Standish with pounce pot, wafer box, and inkwell
This writing set consists of an inkstand (called a standish in the eighteenth century), pounce pot (for pounce, a powder that smoothed rough paper or dried wet ink), wafer box (for wafers, used to seal letters), and an inkwell. It would have been sold alongside other luxurious trinkets, known as "toys," through which wealth and taste could be displayed. Some toys were functional, intended to store foodstuffs, cosmetic products, or snuff; others were intended for no purpose other than to delight. Some were made of precious metals, like gold or silver, and were sold at correspondingly high prices; others employed relatively inexpensive materials and were thus available to the expanding middle classes.
Enameled objects like this one, intended to imitate the lustrous quality of porcelain, were among the more affordable goods sold at toyshops across London and in fashionable English resort towns. Though often called "Battersea enamels" in common parlance (referring to the manufactory at York House, Battersea, operating only between 1753 and 1756), we rarely know exactly where individual pieces were made. The main centers of enamel production were in London, South Staffordshire (particularly in Bilston and Wednesbury), and Birmingham.
By the middle of the eighteenth century, technological innovations had made it possible to roll copper, instead of the far costlier gold, into very thin sheets. Powdered glass mixed with minerals (to determine the opacity and color of the enamel) would then be applied onto the copper sheets and fired at high temperatures. A design—whether a famous portrait, generic pastoral scene, or floral motif— could be painted on by hand or copied from an engraving through the newly invented process of transfer printing. Many enameled objects combined both methods of decoration and would be refired after the application of each new layer or color.
Enameled objects like this one, intended to imitate the lustrous quality of porcelain, were among the more affordable goods sold at toyshops across London and in fashionable English resort towns. Though often called "Battersea enamels" in common parlance (referring to the manufactory at York House, Battersea, operating only between 1753 and 1756), we rarely know exactly where individual pieces were made. The main centers of enamel production were in London, South Staffordshire (particularly in Bilston and Wednesbury), and Birmingham.
By the middle of the eighteenth century, technological innovations had made it possible to roll copper, instead of the far costlier gold, into very thin sheets. Powdered glass mixed with minerals (to determine the opacity and color of the enamel) would then be applied onto the copper sheets and fired at high temperatures. A design—whether a famous portrait, generic pastoral scene, or floral motif— could be painted on by hand or copied from an engraving through the newly invented process of transfer printing. Many enameled objects combined both methods of decoration and would be refired after the application of each new layer or color.
Artwork Details
- Title: Standish with pounce pot, wafer box, and inkwell
- Date: ca. 1765
- Culture: British, possibly Birmingham
- Medium: Enamel on copper
- Dimensions: Tray: H. 3 1/8 in. (7.9 cm.); W. 9 in. (22.9 cm.); .821 ab: H. 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.); .822 ab H. with cover: 2 11/16 in. (6.8 cm.); .823 H. 2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm.)
- Classification: Enamels-Painted
- Credit Line: Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1964
- Object Number: 64.101.820–.823
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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British
ca. 1771–73
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1772
British, possibly Birmingham
1764
British, possibly Birmingham
ca. 1760–70
British, possibly Birmingham
ca. 1760–70
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