In the late 1790s flour was in short supply and the Royal Household forbade its use for pastry. Potters such as Turner and Wedgwood responded by making stoneware dishes to mimic pie crust, and hence why it was known as ‘pastry ware’. This tureen was made to hold the contents of a poultry or game pie, despite being shaped as a trussed and roasted capon. Its wings and thighs show the holes left when the skewers were removed prior to carving, and its reddish-brown colour suggests roasting.

John and William Turner pottery, or Turner(s), Glover & Simpson, Staffordshire, England, c.1800 – 10

Stoneware

Purchased with gifts from Cambridge Antiques Society and The Friends of the Fitzwilliam Museum (C.29 & A-2013)