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"Old English" Handle Porringer

Dateca.1750-1800

Possibly by Frederick Bassett

Possibly by Francis Bassett II

OriginAmerica, New York, New York City or Connecticut, Hartford

MediumPewter

DimensionsOverall: 7 1/8", Diameter: 5 1/8"; Height: 1 3/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number2006-3

DescriptionPewter porringer with an "Old English" handle lightened by nine apertures including an upside-down heart, supported from below by a triangular bracket. Its bellied bowl has a slightly everted rim with incised lines on the exterior, and a raised boss surrounded by a recess at the bottom. The handle was cast directly onto the vessel leaving a clear linen mark inside the bowl.
Label TextThe Basset family dominated the New York City pewter trade from the opening years of the 18th century through to its end. Pieces bearing any one of a number of Bassett family marks are treasured by collectors and museums today. The problem facing students of American pewter has to do with determining which Bassett used which mark, and when. The problem arises from the fact that other than the "IB" marked wares made by John Bassett, the three others all shared the initials "FB." First came Francis Bassett I (1690-1758), followed by the two sons of his brother John; Francis II (b.1729) and Frederick (b.1740), both of whom died in 1800. Determining which "FB" used what mark is problematic, and pewter scholars don't always agree on the attributions. Sometimes the style of an "FB" marked piece can suggest a date earlier or later in the 18th century, but this method is by no means exact.

At slightly more than 5 inches across the lip of the bowl, this is the larger of two sizes of porringers made by the Bassetts. The handles, or "ears" of this type are identifiable by the position of the two loops on the right-hand side, which nearly touch. Examples bearing John Basset's touch mark predate 1761, the year he died, but those bearing one of the three known circular "FB" marks are more problematic. These are usually attributed to Frederick or Francis II and assigned a date of circa 1761-1800, but some may have been made earlier by their uncle, Francis I.

Further intrigue is added to the situation since this exact handle mold was also used by Thomas D. Boardman, working in Hartford, CT after 1804. Boardman's porringers carry his mark on the top of the handle (Jacobs-38) and don't have the incised lines on the outside of the lip like those of the Bassets. Scholars have speculated that the mold was left in Connecticut by Frederick Basset, who rode out the American Revolution in Hartford, and returned to New York City in 1785 or early 1786. While this may be true, there's no evidence another pewterer was using the mold in the eighteen or nineteen years between Basset's departure and Boardman's first use of it. Since the last Bassett pewterer died in 1800, it is equally possible Boardman acquired this particular porringer handle mold from an estate dispersal.

Colonial Williamsburg's Bassett porringer, made by one of the two Francises or by Frederick, survives in superb condition and is a stellar example of the 18th century pewterer's art as practiced in America. Purportedly it was found in an old Connecticut house in the 1970s or 1980s.
MarkingsStruck on the center back of the handle with "FB" with a fleur-de-lis above and below, all in relief within a beaded circular border (Jacobs-26, Laughlin-465).
ProvenanceThis porringer had been in a private collection in central eastern Connecticut for over twenty years. According to the collector, he purchased the piece out of a private house in Connecticut (JDD 1/06).