Bowls

Monteiths
Porringers
Brandy Saucepans

Monteiths

A late 19th-century lobed and fluted Monteith width 12½"(32cm)

Early punch bowls or monteiths will be marked in a straight line on the side of the body. Detachable rims must also be fully marked. Later examples are likely to be marked at the points of the compass underneath.

The term monteith is said to derive from a Scotsman called Monteith who is reputed to have had a cloak with a scalloped edge. Punch bowls and monteiths first appeared at the end of the 17^thcentury. Early monteiths were smaller than punch bowls, with a waved border on the rim whose function was to enable glasses to be hung on the scalloped notches of the rim by their stems, their bowls cooling in iced water. The monteith rapidly expanded in size and by the 1690s had acquired handles, usually hung from lions' masks. As the monteith approached the size of the punch bowl the rim was often detachable so that the bowl could do duty as either; these rims have often been lost.

Early monteiths tend to have gadroon borders on at least the foot mount and there is almost invariably space on the body for a large and impressive coat of arms. The rims are often decorated with cherubs' masks or shells.

Porringers and Bleeding bowls

A late 17th-century porringer,
London 1685, with engraved chinoiserie figures. ht6½"(16cm)

English bleeding bowls can be marked as Monteiths, and in addition there should be a lion passant on the handle. Porringers and caudle cups are marked in the same way as other bowls, and in addition any covers must also be fully marked on examples earlier than the mid l8^thC. Thereafter a maker's mark and lion passant are sufficient.

There are various derivatives of the basic bowl. A shallow bowl with a pierced handle is known in England as a bleeding bowl and in America as a porringer, which seems more reasonable as these bowls were almost certainly used for porridge. In America porringers were largely an 18^th-century item. Styles followed the form of English ones of an earlier period. Bleeding bowls were made in England for about 100 years after the accession of Charles I in 1625. The earliest ones have straight sides and are indistinguishable from skillet covers. Later types have curved sides. As a rule the handles tended to become more elaborate over the years.The English porringers used for a variety ofdrinks and mixtures is a two-handled, rather deeper bowl with straight sides. Some have a spout. Those with baluster sides are sometimes known as caudle cups also known as posset cups.

These vessels were supposed to have been used for drinking "caudle", a warm spiced gruel of oatmeal, ale, sugar and spices which was much advocated for curing minor ills and recommended for pregnant women. . The earliest survivors date from the middle of the 17th century; the caudle cup continued for 50 years or so, but the porringer in its final form survived until the middle of the 18^th century. Its successors are the cups and covers produced in an infinite variety of styles down to the present day.

Brandy Saucepans

A baluster brandy saucepan and cover ht 6½" (16cm)

Brandy saucepans are usually marked in a group on the base

The brandy saucepan is an l8^th-century product. While some of the smaller ones may well have been used for heating brandy, the larger ones must surely have had other uses. The earlier examples have baluster or slightly flared bodies, whereas those made at the end of the century sometimes have straight sides. Some have a cover.

Bowls with an early 18^th-century appearance are easily made up from tureen liners or dishes of a later date. It is often apparent that such bowls are not genuine as the style of decoration rarely accords with the date of the marks - usually late 18^th-century.