Spoon warmer
Burmantofts Pottery Company
Category
Ceramics
Date
1882 - 1904
Materials
earthenware, turquoise glaze
Measurements
250 mm (H)218 mm (W)180 mm (D)
Place of origin
Leeds
Order this imageCollection
Standen House and Garden, West Sussex
NT 1213898
Caption
In large Victorian houses the kitchen was often located at a distance from the dining room in an effort to prevent cooking smells from percolating into the main rooms of the house. Spoon warmers, like this example in the shape of a bullfrog, would have been filled with boiling water to help keep cutlery and serving utensils warm. It was made by Burmantofts Pottery in the late 19th century and is one of a range of 'grotesque' objects produced by the company.
Summary
An earthenware spoon warmer, covered with translucent turquoise glaze in the shape of a bullfrog. The bullfrog [or frog] may be based on the three-legged toad, which was the attribute of the 10th-century Chinese scholar Liu Hai. Stamped with stylised 'B F' for 'Burmantofts Faience' with the shape number '451' denoting it is a grotesque bullfrog [or frog] spoon warmer. This Burmantofts mark was in use from 1882-1904.
Full description
According to Jason Wigglesworth, Liberty & Co 'took stock of a range of Burmantofts garniture for the dresser such as grotesque spoon warmers' (see p. 12 of Jason Wigglesworth, 'The History of Burmantofts Pottery', 2011). It is not known for sure if this spoon warmer belonged to the Beale family for whom Standen was built in 1891-4. The Beales are known to have shopped at Liberty & Co for furniture, carpets and other pottery items. If this spoonwarmer did belong to them, they most likely purchased it at Liberty & Co.
Marks and inscriptions
Stamped with stylised 'B F' for 'Burmantofts Faience' with the shape number '451'
Makers and roles
Burmantofts Pottery Company, pottery manufacturer