Char Pot

Dateca. 1785

MediumTin-glazed earthenware (delft / delftware)

DimensionsH: 1 11/16"; D: 8 5/8"(top); D: 8 7/8" (base)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1953-93

DescriptionShallow cylindrical dish with molded base and flat bottom. Bluish tin glaze decorated on the exterior with polychrome fish. Outlining in manganese-black, shading in manganese and blue-green, fins and tails in red-orange.
Label TextAlthough popular in eighteenth century delft, vessels of this form and decoration were frequently produced in creamware, pearlware, and then in whiteware up to the end of the nineteenth century. The fish "swimming" around the exterior represent char, which were made into a fish paste and stored and served in these vessels. According to Emily Manheim, this fish has been called "one of the most graceful to watch and one of the most delicious to eat. It lives in cold freshwater, and belongs to the Salmonidae family, inhabiting the lakes of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and the north of England. It was flourishing years ago, but is seldom seen in fish markets of today." Char are common in the Lake District north of Liverpool, where this pot was made.
InscribedNone
MarkingsNone
ProvenanceD. M. & P. Manheim, New York