Porringer

1600-1650 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
Bowls small enough to be cradled in the hand were commonly used by the general population for eating or drinking. In the early 17th century there was no established custom of using plates, knives and forks as we know them. Even wooden plates and drinking vessels (now almost entirely disappeared) were still in common use.

Trading
Trade between England (especially East Anglia where this bowl was excavated) and The Netherlands was thriving at this period, at least until the Dutch Wars towards the end of the 17th century.

Materials & Making
After potters from the Low Countries had established themselves in London in the early 17th century, the import of tin-glazed earthenware rapidly declined. There was, however, no existing native English slipware tradition to compete with these little bowls with their crudely slip-trailed animal designs. Demand continued therefore until the technique was taken up and refined by the potters of Staffordshire in the mid-17th century.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Lead-glazed earthenware, with decoration in white slip and green glaze
Brief description
Bowl or porringer, lead-glazed red earthenware depicting hare. North Holland, first half 17th century.
Physical description
Bowl or porringer, lead-glazed red earthenware with white trailed slip decoration, including the figure of a hare.
Dimensions
  • Excluding handles diameter: 13cm
  • Height: 7.8cm
  • Including handles width: 18cm
Dimensions checked: Measured; 01/10/1998 by DW
Gallery label
(27/03/2003)
British Galleries:
EARLY SLIPWARE

The use of slip (liquid clay) to pipe simple designs onto clay vessels was familiar to Roman potters and became popular in The Netherlands after 1600. The farmer-potters of Wrotham, Kent were influenced by slipware bowls from The Netherlands and also by stoneware bottles from Germany, with applied moulded decoration. They supplied a purely local market and had no influence on mainstream developments in Staffordshire.
Object history
Said to have been excavated in Colchester.
Excavated at Colchester, Essex Made in the northern Netherlands
Subject depicted
Summary
Object Type
Bowls small enough to be cradled in the hand were commonly used by the general population for eating or drinking. In the early 17th century there was no established custom of using plates, knives and forks as we know them. Even wooden plates and drinking vessels (now almost entirely disappeared) were still in common use.

Trading
Trade between England (especially East Anglia where this bowl was excavated) and The Netherlands was thriving at this period, at least until the Dutch Wars towards the end of the 17th century.

Materials & Making
After potters from the Low Countries had established themselves in London in the early 17th century, the import of tin-glazed earthenware rapidly declined. There was, however, no existing native English slipware tradition to compete with these little bowls with their crudely slip-trailed animal designs. Demand continued therefore until the technique was taken up and refined by the potters of Staffordshire in the mid-17th century.
Bibliographic reference
Hildyard, Robin. European Ceramics. London : V&A Publications, 1999. 144 p., ill. ISBN 185177260X
Collection
Accession number
C.38-1966

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Record createdNovember 15, 2002
Record URL
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