Posset Pot

Maker Unknown, British, 18th Century

Collections

Gail-Oxford Collection

ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS

Date1720-1740

Mediumtin-glazed earthenware

Dimensionsoverall: 7 1/2 × 10 in. (19.1 × 25.4 cm.)

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gail-Oxford Collection

Status

On view

Label TextTin-glazed earthenware—known as “delftware”— gained widespread popularity in England in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Its bold blue-on-white designs emulated the decorative motifs and color palette of Chinese porcelain, which had been introduced to Europe and England through trade with Asia. Delftware was first listed in household inventories in America around 1680. Popular in both the English and Dutch colonies, it appeared in 18th-century homes from the rural areas of the Connecticut River Valley to the urban areas of New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. Delftware reflects the complex blending of tastes, styles, and international influences that shaped America’s diverse cultural history in its earliest years. Posset was a soupy beverage made by mixing warm milk or cream with wine or ale. Pieces of bread and spices were often added to thicken and give flavor to the curdled, pudding-like mixture. The whey was poured or sipped from the spout, and the curds were eaten with a spoon. Given the rather large size of this vessel, it may have been passed around a table and used by several people.

Object number2017.5.64