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.

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Affordable Italian Majolica

 

QUESTION: Recently, I’ve fallen in love with Italian majolica pottery. While some consider it garish, I find the colorful motifs uplifting. The prices I’ve seen for it online seem to be all over the place. But there are some lovely pieces available for around $50. Is this a good item to collect? The styles also seem quite varied. Can you tell me more about its history and about some of the styles?

ANSWER: Compared to English majolica, the Italian versions, for the most part, are still relatively low in price, so therefore, affordable. And as with any other antique or collectible, you should collect what you like, regardless of what other people think. Italian majolica of one sort or another is still being produced from Tuscany in the north to Sicily in the south. 

Even though the English Victorians displayed the bright colors and fanciful shapes of majolica pottery to give the appearance of wealth, no one made majolica like the Italians.  

So what exactly is majolica ware? Majolica is a soft and porous earthenware with molded designs that artists hand decorate in brilliant colors. It has a thick coat of clear metallic glaze made up of metallic oxides added to clear lead sulfates which produces its vivid colors.

This type of pottery originated over 2,000 years ago in North Africa, where potters introduced the technique of adding an opaque tin glaze to baked clay. During the 8th century, when the Moors joined together to conquer Spain, they brought the secrets of majolica with them.

During the Renaissance, Spaniards exported their version of tin-glazed pottery to Italy from Majorca, an island shipping port in the Mediterranean. The Italians called the colorful pottery “majolica,” as this was how they spelled the Spanish island's name.

From the late 13th century, potters in central Italy, especially in and around Florence, refined production of tin-glazed earthenware. But it wasn’t until the 15th-century that potters began to appreciate the full artistic potential of majolica. Famous 15th-century sculptor Luca della Robbia wanted to add color to his creations, and the new material was perfect. He and his family became renowned for creating large wreaths of naturalistic majolica fruit. The success of their wares encouraged the production of majolica in both Arezzo and Siena.

But by the second half of the 15th century, Florence had lost its pre-eminence as a center of majolica production, and its manufacture scattered out among small communes..

Potters from Montelupo set up the potteries at Cafaggiolo. In 1490, twenty-three master potters of Montelupo agreed to sell the year's production to Francesco Antinori of Florence. Montelupo provided the experienced potters who the Medici family set up in 1495 at the Villa Medicea di Cafaggiolo.

In the 16th century, potters began to produce majolica at Castel Durante, Urbino, Gubbio, and Pesaro. The early 16th century witnessed the development of istoriato wares on which artists painted historical and mythical scenes in great detail. And by the end of the 16th century, potters in Venice, Padua, and Turin and as far south as  Palermo and Caltagirone in Sicily began producing majolica.

The variety of majolica styles that arose in the 16th century defies classification. Dozens of styles emerged with even more sub-groups, each with its own shapes and decorative motifs. Italian city states encouraged the pottery industry by offering tax relief, citizenship, monopoly rights, and protection from outside imports.

Cipriano Piccolpasso compiled an important mid-16th century document that discussed  the techniques of majolica painting. He noted the work of individual 16th-century masters like Nicola da Urbino, Francesco Xanto Avelli, Guido Durantino and Orazio Fontana of Urbino, Mastro Giorgio of Gubbio and Maestro Domenigo of Venice.

During the 18th century, majolica wares came under increasing competition from porcelain manufacturers. To  face this competition, majolica potters introduced the process of third firing, called  piccolo fuoco in the mid-18th century. After the traditional two firings at 1750°F, potters painted the vitrified glaze with colors that would have degraded at such high temperatures, then fired the pieces a third time at a lower temperature, about 1100 to 1200°F. Potters introduced new vibrant colors, particularly red and various shades of pink obtained from gold chloride. 

Historians believe that one of the first to introduce this technique in Italy was Ferretti in Lodi, in northern Italy. Lodi majolica had already reached high quality in the second quarter of the 18th century. With the introduction of the third firing technique and increasing interest in botany and scientific observation, potters developed a refined production of majolica decorated with naturalistic flowers.

The Ginori family founded a factory to produce majolica in Milan in 1735. The company's head chemist, Giusto Giusti, began experimenting with traditional majolica techniques in the 1840s, and the company began producing outstanding examples of Victorian majolica in the 1850s.

Ginori made monumental display vases and wall plaques to decorate the halls and stairwells of middle class Victorian homes. The company's 's specialty was its “grotesque” decoration. Taken from ancient Roman art, the bizarre creatures were a combination of animal, human and plant forms. Ginori was a very successful majolica producer and enjoyed royal patronage. Most majolica items made by the firm are marked with a crown above the word "GINORI. ".

Ulisse Cantagalli of Florence was another large producer of 19th-century Italian majolica. From the 1870s until 1901, Cantagalli produced a tremendous amount of majolica to be sold at moderate prices. A company catalog dated 1895 lists almost 1,100 majolica pieces. Catagalli's early wares were replicas of the reliefs by della Robbia. His luster glazes showed a strong Spanish-Moorish influence. The company’s pieces bear the mark "CANTAGAL FIRENCE" and an encircled rooster seal.

Production of Italian majolica wares continues today, mainly in reproductions of the historical style. Contemporary majolica looks different from old majolica because its glaze is usually made more opaque with cheaper zircon rather than tin. However, some potteries specialize in making authentic looking Renaissance-style pieces with genuine tin glaze.

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 "Advertising of the Past" in the 2023 Spring 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.