving small pieces of cheese became common in the second half of the 19th century. The covers preserved the enticing smell of the cheese and prevented it from drying out. The wedge and the triangle were the most popular shapes, in ceramic or glass.
Credit line
Given by M. J. Franklin
Object history
Manufactured by Sowerby & Co., Ellison Glassworks, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear
Production
Design registered in 1883
Summary
Object Type
Wedge-shaped cheese dishes and covers provided a hygenic storage and serving dish for sections of cheese cut from a full round. They were one of many types of dish designed to suit a particular food. Extensive glass table services became increasingly popular towards the end of the 19th century. Cheaply made, in pressed glass, such sets, which were often elaborate, became widely available. The grandest examples of cheese dish were fully cylindrical covers fitted on a circular platter and designed to hold a complete Cheddar or Stilton.

Materials & Making
The technique of press-moulding glass with the aid of a hand-operated machine was first perfected in the United States of America in the early 1820s. It took only two people to shape a measured quantity of hot glass in a heated metal mould. By simply depressing a lever, a metal plunger was lowered into the glass, forcing it into the patterned mould. By the 1830s this method had spread to Europe and Britain, giving rise to stylistic changes and revolutionising the availability of glassware. The technique made the mid-to late 19th century the first period of true mass production. In the 1890s the introduction of steam-powered presses improved quality while cutting costs even further.

People
Sowerby & Co. already had a long history when John Sowerby moved the factory to Ellison Street, Gateshead, in around 1850. He died in the mid-1870s and was succeeded by his son John George Sowerby, who introduced a wide range of coloured glass and continued the expansion and development set in motion by his father. Although the setting up of other Sowerby works by cousins of J.G. Sowerby in the late 1880s subsequently complicated the story, the Ellison Street works became enormously successful, and opened offices in Gateshead, Birmingham, London, Paris and Hamburg. In 1882 it was recorded as 'the largest pressed glass manufactory in the world'.
Collection
Accession number
C.354&A-1983

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJune 23, 1999
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest