Images(3)

"Old English" Handle Porringer

Dateca.1810-1840

Maker Thomas Danforth & Sherman Boardman

OriginAmerica, Connecticut, Hartford

MediumPewter

DimensionsOverall: 6 5/16"; Diameter at rim: 4 1/4"; Height: 1 3/8"

Credit LineGift of Scott and Debra Duncan

Object number2022-173

DescriptionPewter porringer with an "Old English" lightened by nine apertures, including an upside-down heart and a shield, supported from below by a triangular bracket. Its bellied bowl has an everted rim and a raised boss surrounded by a recess at the bottom. The handle was cast directly onto the vessel, leaving a now-faint linen mark on the inside of the bowl.
Label TextCreated by the partnership of two of Thomas Danforth II's grandsons, this example serves to mark the end of the "Old English" porringer's popularity. First produced in England in the late 17th. century, it remained popular in America until the second quarter of the 19th century.
InscribedBottom of handle scratched "B BALLEN" over "B BALLEN."
MarkingsA raised "TD&SB" in relief within a rectangle is struck on the top of the handle.