Skip to main content

Feast & Fast

The Art of Food in Europe, 1500 – 1800

247: Two-handled spouted porringer and cover

Porringers are small bowls for eating porridge or gruel, often used to feed the sick or elderly. They usually have one or two handles and were made in a range of materials. This Dutch Delftware example is unusual because it also has a short spout and cover. This suggests that it may have been made to serve posset, a comforting beverage made from hot cream frothed up with egg yolk, alcohol, sugar, and spices. A common remedy for the sick in early modern Europe, posset was served from pots with long spouts to suck out the alcohol, two handles to ensure a steady grip, and a cover to keep the contents warm.

Friesland, Makkum, Netherlands, 1793

Tin-glazed earthenware

Dr J.W.L. Glaisher Bequest (C.2783 & A-1928)

Two-handled spouted porringer and cover
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn RSS feed for events RSS feed for stories
University of Cambridge Museums logo Designation scheme Logo Accredited Museum status logo Cambridge City Council Logo Arts Council England Logo Research England logo