Worcester Porcelain Manufactory
English, 1751–present
Pair of Chestnut Baskets with Covers and Stands
c. 1765–70
These intricately modeled and richly painted serving dishes, with their matching pierced lids and stands, would originally have been part of a dessert service. Known as “chestnut baskets” since the nineteenth century, they were identified in a sale catalogue from 1769 as “cream-basons.” The bowls would probably have been filled with chilled, thick cream, a favorite accompaniment to tarts, puddings, and other sweets.
| Medium | soft-paste porcelain |
| Object Number | 1986.93.1-2a-c |
| Acquisition | Bequest of Herbert Heidelberger in honor of Minna and Frederick Heidelberger, 1986 |
| Status | On View |
Image Caption
Worcester Porcelain Manufactory, Pair of Chestnut Baskets with Covers and Stands, c. 1765–70, soft-paste porcelain. Clark Art Institute, Bequest of Herbert Heidelberger in honor of Minna and Frederick Heidelberger, 1986.93.1-2a-c
Select Bibliography
Kern, Steven, et al. The Clark: Selections from the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1996.
Wees, Beth Carver. "Continental and English Porcelain in the Clark Collection." The Magazine Antiques 62, no. 4 (October 1997): 516–21.
