sauce boat

Summary

Public: Shaped oval sauce boat, white salt-glazed stoneware, with relief decoration of pecten shells and decorative borders. Private: Oval sauce boat with curved base on stepped spreading oval foot. Fine slip-cast body with shaped undulating rim and deep tapering lip, applied ribbed strap loop handle with pinched and flattened spur at lower terminal. Each side of sauce boat decorated in relief with two panels of curved shell fluting surrounded by narrow borders of textured diamond ground below and to sides, and separated by small pecten shell in centre. Narrow Greek key border above, enclosed by two bands of raised dots, and interrupted by second central pecten shell. Underside of lip decorated with two panels of shell fluting, surmounted by two panels of textured diamond ground. Fine cast white body, greenish tinge to glaze where heavy around handle.

Display Label

The Thomas Greg Collection The Greg Collection of English Pottery was given to the Gallery in 1904 by collector and amateur historian Thomas Greg. One of the great collections of English pottery, it was formed at a time when little was known about the history of ceramics in this country. Over forty years Greg systematically acquired some of the best examples of the potter's art, tracing its development over a thousand years. His collection tells the story of English pottery: of experiment and invention, triumph and downfall, from the unknown medieval craftsman to the world domination of Josiah Wedgwood. In many ways, it is a history of England itself. Greg was driven by a fascination with the past and a desire to contribute to scholarly knowledge. He gave his collection to the Gallery in the hope of inspiring a similar sense of wonder in others.