Cistern & cover

Date1644 (dated)

MediumTin-glazed earthenware (delft)

DimensionsH: 14"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1979-395,A&B

DescriptionLarge vessel with straight faceted sides and flat back; raised shaped slab at back with crenellated edge; two applied lion masks on front, lower example with hole to receive spigot; loop on back for hanging; flat cover with bird finial. White tin glaze decorated predominantly in blue with overall bird-on-rock design; a crown, the initials CR, the date 1644, and the lion masks in yellow.Label TextThis is the earliest recorded dated delft piece with a monarch's cipher. It is one of four CR dated examples made during Charles I's reign, the other three being wine bottles. Two other recorded seventeenth-century cisterns are dated 1638 and 1641. The London attribution is based on the early date and the decoration.Inscription(s)"CR" and the date 1644.Mark(s)NoProvenanceJellinek & Sampson Antiques, London