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  • Elizabeth I carved oak wassail bowl or communal chalice
  • Elizabeth I carved oak wassail bowl or communal chalice
  • Elizabeth I carved oak wassail bowl or communal chalice
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Elizabeth I carved oak wassail bowl or communal chalice

Period
1580 - 1600
Origin
England
Dimensions
W 9" diameter" × H 11 1/2"
Reference
#Marh2997

This piece has been sold. It is shown here for reference in our archive.

Description

A late Elizabethan carved oak wassail bowl, turned and gadrooned in deep relief with alternating acanthus leaf carving, raised on a baluster stem with a boldly cut quatrefoil foot. The original body and foot survive with remarkable integrity, while the lid is a later (17th-century) replacement carved to match.
The underside retains a period handwritten label dated 1656, naming a John Lowia [surname partially illegible], adding an additional layer of provenance and attesting to its treasured survival into the mid-17th century.

Wassail bowls of this type were ceremonial vessels, used in festive rituals of hospitality and seasonal celebration. They were often passed communally at Christmastide and Twelfth Night, their contents drunk to ensure prosperity, fertility, and good health in the coming year. The robust carving and symbolic gadrooning echo both abundance and vitality, appropriate to their ritual function.

Curator's Note

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  • Elizabeth I carved oak wassail bowl or communal chalice
  • Elizabeth I carved oak wassail bowl or communal chalice
  • Elizabeth I carved oak wassail bowl or communal chalice

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Specialist in early oak furniture and works of art.

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