Recess tile

Dateca. 1760

MediumTin-glazed earthenware (delft / delftware)

DimensionsH: 10"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1982-207

DescriptionFlat rectangular tile containing recess with a domed top and a flat base. Whitish tin glaze decorated in blue with Venus and Cupid on a plinth inside the recess; on the tile, an overall design incorporating stylized flowers and a cherub at each corner.
Label TextThe function of this object has not been convincingly determined. Although the most common suggestion is that it is a candle recess, only a votive candle or oil and wick would be short enough not to obscure the decoration and burn the top of the niche. A soap dish or other receptacle for washing is probably a more logical supposition, but not totally convincing. These recesses, two tiles high and one tile wide, have survived in tiled alcoves intended to hold washbasins. It may be significant that most recorded examples depict allegorical figures, but several show a man in European dress or a woman holding a wineglass.
InscribedNone
MarkingsNone
ProvenanceJellinek & Sampson Antiques, London