A look at the design, market and legacy of Victorian pottery

Monday, November 21, 2016

Majolica Terrines and Tureens

“Beautiful soup, so rich and green, Waiting in a hot tureen”
—Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

As the holidays approach it’s the time of year when friends and family gather to celebrate the joys of the season. This year we thought we'd do a celebration of majolica terrines and tureens, those wonderfully ornate, over-the-top serving pieces made to dazzle upon presentation. 

The word terrine is a French word, meaning a container of chopped or ground meat or vegetables prepared in a loaf. It is derived from a Latin term terra meaning earth or pottery. Today the word terrine is used in a broader context to describe any container of cooked food. The word tureen is an Anglicized version of the same word generally used to describe a deep, footed container for stew, soup or any other type of similar food preparation. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably although they do have distinct differences in use.

Retail advertisement for game dishes

The English in particular excelled at the decorative majolica dish but continental Europeans contributed beautiful examples as well. Most are traditionally decorated by images relating to food. Since majolica was not meant for oven use, game terrines usually came with plain earthenware liners in which the food could be cooked, that fit inside the decorative terrine for table presentation. When purchasing a game terrine it should come with its interior liner, otherwise it is incomplete. Fruit and vegetable terrines—which are most common in France—and soup  tureens, which generally contain preparations cooked in other types of containers, do not usually have such liners.

Unattributed game terrine derived from a Wedgwood design complete with earthenware liner

Page from the George Jones pattern books showing a few of their terrines

The "mother of all" English terrines is the Minton hare and mallard terrine, a huge, intricately detailed piece that is a showstopper in any collection—always with a show stopping price!

Minton majolica duck and hare terrine 

You don't need to afford a hare and mallard terrine though to make a statement at your holiday table. Imagine your friends and family's excitement with any of these fabulous pieces as your centerpiece. Lets take a look.


Holdcroft fox and goose terrine 


Minton majolica fox and mallard terrine

A Hugo Lonitz variation of the above Minton terrine

Another Lonitz variation of the above Minton terrine

George Jones lobster terrine

Sarreguemines chestnut terrine 

George Jones majolica terrine with boy and dog finial



Large Minton majolica fish with lemon slice terrine
Wedgwood partridge majolica terrine

A Wedgwood variation on the partridge terrine above

Wedgwood majolica terrine

George Jones fish, game and fowl terrine

George Jones "full nest" quail terrine

George Jones prawn terrine

French crab tureen

Continental majolica egg terrine

Sarreguemines egg basket terrine

Sarreguemines egg basket terrine

Sarreguemines egg terrine

Choisy-le-Roi majolica egg terrine

Sarreguemines strawberry basket terrine

Minton crab tureen and seafood server
Minton majolica terrine with hunting dog finial

Minton majolica hare and mallard game terrine

Sarreguemines squash terrine

George Jones majolica fish terrine

Victoria Pottery Co. boar terrine
Brown-Westhead Moore majolica terrine
Huge Minton majolica boar soup tureen

Holdcroft majolica squab terrine

Majolica boar tureen 
Brown-Westhead Moore majolica terrine
George Jones boar's head terrine

Brown-Westhead Moore hare terrine

Copeland majolica game terrine
Forester fish terrine

Victoria Pottery Company game terrine


VPC majolica mallard terrine


Minton majolica lobster terrine

Minton lobster terrine design from the Minton pattern books

Unusual unattributed majolica egg and chick terrine

Wedgwood hare game terrine

George Jones “empty nest” game dish
Minton majolica squab tureen
George Jones fox and duck terrine

George Jones game terrine with deer finial

George Jones game terrine with hunter finial
Minton seafood terrine

Choisy-le-Roi lobster terrine
Sarreguemines seafood tureen
Wasmuel majolica soup tureen

Julius Dressler strawberry tureen

Dreyfus majolica duck tureen

George Jones Partridge Game Pie Dish

Partridge game terrine

Choisy-le-Roi game terrine

Brownfield game dish

Wedgwood hare and dogs terrine 

Brownfield game terrine

Brown-Westhead Moore chick game terrine 


George Jones majolica hare terrine

Unattributed majolica boar terrine

Holdcroft seafood terrine
Wedgwood lobster terrine

Brown-Westhead Moore crab game terrine
Sarreguemines pansy terrine

So, invite the family and set the table with these glorious pieces they will never forget.

Have a wonderful, joyous holiday season!

3 comments:

  1. Hello! I would like to know if rough copies were made of these, as I have bought a Hare Terrine but it is not as detailed as the one avbove... if someone could answer this I'd be pleased! thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, several companies made copies of this terrine.

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  2. thank you for responding Jimbo! If you have ay iea which companies and when, I'd be terribly interested!
    Cheers, Evie

    ReplyDelete