Tin Glazed Earthenware Sherd (Archaeological Find)

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Tin glazed earthenware sherd with hand painted Chinese floral pattern.
A painting of gentlemen surrounding a table-clothed table with a blue patterned punchbowl. The clear positioning of the bowl reflects its significance as an indicator of social standing.
A full-sized tin glazed earthenware punchbowl, decorated with a Chinese floral pattern, from the Two Friends Cite 18CH308.

Title:

Tin Glazed Earthenware Sherd

Subject:

This small sherd of tin glazed earthenware gives an insight into the divided socio-economic nature that existed in the dining area at the college. The visible hand painted blue splotch was likely part of an elaborate Chinese floral design, which was particularly popular between 1690-1770’s (“Diagnostic Artifacts in Maryland” 2019). From the very start of college, freshmen were ranked by their social standing and perceived value to the community. This ranking stayed with them throughout their time at Harvard and affected many different aspects of their experience, including how they ate (Johnson 2017). Unlike the equal dining culture a Harvard student encounters today, there were a number of ways students were subject to varying degrees of wealth in the dining area. This became increasingly prominent during the 18th century as the growing desire for materialistic items was exemplified through the refined design of the dining table. This sherd was likely part of an elaborate fruit bowl, put on display in the center of a Fellows' table due to its resemblance of expensive Chinese porcelain. The expensive glazing and design process of this ceramic, known as Delftware (Hume 2001), was a particularly apparent indicator of social distinction. The owner of this sherd likely inscribed their initials on the bottom of the bowl as direct evidence of their social rank. Dining at the Fellows' Table was exclusive to those who had a higher rank and were amongst the more affluent students (“Digging Veritas” 2019).

Source:

“Diagnostic Artifacts in Maryland.” Jefpat.Org. website, 2019. http://www.jefpat.org/diagnostic/index.htm

“Digging Veritas”. 2019. Harvard Peabody Museum website. https://www.peabody.harvard.edu/digging-veritas-exhibition

Hume, Ivor Noel. 2001. A guide to the artifacts of colonial America. University of Pennsylvania Press.

Johnson, Claudia Durst. 2017. Daily life in colonial New England. ABC-CLIO.

Unknown artist. 1732. A Midnight Modern Conversation. Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection.

Object Name:

Tin Glazed Earthenware, Blue Handpainted, Chinese Blue Floral

Inventory Description:

Tin Glazed Earthenware, Blue Handpainted, Chinese Blue Floral

Peabody Number:

2018.24.473

Intrasite:

H957 Level 4

Depth:

80-90 cm

Class 1:

Ceramic

Class 2:

Earthenware

Quantity:

1

Height (cm):

2.3

Width (cm):

1.8

Depth/Thickness (cm):

0.7