Posset Pot
CultureEnglish
Dateca. 1700-1710
MediumEarthenware with tin glaze (delftware)
DimensionsOverall: 3 3/4 inches (9.53 cm)
Credit LineGift of Frank P. Burnap
Object number56-93
On View
On viewGallery Location
- 112
Collections
DescriptionGlobular, ogee form with double handles and scroll spout. Between three line borders, white ground decorated in blue with birds and flowering plants.Gallery LabelThe long spouts of posset pots were used either as a straw for sipping the beverage or for serving.
Vessels in this case were used for serving and drinking two hot, alcohol-based beverages: posset and caudle. A typical posset recipe consisted of cream, wine or ale, spices, sugar and eggs. Although posset was considered both nutritional and medicinal, it was also a popular beverage served at social gatherings. A properly made posset consisted of three layers: a frothy foam, a floating custard formed by the alcohol-curdled milk that was eaten with a spoon and the alcohol-rich liquid that sank to the bottom and was drunk or poured through the spout. Served in bulbous cups, caudle was also made with wine or ale, spices, sugar and eggs but included gruel of oatmeal or breadcrumbs.
Vessels in this case were used for serving and drinking two hot, alcohol-based beverages: posset and caudle. A typical posset recipe consisted of cream, wine or ale, spices, sugar and eggs. Although posset was considered both nutritional and medicinal, it was also a popular beverage served at social gatherings. A properly made posset consisted of three layers: a frothy foam, a floating custard formed by the alcohol-curdled milk that was eaten with a spoon and the alcohol-rich liquid that sank to the bottom and was drunk or poured through the spout. Served in bulbous cups, caudle was also made with wine or ale, spices, sugar and eggs but included gruel of oatmeal or breadcrumbs.
Mr. Frank P. Burnap (1861-1957), Kansas City, MO by 1956;
His gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1956.
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