Images(3)

Porringer

Dateca. 1675

OriginEngland, London

MediumTin-glazed earthenware (delft / delftware)

DimensionsLength: 7 1/4" (including tab handle)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1980-45

DescriptionCylindrical bowl with raised foot ring and a flat five-lobed handle with a single perforation. Uneven surface on exterior end opposite the handle. White tin glaze.Label TextThe terms porringer and bleeding bowl are both used for bowls of this form, which indeed could have been used for letting blood or for eating. Some metal bowls with straight sides are marked with quantity gauges to measure blood. Since most ceramic examples do not have straight sides, without which it would be difficult to measure the amount of blood given, It is believed that some if not all ceramic bowls were designed either for eating or for display. Three recorded bowls with the same straight sides and similar handles are dated 1673.Inscription(s)NoMark(s)NoProvenancePurchased from Price Glover, Inc., New York