Objects
Posset
Alcohol
Consumption
[Taken from catalogue entry]
This type of spouted drinking vessel is known as a posset or syllabub cup. Posset is a mixture of hot milk and spices curdled with ale or wine. Syllabub is a rich mixture of cream, typically flavoured with sherry or sack. The spout allowed the drinker to enjoy the liquid ale or sack that had separated below the thick layer of curdled posset or creamy syllabub.
There are several marks struck on the side by the spout and on top of the cover. One is the Norwich hallmark, the castle and lion. The crowned rose hallmark, added in the early 17th century, was changed to a stalked rose at the end of the period 1600-1700. The letter T is the date letter for 1642-3 and there is also the mark of the maker, Timothy Skottowe.
The scroll handle is formed of a strip between two scrolled plates. The front was engraved at a later date with a coat of arms of Servington Savery, Co. Devon within a plume mantling surmounted by a crest. Although the plume mantling dates from the 1660s, the coat of arms and crest were probably added in the period 1800-1900.
Marks and inscriptions:
TS conjoined in a shaped shield, for Timothy Skottowe - marks struck in the centre of the cover and below the rim by the spout.
Norwich hallmarks for 1642-3
Engraved with the arms of Servington Savery, Co. Devon, within plumed mantling, surmounted by a heron's head crest.
Creator
Timothy Skottowe
male
Silversmith
Production
Dates of Production: from 1642
to 1643
Norwich, Norfolk, England
Materials
Metal- silver
Metal- plate
Museological Details
Spout cup
V&A museum
M.84-1920
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