Day 359 - 17th-century domestic wares




 May 17, 2024

Gallery 710 is primarily a pass-through to reach the next period room, but it contains two display cases holding 21 items - among them,  dishes,  porringers, tankards, and a candlestick - that some reasonably prosperous colonists used in everyday life. The large majority of these goods were imported, mainly from England. But I see a blue-and-white plate painted  with a scene of a house on a body of water, with two sailing boats in the background, two ducks in the foreground, and what might be an oversized stork nesting on the chimney, and I think, "That looks like it's Dutch."  It is. I'm surprised to see two small porcelain teacups with saucers that were made in China; apparently, colonial Americans, like their British contemporaries, quickly developed a taste for tea and for attractive utensils for serving it. 

Two dishes imported from England catch my eye. Both depict the royals and are painted in blue and umber against a white ground.  One, about 10 inches in diameter, bears the initials W and M - unmistakably William and Mary - along with a capital R (for Rex? Who knows?).   Both king and queen have long curly hair and wear large crowns topped with crosses. The painting looks rather  crude to me, but of course, the plate is the work of a craftsman, not a professional portrait painter.

The king on the second, larger plate (perhaps 13 inches in diameter) looks to me very much like the first king - same curly locks, similar crown -  but turns out to be William III, about whom I knew absolutely nothing, including of his existence. The king is shown atop a spirited horse; the pair appear to have just forded a stream. I very much like the fine lines and shading used in painting the horse, as well as the way the figures fit the contours of the dish.

And I  take special note of three wine glasses, also made in England. The caption notes that most American households had the means to afford some glass objects. These glasses are about 7 inches tall, with bell-shaped cups and thick but attractive stems.  I expected the colonists to drink beer; the fact that they also drank wine is a bit surprising to me, though perhaps it shouldn't be. 



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