Antique Edwardian 1800's Polychrome Transferware Dual Handled Slop Pail Maddock Chrysanthemum

$199.99

Brand Maddock & Sons

I think this piece is exquisite and stunning. There are so many ways you can use it but first let's talk about what a slop pail is:

A slop pail / bucket was a large pail used to receive waste water from a washbasin or chamber pot. They were in use before bathrooms and part of the bath set which would comprise of a large wash bowl (about 15" diameter) and a large wash pitcher along with smaller pieces liek pin trays, soap dishes, etc. Water from the wash bowl, after bathing, would be poured into the bucket so that it could be carried away and more easily disposed of than it would be in a large bowl. Many pieces had an inner funnel shaped insert (like this one) that rested on the inner rim of the bucket and helped water from spilling or splashing out or caught a bar of soap when emptying the wash basin. Some of the inner pieces had small holes to so that when the waste water was poured into the bucket the bar of soap would be salvaged.

This antique slop pail was manufactured Circa 1880-1896 by John Maddock and Sons of Burslem, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1842, the firm was known only as J. Maddock until 1855, when it became known as J. Maddock and Son. Then, in it 1870, it became known as J. Maddock and Sons. John Maddock and Sons royal vitreous pottery is a well-known and highly sought after category of antique pottery. Royal Vitreous pottery is known for its ornate designs and superior craftsmanship.

This piece is a light brown transfer depicting chrysanthemums which are all hand painted in shades of pink and yellow, along with the leaves having been painted green. The paint is underglaze so it's permanent.

Slop pails are perfect to use as bread bins, ice buckets, coolers, containers for a collection of rolling pins or large kitchen utensils, holding several rolls of toilet paper, planters, floral containers, trash bins...the list goes on and on. I've included some links below to show how I did use this piece at home.


Measures: 12.25" handle to handle x 13.5" tall with lid in place. It is HEAVY!

Condition: no chips or cracks. Gorgeous condition! There is only minimal wear to the gold trim at the knob handles on either side and around the inner rim and lid....it appears to be all in tact which I seldom see with these antique pieces that have a gold / gilt finish.


To learn more about English Transferware please peruse my blog: Nancy's Daily Dish

See my blog post where I used this gorgeous slop pail as centerpiece for one of my tablescapes:

http://nancysdailydish.blogspot.com/2010/06/red-yellow-pink-aesthetic-transferware.html

This type of transferware is called Aesthetic Transferware. You can learn more about these pieces and the Aesthetic Movement at this blog post I wrote some time back, which still remains one of my most visited posts:

http://nancysdailydish.blogspot.com/2010/03/aesthetic-movement-and-transferware.html

I used an almost identical slop pail as a planter a few summers ago and had it on my back patio, see here:

http://nancysdailydish.blogspot.com/2010/08/patio-tour-breakfast-and-giveaway.html