Sturton Bronze Cauldron, Somerset

A 17th-century leaded bronze cauldron attributed to the Sturton family of South Petherton, Somerset, one of the best-documented founding dynasties of the period. Cast with robust angular handles and three splayed feet decorated with linear mouldings, the body displays the characteristic banding and slightly everted rim associated with Sturton production.
The Sturton family are among the most significant names in the history of English bronze founding, their work being comprehensively catalogued by Roderick Butler (English Bronze Cooking Vessels and their Founders, 2005). Their foundry was one of several Somerset workshops that dominated domestic vessel production in the 16th and 17th centuries, supplying a wide regional and sometimes international market.
This example is of particularly good size and weight, with attractive surface colour and wear from long domestic use.