Sauceboat

Dateca. 1750-1770

MediumStoneware, salt-glazed, white

DimensionsOH; 3 7/8"; OL; 6 11/16"; OW; 3 1/4".

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1937-220

DescriptionSauceboat: slightly spreading gadroon-borderd foot rises to four-lobed elongated oval-shaped body molded in queen's pattern with gadroon band at rim; acanthus leaves molded below spout and at top terminal of handle; extruded handle ends in flattend and kicked lower terminal.
Label TextBoth documents and the large number of surviving vessels indicate that sauces to accompany prepared foods were a prized feature of eighteenth-century dining. Although there are references to gravy in period cookbooks, the term “gravy boat” did not come into regular usage until the 1890s. In the eighteenth century, the form was known as either a butter- or sauceboat, providing a clue about the main ingredient in many colonial recipes.

The simplest versions of the sauceboat form were wheel-thrown, but most sauceboats were made by press-molding or slip-casting. Intriguingly, examples corresponding to common plate patterns, such as this one with a gadroon border and lobed pattern, were press-molded. On the other hand, slip-cast examples rarely coordinated with other dinnerware items. Some were ornamented with Greek key borders or floral patterns, while others featured whimsical designs such as grazing cows and sheep or the “boy in tree” motif. It is surprising that the archaeological evidence for slip-cast sauceboats in America is more extensive than that for similarly made teawares.
MarkingsNone found
ProvenanceVendor: Plummer, Ltd., New York
Part of dinner servic which includes tureens, platters and plates. 1937-215 to 1937-222.

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