Chamber Pot 1815 - 1817
attributedtogeorgebullock
minneapolisinstituteofart
ceramic
egg art
ceramic
retro 'vintage design
culinary art
food illustration
stoneware
wash background
england
yellow element
ceramic
food art
food photography
This 19th-century chamber pot, attributed to George Bullock, is a simple yet elegant example of utilitarian ceramics. Crafted from earthenware, the pot features a cream-colored body decorated with brown and red bands and a stylized leaf motif around the rim. The piece's practical design combined with its decorative embellishments highlights the transition from purely functional objects to pieces that could also be appreciated for their aesthetic appeal. Its presence in the Minneapolis Institute of Art underscores the importance of everyday objects in shaping our understanding of history and material culture.
Comments
Following the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the British government provided the defeated French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte with a retirement home called New Longwood House on the island of St. Helena and employed the sculptor and cabinetmaker George Bullock to design most of the furnishings. Nothing seems to have escaped Bullock’s attention, including the toothbrush holder, soap dish, ewer and basin which would have been en suite with this Grecian krater-shaped pot as part of Napoleon’s chamber set. As the laurel wreath decoration within the Pompeian red border is traditionally associated with the victor rather than the vanquished, the chamber set never saw service on St. Helena. Rather, it spent all of its useful life in an English country house called Tew Park in Oxfordshire. Bullock ordered ceramics from several factories for the St. Helena commission; so the basin may have been manufactured by Wedgwood, Derby, Spode, or the Herculaneum Pottery in Liverpool.
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