Milk Pan thumbnail 1
Milk Pan thumbnail 2
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On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Milk Pan

ca. 1694 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
Milk pans were used in special dairy buildings on great estates. Fresh milk would be brought daily to the dairy and poured into these shallow pans to allow the cream to settle. This was then skimmed off and churned into butter. The management of the dairy was seen as a highly appropriate female pastime, associated with romantic notions of goodness and simplicity. From the late 17th century onwards, it became fashionable to embellish dairies with sumptuous decorations.

People
Mary II (1662-1694) had temporary lodgings at Hampton Court in the old Water Gallery, a detached Tudor building fronting the Thames. From 1689 the building was remodelled in contemporary style after designs by Daniel Marot. It had a balcony on to the water and was decked with China and fine pictures. According to the writer Daniel Defoe, it had a 'dairy, with all its conveniences, in which the Queen took great delight'. Unfortunately Mary II did not live long to enjoy it; she died in 1694. All the surviving milk pans that are thought to have come from this dairy bear the mark of Adrianus Kocx, proprietor of the prestigious 'Greek A' factory in Delft, The Netherlands, from 1686 to 1701. At the time of her death, Mary II owed him £122 14s 9d for 'Dutch China or ware'.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Tin-glazed earthenware, painted in blue
Brief description
Delft Cream Pan
Dimensions
  • Height: 12.1cm
  • Diameter: 48.2cm
Dimensions checked: Measured; 07/01/1999 by sp
Marks and inscriptions
Inscribed with AK in blue for Adrianus Kocx (died in Delft, The Netherlands, 1701)
Gallery label
(27/03/2003)
British Galleries:
DELFTWARE FROM HAMPTON COURT
Queen Mary's Water Gallery at Hampton Court was furnished to designs by Daniel Marot (1661-1752). The delftware closet was hung with panels four tiles high and the Dairy equipped with milk pans. The tiles celebrate military success. Here, the soldier's flag bears the royal monogram WM. A companion tile shows William III on horseback. The tiles share the decorative framework of acanthus and strapwork. The milk pans are decorated with pastoral landscapes based on contemporary prints.
Object history
Probably after designs by Daniel Marot (born in Paris, 1661, died in The Hague, The Netherlands, 1752)
Made in Delft, The Netherlands
Summary
Object Type
Milk pans were used in special dairy buildings on great estates. Fresh milk would be brought daily to the dairy and poured into these shallow pans to allow the cream to settle. This was then skimmed off and churned into butter. The management of the dairy was seen as a highly appropriate female pastime, associated with romantic notions of goodness and simplicity. From the late 17th century onwards, it became fashionable to embellish dairies with sumptuous decorations.

People
Mary II (1662-1694) had temporary lodgings at Hampton Court in the old Water Gallery, a detached Tudor building fronting the Thames. From 1689 the building was remodelled in contemporary style after designs by Daniel Marot. It had a balcony on to the water and was decked with China and fine pictures. According to the writer Daniel Defoe, it had a 'dairy, with all its conveniences, in which the Queen took great delight'. Unfortunately Mary II did not live long to enjoy it; she died in 1694. All the surviving milk pans that are thought to have come from this dairy bear the mark of Adrianus Kocx, proprietor of the prestigious 'Greek A' factory in Delft, The Netherlands, from 1686 to 1701. At the time of her death, Mary II owed him £122 14s 9d for 'Dutch China or ware'.
Collection
Accession number
C.57-1948

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Record createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
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