Showing posts with label dish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dish. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

The Keepers of the Cheese

 

QUESTION: I recently purchased a beautiful Wedgwood Jasperware cheese dome at an annual antiques show. Although I have never thought of collecting cheese keepers, I fell in love with this one. Why did the English make this type of cheese keeper? Was it for all types of cheese? Didn’t cheese need to be refrigerated?

ANSWER: Today, most people eat supermarket cheese, all of which needs to be refrigerated. Even creamy gourmet cheeses need to be kept cold due to their cream content. But some English cheeses, such as cheddar and Stilton, are hard cheeses 

English cheesemaking dates back to around 3800 BCE. But it was the Romans occupying the region in the first decades of the first millennium that brought it into general production by using rennet from ruminant animals to create cheese during the summer months.

Early cheesemaking was a simple procedure,  requiring no more than a couple of bowls, a ladle, a strainer and some hard-won skill to make soft fresh goat or cow's milk cheese. Snowy-white Perroche, made today in Herefordshire, is just such a cheese with a delicate citrus flavor.

Every Roman legionary got an ounce of cheese in his daily ration. With 5,000 men in a legion, that amounted to 5,000 ounces or about 140 kilos a day. Only hard cheese could  be cut into one-ounce pieces. The Romans also introduced large-scale sheep farming to Britain.

Fast forward to the Middle Ages where the feudal system of lords and tenants encouraged centralized cheese production by taking advantage of the labor available through agricultural workers. This cheese fed the lords and their tenants, instead of being traded.

Medieval monks ate lots of cheese. Many monasteries had their own dairies; records from Whitby Abbey in Yorkshire show purchases of rennet. The monks originally brought their expertise with them from France. Their repetitious lifestyle, daily routines, and general scientific interests proved extremely useful in cheesemaking. Most of the cheese made for the monks was probably hard, low-fat cheese, with the cream skimmed off to churn into butter for the abbot’s table. 

Due to the proliferation of sheep in England, farmers used ewe’s milk to make many of the early cheeses. By the 17th century, cows had become the preferred dairy animal, especially in areas with flatter landscapes and excellent grazing conditions which could support larger herds. This increase in herd size enabled farmers to produce more wheels of cheese, allowing them to send their cheeses to town and city markets and aboard. However, local farmers continued to produce cheeses for themselves, leading to the creation of classic cheeses such as Cheshire and Wensleydale. 

Soon Britain became known for its large, hard wheels of cheese, called truckles. A truckle of cheese is a cylindrical wheel of cheese, usually taller than it is wide, and often described as barrel-shaped. The word is derived from the Latin trochlea, meaning “wheel or pulley.” Made in styles with and without additional cream, these cheeses all shared the common practice of using molds lined with cheesecloth to drain curds during the beginning stages of production. 

And while English cheddar is popular today, Cheshire cheese was the predominant cheese produced across England. By the middle of the 17th century, more than 4,000 farms made the crumbly, dense cheese, although the average herd size was only five cows, barely enough to create a wheel of Cheshire a day. In the southwestern parts of the country, however, farms would often combine resources to create gigantic, 120-pound wheels that could handle significant aging, often more than 5 years. The first recorded shipload of Cheshire cheese arrived at the port of London in October 1650 and was an instant hit.

Over the next few hundred years, Cheshire became England’s most popular and widely sold cheese until the late 19th Century when Victorian Cheddar knocked it off its perch. By the beginning of the 20th century, cheddar had become Britain’s top cheese.

Of all the cheese in Britain, Stilton is probably the most revered. The history of the early production of Blue Stilton cheese is unclear, but the “King of English Cheeses’ wasn’t actually produced in the village of Stilton. Historians credit Cooper Thornbill, landlord of the Blue Bell Inn in Stilton, with the earliest marketing of Blue Stilton cheese between 1730 and 1759. Located on the Great North Road, the inn was a popular stopping point for coaches traveling north from London to Edinburgh. Thornhill partnered with Leicestershire cheese maker Frances Pawlett and negotiated arrangements which gave the Bell Inn exclusive rights to market Blue Stilton. Travelers spread the word of this fine cheese upon returning to London. The only downside of Blue Stilton cheese is it pungent aroma.

Victorian dinner parties often included the service of cheese accompanying a salad course just prior to dessert. It was important to keep the cheese covered not only to reduce drying, but also to prevent the pungent smell from permeating the room.

Stilton can only be made in three counties – Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire – and not, oddly enough, in the Cambridgeshire town of Stilton itself. 

The mass production of cheese made it readily available to the poorer classes. Therefore, simple cost-effective storage solutions for cheese gained popularity. Ceramic cheese dishes, or cheese bells, became one of the most common ways to prolong the life of cheese in the home. It remained popular in most households until the introduction of the home refrigerator in 1913

The Victorian passion for blue-veined Stilton cheese was equal to the array of dishes used to serve it. Also known as cheese stands, cheese bells and cheese domes, potteries produced these dishes in a variety of styles. In the early 19th century, Wedgwood was the first to produce a tall cylindrical cover with matching stand intended to accommodate an entire round of Stilton cheese. Most majolica cheese keepers were of this style. Less commonly, majolica cheese stands assume a smaller triangular shape designed to store a single wedge.

The domed covers of majolica cheese keepers were typically decorated in relief with basket weaving, foliage, flowers and occasionally birds. On top of the dome sat a finial composed of a twig, rope, flower blossom or a finely modeled animal figure. The stand or underplate complements the dome both in design and coloration and had a peripheral rim on its upper surface inside which the dome rests.

Many manufacturers made cheese domes. Probably the most well known was Josiah Wedgwood. His Jasperware was the perfect form for a cheese dome. Developed by late 1774, Jasperware comprised a dense white stoneware which accepted colors throughout the entire body.

By December 1774 Wedgwood was able to give a fine white composition any tint of fine blue.' And by January 1775 the stage was set for blue Jasper: After that He was soon able to create almost any shade of blue, plus a beautiful sea green, chocolate brown, and several other colors. Wedgwood decorated his cheese domes with low reliefs of classical figures in white.

And while Wedgwood continued with his classical themes, another potter, George Jones, created elegant designs for his domes, with pastoral decorations in vibrant colors.  

One of Jones’ domes features a waterlily and dragonfly pattern. The pottery made this pattern in both low and tall sizes, as well as with a couple of different handle treatments, the traditional waterlily blossom, and a rarer version with a kingfisher handle. As with all of the Jones domes, it was also made in several colors. Other domes feature different handles with shells, leaves, and snakes.

A Jones dome with a cow and acanthus leaf design features a cow handle on top. 

The pottery used this same cow handle on its Calla Lily dome, part of the larger rare Calla Lily series. One of the most frequently found domes is one with the apple blossom pattern, also part of a larger series.

An unusual cheese dome pattern made by the company was the thatched bee skep cheese keeper in two sizes. Beautiful and very rare, it’ is also one of the most valuable. 

Probably the most famous of Jones’ cheese domes features a fence and daisy design.

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about "The  Vernacular Style" in the 2024 Winter Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.



Thursday, March 25, 2021

Fish, Lizards, and Snakes---Oh My

 


QUESTION: I’ve had a ceramic plate with fish in relief swimming on it. I originally bought it at an antique show because I liked the funky decoration. I’m not necessarily a collector, although I have some antiques. I’ve never seen a plate like this since. Can you tell me anything about it?

ANSWER: I believe what you have is a piece of French Palissy ware from the 19th century.  Palissy ware usually depicts realistically colored, aquatic landscapes teeming with stalking lizards, swimming fish and slithering snakes amid a rich variety of luxuriant foliage.

Named after the great French, 161h-century, Renaissance potter, Bernard Palissy, who referred to his works as rustique, meaning “in the rustic style.” developed a distinctive style of earthenware. In creating naturalistic scenes of plants and animals and finishing them off with polychrome glazes inspired by nature. He called his three-dimensional creations of lifelike flora and fauna “Art of the Earth” and “rustique,” and they came to be known as “rustique figurines.” Recognizing his talent, the queen of France, Catherine de Medici, brought Palissy to Paris and bestowed upon him the title “The King’s Inventor of Rustic Figurines.”

Palissy wares were so realistic that the creatures he depicted seem ready to hop, slither, or crawl from whatever piece on which they lay. He sculpted each scale on a snake, each rib in a fish’s fin, each vein running through a leaf. He often cast each creature from master molds created from the creatures themselves. The wares often exhibit extraordinary detail and complexity. Although we may see closely matched pairs of urns, vases, or platters, subtle differences in glazing, placements and textures, assure each piece is unique.

The use of many individual molds for components means creating Palissy style wares is far more complicated than many other ceramics. Each piece can take as long as 10 to 15 days over a period of two to three months to complete because of drying time. Artists use individual molds to create each element, which then becomes part of the composition. 

It wasn’t until 250 years after his death in 1590, that French ceramist,Charles-Jean Avisseau from Tours, rediscovered Palissy’s lost secrets and started a revivalist movement lasting 50 years.

Avisseau joined a Tours pottery where he learned the art of ceramics, painting and sculpture. In 1825 he was hired to supervise the ceramic works of Baron de Besenval.

Once. during a visit to the Baron’s home, Avisseau was shown a ceramic piece attributed to Bernard Palissy and became so enraptured by its brilliant enamel and delicate workmanship that he decided to devote his life to the rediscovery of Palissy's secrets-For more than 15 years, he researched the chemistry and fusion of leaded enamels to recreate and then surpass the work of "Master Bernard:' After he exhibited his work at the Great Universal Exhibition of London in 1851 as well as in the 1849 and 1855 Exhibitions in Paris, his fame grew.

Avisseau created clocks, fountains, dishes, candle-sticks. fish baskets and mirror frames, all sought by wealthy collectors, statesmen, aristocrats and museum curators. 

Even though he became successful at producing Palissy ware, Avisseau shared his knowledge willingly with other ceramists. 

Joseph Landais, who was himself a skilled potter, left his family while quite young to work in an earthenware factory. In 1843, he joined Avisseau's workshop for a few months, then established his own shop, claiming that he, not Avisseau, had rediscovered Palissy's secrets. The feud continued throughout Avisseau's life. Landais also exhibited his works at the 1851 Great Universal Exhibition of London, at which he received a meritorious award. He produced a variety of vases, platters, plates, pitchers, mirrors, urns, as well as some monumental works.

Leon Brard painted marine still lifes. He experimented with different clays and glazes during his 10 years in Paris, producing a variety of plates, plaques and platters. In 1859, Brard met Avisseau during a visit to Tours, moved there, and became a frequent visitor to the master's workshop while employed at a local pottery. Two years later, Brard opened his own shop. With an artistic and original style, he became known for his trompe l'oeil works on white faience surrounded by a cobalt blue border in the style of Rouen. At first glance, these works appear to be an artful presentation of fresh fish as might be served in the restaurant.

 reputation encouraged other ceramists to emulate his works. Victor Barbizet established a pottery workshop in 1845 to produce ordinary household ceramics and later Palissy ware. Around 1850, Victor and his son, Achille, moved to Paris and began to mass-produce Palissy ware. Over a period of about 30 years, the firm became very successful, employing approximately 60 workers at its peak.

However, the best known ceramist to follow the Palissy ware tradition was Alfred Renoleau, who lived and worked in and near the town of Angouleme in western France. His factory flourished for nearly 40 years and employed up to 40 workers. 

And like Avisseau, he marveled at the works of Palissy which he saw during a  visit to a decorative arts exhibition in Bordeaux. At night the young Renoleau practiced making ceramics using a homemade kiln in the attic of his house. Later, he persuaded his father to let. him work for one year in a nearby pottery, and promised to return if the craft disappointed him. Needless to say, he didn’t return home. He often signed his earlier pieces “Falder,” an anagram of his first name. In 1889, he moved to nearby Roumazieres at the Polakowski and Company factory where he produced some of his finest work. In 1891,he opened a small factory in Angouleme, but later moved to larger quarters.

While these ceramists made Palissy ware with the same type of clay and glazes as other forms of majolica, Palissy ware usually features darker colors and a more varied palette of brilliant enamels. Palissy ware is best distinguished from other majolica ware by its subject matter of fish, snakes and lizards recreated in realistically depicted pond life_

Because Palissy ware was decorative and non-utilitarian, pieces have survived in extraordinary condition. Unlike Victorian majolica which was made in production quantities, Palissy ware is unique. In most cases an artist working made his pieces alone, with no two being identical. Palissy ware hasn’t been produced for over a century.

Some ceramists marked their Palissy ware while others did not, and some marked their wares sometimes, but not always. Many scratched their signatures or monograms on to their pieces.

The pricing for 19th-century French Palissy ware runs from a few hundred dollars to several thousand or mare. Small works ranging from 2 to 3 inches generally run between $150 and $300 depending on condition and maker. Small pieces include goblets, cache pots, and bud vases. Larger versions, measuring about six inches, often sell for double. Medium size plates measuring 8 to l0 inches in diameter by such ceramists as Barbizet often sell for $1,000 to $2,500. And platters ranging in size from 12 to 18 inches can sell for $2,500 to $5,000. 

Finding Palissy ware is easier in France than in the United States, however, U.S. antique dealers who specialize in majolica often carry it.  

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about "The Sparkling World of Glass" in the 2021 Winter Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.



Monday, July 1, 2013

A True Premium Collectible



QUESTION: My mother died recently and left me, among other things, her set of Autumn Leaf china. When I was a kid, I remember her setting our dining room table with this colorful china on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, but especially Thanksgiving because the pattern seemed to complement the occasion. The set is still in pretty good condition since she only used it on special occasions. Do you know if this has any value today? While I like it and it does bring back memories, it seems a bit old-fashioned for today’s use.

ANSWER: Your Autumn Leaf china definitely has value today. In fact, it’s held its value over the last 20 years. However, it all depends which types of pieces you have and on their condition.

The Hall China Co. began producing this decal pattern and offering it exclusively through the Jewel Tea Co. of Barrington, Illinois, in 1936, during the Great Depression. This door-to-door sales firm offered Autumn Leaf pieces as premiums for the purchase of other items, such as teas, coffee, grocery items, and laundry products.

During that time, this china was popular with housewives, who literally had to watch every penny. And the only way for them to obtain pieces were as premiums from Jewel Tea. Since the china was of good quality and had a somewhat elegant and colorful design, many housewives considered Hall’s Autumn Leaf Dinnerware as their good dishes, to be used primarily for company. Most pieces stayed in excellent condition because they washed them and put them away immediately after each use.

Determining the value of this dinnerware can be tricky. Prices vary from coast to coast and in different parts of the country. Since most pieces of this pattern would have been used, even as good dishes, they’re usually not sold in mint condition. This means that your mother’s dishes would only sell for half of the mint price. Also, Hall produced many of the more common pieces from 1936 all the way to 1976, a span of 40 years.

Generally, it seems the more odd a piece of Autumn Leaf is, the more it’s worth. Age doesn’t seem to enter into the equation. So this china is a pure collectible.

For instance, a dozen cups and saucers, labeled as “Breakfast cups and saucers” in Jewel Tea advertisements, brings about $120, or $10 each. An Irish coffee mug, on the other hand, sells for around $40. Four berry bowls also sell for $10 apiece while an oval meat platter brings only about $10.

The big money is in some of the more unusual pieces. Since Autumn Leaf sold as a premium, housewives bought a piece or two at a time—a cup and saucer, a dinner plate, a water pitcher, etc. They bought what they needed in quantities they needed. Jewel Tea never sold this china in complete sets. So the number of the more unique pieces sold—coffee and teapots, mixing bowls, salad bowls, cake plates, and such—was smaller in comparison to ordinary place settings.

One of the hottest items is the cookie jar. Introduced in 1957, the "modern-style" cookie jar has two big handles which Jewel liked to call "easy grip." The original selling price of the cookie jar was only $3.That price has since soared to nearly $200. An earlier cookie jar, introduced for Christmas 1936, sold for $1.50 and Jewel Tea offered it for only three years. Ironically, it sells for about the same price as the other jar.

Another item that’s at the top of most Autumn Leaf collectors’ wish lists is the butter dish. These came in several styles, sized to fit either a quarter pound or a whole pound of butter. The first one to be offered by Jewel Tea was a one-pound model with a long handle on the top. Introduced in 1959, it sold for $3.25. But its style proved to be inconvenient, so the company discontinued it after only one season. As with any item offered by Jewel Tea, those which housewives disapproved of were quickly discontinued. Hall produced improved versions of its butter dish with easier-to-grip bud or "bud ray" knobs. Today, collectors can’t buy a butter dish for less than $150. Those with special “wings” handles sell for over $2,000.

The Autumn Leaf pattern includes many types of accessories, including several clocks. One style, made from a regular Autumn Leaf cake plate, produced from 1956-1959, now sells for $400 to $550.