“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.
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
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.
Minton majolica fox and mallard terrine  Another Lonitz variation of the above Minton terrine George Jones lobster terrine |
George Jones majolica terrine with boy and dog finial
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Wedgwood partridge majolica terrine  Wedgwood majolica terrine  
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| George Jones majolica fish terrine | |
Brown-Westhead Moore majolica terrine |
| Huge Minton majolica boar soup tureen |
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Majolica boar tureen
Brown-Westhead Moore majolica terrine   Copeland majolica game terrine   |
| VPC majolica mallard terrine |
Minton majolica lobster terrine  Minton lobster terrine design from the Minton pattern book         Minton seafood terrine    Wasmuẽl majolica soup tureen  Sarreguemines majolica tureen   Dreyfus majolica duck tureen        |
George Jones majolica hare terrine    |
So, invite the family and set the table with these glorious pieces they will never forget.
Have a wonderful, joyous holiday season!
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.
ReplyDeleteYes, several companies made copies of this terrine.
Deletethank you for responding Jimbo! If you have ay iea which companies and when, I'd be terribly interested!
ReplyDeleteCheers, Evie