Chamber Pot

Date1720-1740

OriginEurope, Germany, Westerwald, Hohr-Grenzhausen

MediumSalt-glazed stoneware

DimensionsOverall: 5 1/16 x 7 1/8 x 8 13/16in. (12.9 x 18.1 x 22.4cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1962-121

DescriptionChamber pot: gray salt-glazed stoneware with blue decoration. The piece encircled by molded designs of lions rampant outlined in cobalt and incised floral motifs.
Label TextBy about 1710, the decorative scheme for Westerwald chamber pots had become codified, and the formulaic pattern with sprig-applied crowned lions flanking incised rosette medallions (1962-121) was repeated throughout the remainder of the century. Standard gray and blue stoneware chamber pots of the eighteenth century are almost impossible to date definitively. Sometimes the lions are uncrowned or oval wreaths replace the medallions, but these variants are rare and their significance, if any, is currently unknown. Prosaic usage aside, there is persuasive evidence that chamber pots were pressed into service in a variety of other ways. In addition to being placed under bedsteads for nighttime convenience, these handy vessels also held artisans’ materials such as paint, size, and glue and household commodities like coal. Among the artifacts recovered from the excavation of Hay’s cabinetmaking shop in Williamsburg are two typical Westerwald chamber pots with dried residue from red and white paint still present. They likely were broken and discarded around 1765.
ProvenancePurchased from F. S. Thomas, London

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