Details

Title

Sauceboat with Cover and Ladle (One of Pair)

Artist/Maker

Chelsea Factory

Date

ca. 1755

Medium

Porcelain

Dimensions

lid: 6 x 10 3/8 x 8 inches sauceboat: 5 3/4 x 7 7/8 x 2 3/4 inches ladle: 1 1/8 x 7 7/8 x 2 3/4 inches

Credit

Frances and Emory Cocke Collection

Accession #

1984.56.1 A-C

On View

On View - Stent Family Wing, Level 2, Gallery 200

The plaice, a slimy flatfish native to western European waters, seems an unlikely inspiration for these sophisticated porcelain sauceboats. However, its use is in keeping with Chelsea’s botanical decorations on plates and dishes and its production of tureens and other forms in shapes of rabbits, hens, fruits, and vegetables. While the shape of the sauceboats reflects a fascination with nature, the notion of shaping the spoons as eels—with heads as the bowls and wriggly tails as the handles—reveals a striking playfulness. Although they are now missing their stands, the sauceboats are distinguished among surviving examples because their spoons have been retained.

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