Seventeenth Century Stoneware Gorge ; Frechen, c.1660.

Seventeenth Century Stoneware Gorge ; Frechen, c.1660s.

A pleasing example and larger than the usual with a capacity to hold approximately three pints - It is the type typical of the frechen imports coming into England around the second half of the seventeenth century.

Indeed it does share a resemblance to the ‘ William Barrett Holburn gorge ‘ dated 1668, found in London but of Frechen manufacture ; now part of the British Museums collection.

It is worth mentioning the term ‘gorge’ was used by John Dwight of Fulham to describe these globular drinking vessels. However, the origin of the word is uncertain and it seems not to occur before Dwight’s time as a potter circa 1660s - 1690s.