Sauce Boat
ca. 1750-1752 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Sauce boats became an essential item on the British dinner table around 1720, when French-style sauces became popular. English ceramics factories often copied sauce boats from silver ones. Early sauceboats were open boat-shaped vessels with one or two pouring lips, but late-18th-century ones were often tureen-shaped with a central foot. Either type could require an underdish to prevent spillage.
Use
The five main sauces introduced by the French were b‚chamel, brune/espagnol, tomate, mayonnaise and velout‚. Gravies made from roasted meat flavoured with wine, citrus juice, capers, herbs and spices were also popular in 18th-century Britain. Other sauces had a 'roux' base, made by combining butter or lard with flour and broth or milk, and flavoured with parsley, onions, celery, anchovies, oysters, cockles or eggs. Butter sauces, served in smaller sauce boats or butter boats, frequently accompanied vegetables. A hot sauce of wine, butter and sugar was the most common one for puddings.
Trading
Sauceboats of this general type are included in a wholesale price list of the London warehouse of the Worcester factory. Blue and white 'Sauceboats, high footed' were sold at 14, 18 and 27 shillings a dozen, according to size. This sauce boat is painted in enamels (a more expensive and laborious technique), and would have cost more.
Sauce boats became an essential item on the British dinner table around 1720, when French-style sauces became popular. English ceramics factories often copied sauce boats from silver ones. Early sauceboats were open boat-shaped vessels with one or two pouring lips, but late-18th-century ones were often tureen-shaped with a central foot. Either type could require an underdish to prevent spillage.
Use
The five main sauces introduced by the French were b‚chamel, brune/espagnol, tomate, mayonnaise and velout‚. Gravies made from roasted meat flavoured with wine, citrus juice, capers, herbs and spices were also popular in 18th-century Britain. Other sauces had a 'roux' base, made by combining butter or lard with flour and broth or milk, and flavoured with parsley, onions, celery, anchovies, oysters, cockles or eggs. Butter sauces, served in smaller sauce boats or butter boats, frequently accompanied vegetables. A hot sauce of wine, butter and sugar was the most common one for puddings.
Trading
Sauceboats of this general type are included in a wholesale price list of the London warehouse of the Worcester factory. Blue and white 'Sauceboats, high footed' were sold at 14, 18 and 27 shillings a dozen, according to size. This sauce boat is painted in enamels (a more expensive and laborious technique), and would have cost more.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Steatitic soft-paste porcelain, moulded and painted over with enamels |
| Brief description | Sauce boat of soft-paste porcelain, moulded and painted with enamels, possibly Worcester porcelain factory, Worcester or Lund and Miller, Bristol, ca. 1750-1752. |
| Physical description | Sauce boat of soft-paste porcelain, moulded and painted with enamels. Wavy edge. Sides and spreading foot moulded in relief with festoons of flowers and ribbons. Scroll handle. Border of diaper floral pattern and sprays of flowers. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'Bristoll' (In relief, painted over in enamel) |
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
Bristol was probably the first factory to use the mineral soaprock as an ingredient for making porcelain. This resulted in a resilient porcelain body. The factory was taken over by Worcester in 1752. This sauce boat may have been made at Bristol and decorated at Worcester, or made at Worcester using Bristol's moulds.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Given by E. F. Broderip, Esq. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type Sauce boats became an essential item on the British dinner table around 1720, when French-style sauces became popular. English ceramics factories often copied sauce boats from silver ones. Early sauceboats were open boat-shaped vessels with one or two pouring lips, but late-18th-century ones were often tureen-shaped with a central foot. Either type could require an underdish to prevent spillage. Use The five main sauces introduced by the French were b‚chamel, brune/espagnol, tomate, mayonnaise and velout‚. Gravies made from roasted meat flavoured with wine, citrus juice, capers, herbs and spices were also popular in 18th-century Britain. Other sauces had a 'roux' base, made by combining butter or lard with flour and broth or milk, and flavoured with parsley, onions, celery, anchovies, oysters, cockles or eggs. Butter sauces, served in smaller sauce boats or butter boats, frequently accompanied vegetables. A hot sauce of wine, butter and sugar was the most common one for puddings. Trading Sauceboats of this general type are included in a wholesale price list of the London warehouse of the Worcester factory. Blue and white 'Sauceboats, high footed' were sold at 14, 18 and 27 shillings a dozen, according to size. This sauce boat is painted in enamels (a more expensive and laborious technique), and would have cost more. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.1297-1924 |
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| Record created | December 3, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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