Skip to main content

The Staffordshire Mezzanine aka Meat Strainers / Drainers

From the early 19th century, most dinner sets included a drainer, or mezannine as they are often called, which was flat and had a hole in the center, with smaller holes all around it. This drainer would fit inside a large serving dish and would have been used when serving meat, particularly fish, to drain the juices.


From my personal collection are these two examples below.
Copeland Spode, circa 1860 Duncan Rural Scenes with Hops Border



Did you recognize them?  You're used to seeing them with my canine collection displayed on them.


I decided to do this post because each time I show you all my doggies I have several comments and emails from you asking about the drainers.  Most of the time, you all tell me you had never heard of or seen them before so, I decided to gather some photographs and examples of these to share with you.

Here is a rare, Chinese influenced piece with a camel and giraffe amongst exotic foliage.

From Wedgwood, circa 1846, is this drainer in the Bouquet pattern.

Classic Blue Willow, early 19C



I am planning a post which will feature many plates from this Aesthetic Movement pattern by Brown Westhead and Moore entitled Gainsboro.  The transfer on this and the corresponding pieces in this set are impeccably rendered and very striking.  You'll love seeing all the various fruits, but for now here is the meat drainer.


From Brownfields, a pretty floral drainer in a lovely gray transfer.

Next is an early example attributed to John & William Ridgway in the India Vase pattern, circa 1825.


Pretty lavender colored transferware by Burgess and Leigh in the Paris Plum pattern, circa 1870


This impressive example is an ivory colored polychrome transfer ware fish platter complete with is original drainer insert.  It was made by Powell, Bishop & Stonier,  circa 1878-1890,  and is decorated in the Aesthetic style with the sweetest songbirds perched amongst  flowering tree branches, and dragonflies buzzing about.  This oblong platter measures over 21" in length!  You can see how the drainer is made to fit into the platter.







Here we have yet another Powell, Bishop & Stonier Potteries set.  The pattern is London, circa 1882, and is a relish or berry server of sorts printed in brown and renders meticulous hand painted detail in a plethora of vivid, natural colors.  It depicts exotic flowers, birds and so indicative of the Aesthetic movement, an inset featuring the Horseguards; the London stables during the Victorian era.






This very rare strawberry dish by Copeland (Spode), also from the Aesthetic Movement, features images in dark sepia brown transfers of a butterfly amongst wild grasses in interior of the bowl.  
I have several pieces of this pattern, Daisy, in my shop. The exterior is embellished with a ring of daisies which have been tinted in a rich palette of green, turquoise, ochre glazes and luster glazes. With its open lattice work sides, reminiscent of earlier creamware pieces, and the drainage holes in the base, this piece is remarkable. Reticulated handles and four feet have accented gold flora and scrolls adding a special touch. The underplate also has the butterfly grasses and daisy motifs.




Back to the more common type of meat drainer inserts. These next few examples are each paired with their respective meat platter.


From the Aesthetic Movement, this Doulton's piece is a wonderful polychrome example in the Oxford pattern, circa 1882.  



 19C Blue Willow adaptation 

And again, from the Aesthetic Movement this pattern is Palmyra by Sampson Hancock & Sons, circa 1880's.  I have several polychrome plates in my shop HERE where you can also read about the pattern and the potter.

Here's a small drainer from my collection as well.  You've seen this pattern here quite a bit because it's one of my favorites; Spode Byron, circa 1930's.




Drainers are seldom used anymore but they are very collectible, and displayable.  In one of my all time favorite dining room photos, look what Charles Faudree crowned this wallscape with.  See the holes in the top, center piece over the painting?  Yep, it's a Staffordshire transferware mezzanine!


Lastly, this isn't transferware obviously but it is a wonderful, whimsical creamware example of a 19C meat drainer.

Hope you all liked seeing these.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Joining:

Comments

  1. I have never seen these before, Nancy. So very beautiful! Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I Have never seen large drainers before.What a beautiful collection.I have a small dish it has a drainer and a domed lid.Not sure what they used it for.
    Anne

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Anne,

      Without seeing it, I cannot say for sure, but I am pretty certain it is a soap dish. Oftentimes the soap dishes were round bowls with drain inserts and covered domes. Some butter dishes were made like this as well!

      Delete
  3. I always enjoy your posts! I love transferware ,and reading your blog is a feast for the eyes. Thank you for the information on these great pieces.
    Kathleen

    ReplyDelete
  4. As functional as I'm sure they are, and were, I think they are beautiful pieces in their own right, Nancy. I love the brown and white platter you show with the birds.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What pretty pieces. You know I never knew what these were. I have learned so much through blogging. These are just gorgeous examples! xo Diana

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh wow, that all I need to drool even more, over transferware! I'm loving these strainers Nancy, specially the brown ones with twigs and birds! Thanks for sharing. I have the very same dogs from doggie collection..I think I have about 33 as of now. Love doggies too.
    FABBY

    ReplyDelete
  7. I learned something new tonight! Thanks for all the information you share, along with your lovely pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nancy, this is such a great post. I've seen them before, but never realized that they were for meat. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with Seasonal Sundays.

    - The Tablescaper

    ReplyDelete
  9. I always learn so much from your posts Nancy! You are a plethora of knowledge when it comes to dishes!!

    bee blessed
    mary

    ReplyDelete
  10. I enjoyed seeing all those beautiful drainers. I have never seen them in person though, so they must all be rare. Another favorite piece of mine is the "tree in well" platter, you hardly ever see those also. hugs...cleo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cleo, You're right about the tree and well platters. I thought about showing some of those also but maybe I'll save that for another post. I have one or two. They are BIG and heavy. My Mom has a silver one and has had it for as long as I can remember.

      Delete
  11. Nancy all your beautiful transferware collections just amaze me. I had never heard of these before. You certainly know your history and I love that you share it with us!! I too love the Charles Faudree room and no I had never noticed that before until you pointed it out.Thanks for such a beautiful and interesting post.

    Nann

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow! Gorgeous and I learned something! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thank you Nancy for sharing your collection.. I have never seen these and I appreciate your knowledge on the subject! The patterns in the transferware are amazing~ Have a great Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great post, so informative. I have never seen these before.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Nancy, Thank you for the education about these meat drainers! They are so gorgeous!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Nancy: I am in awe of your collections..Happy Sunday..Judy

    ReplyDelete
  17. Nancy, I love to read your informative blogs. Have you ever considered writing a book? I have a collection of reference books on tableware and I honestly think that your tutorials are better than any of those. If you have already written a book, please let us know!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Don't know why Aesthetic china and silver calls to me. Perhaps a previous life LOL.

    I always adore seeing your things and always learn something new. Such a pleasure! Did you happen to see the Transferware Collectors Club grant notice? Might be a good topic! Thanks for stopping by. Jane

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi darling, I've always wondered what these were called. You know I'm going to "have" to have a blue and white one.. I love my latest order, will post about them soon, everything is "perfect" in the sunporch.. hugs ~lynne~

    ReplyDelete
  20. In all of my years of collecting everything I have never run across these drainers , maybe because they were to pricey ? but I think I would have noticed them. I am going out to our best antique mall and see if I can find one

    they are fabulous, you have the best stuff when it comes to transferware

    ReplyDelete
  21. These are fascinating, Nancy. (And beautiful!) Thank you so much for posting them I'd never heard of a drainer before. Although I have seen strawberry and latticework bowls before. (The ones you showed are lovely!) Take care.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love hearing from my readers. I appreciate the time you take to post a comment and I read them all.

Popular posts from this blog

English Cottage Living Room - Before, Partly After & Still a Work in Progress

I am sorry for not posting more pictures of the progress we've made settling into this new (to us) home.   It seems life rushes by so fast and that at times, doing little things, even those that I love and enjoy, often get pushed aside and onto the back shelf of my mind where I tell myself, "I'll get to this later".  Well, it is later and though I don't have as much to share with you as I'd like, I'm going to at least share my favorite spot in our living room.  I promise to show the rest of the room soon but for now the opposite half of the living room has been occupied by my daughters boyfriend who has been staying with us for the past 7 or so weeks until his apartment is ready for him to move into, and so the couch is usually made up for him to sleep on!   Here is a photo of the current living room just as we found it, a small room just off the entry of the house with a nice marble and wood fireplace surround, hard wood floors, beautiful crown mouldi

The History of Johnson Brothers and The Friendly Village Tablescape

Last week, Shawn and I popped into a couple of estate sales and I picked up over 100 pieces of Johnson Brother's The Friendly Village .  I think I may have to hang on to 12 of the dinner plates and use them this year at Thanksgiving but the rest of them, including this 48 piece service for 8, will be you know where. I don't know about you all, but I have had enough of Summer and I am down right ready for the cooler temperatures of Autumn.  I've been doing a lot of rearranging around the house….I'm in one of those zones where I've got a zillion projects going on, even if half of them are just in my mind that I'm contemplating!   We've also been moving kids out and around.  Three of them are out and the three still at home are moving or rearranging their rooms around.    Since I am yearning for Fall, haven't posted any tablescapes in a while and just got these Friendly Village pieces I decided to set the table with them.      Oh great, I

More Traditional Red White & Blue Rooms with Transferware

A couple of weeks ago I shared some pictures of beautiful rooms in red and blue color schemes decorated with transferware .    Here is another roundup of rooms that I adore, all with red and blue color schemes and all with transferware!  Enjoy!  (via Traditional Home) (via enchanted home) (my old living room) Joining some of the following parties: Between Naps on The Porch Transformation Thursday at  The Shabby Chic Cottage Feathered Nest Friday at  French Country Cottage Friday Inspiration  At The Picket Fence Cindy at  My Romantic Home Funky Junk Interiors Charm of Home No Minimalist Here WOW  Amaze Me Mondays  Making Monday Link Party  Motivational Mondays  What'd You Do This Weekend?   Inspire Me Monday   Make It Pretty Monday   Monday Link Party  Inspire Me Monday 

My English Country Mom Cave

Susan, at Between Naps on the Porch is hosting a Home Goods Mom Cave contest with four lucky winners.  Come on in to my little niche I've carved out of my house.  This is where I work, create, relax, read and chat with friends and family. This is one of my favorite spots in the house to read about one of my favorite subjects...English transferware or poetry, and drink tea.  I often start and end my day right here. Next to the chair is an antique dumbwaiter which holds some decorative items as well as lots of poetry books.  This is the view of the room from the wing back chair.  This cozy room serves as a small living room, although it's not uncommon to have 8 or 9 of the girls in here during family gatherings.  It's usually where we all wind up to have coffee and visit. . On either side of the sofa I display some of my vintage Canine figurines on Spode meat drainers. Above the sofa are some of my favorite paintings.  The one directly over the sofa my Mom pain

Decorating with Brown Transferware & $100 GIVEAWAY

Brown was introduced as a transferware color around 1829-30 and is the least expensive of colors to make. Therefore it is fairly common, so far as transferware goes, to find.  It is also one of the most collected colors and it is probably the most versatile of colors in my opinion.  Brown is neutral and looks good with any color scheme from pastels to rich jewel tones, but it is with the ushering in of Autumn that I see it popping up in home decor and vignettes the most.  Though, most of these rooms and vignettes are decorated with brown pieces year round, it just seems the perfect time to share them.  I may have to do another post because there are so, so many more equally beautiful spaces that have incorporated the use of displaying brown transferware  and I can't fit them all here. So, check these lovelies out and then stick around for the giveaway at the bottom of the post. This vignette just stole my heart the first time I saw it.  So many of us have vintage luggage

The Aesthetic Movement and Transferware

What is the Aesthetic Movement? The Aesthetic Movement refers to a period of time in the late 19 th century (1870-1900) which was a backlash to the formal Victorian years.  Artists and writers of the Aesthetic movement period maintained the belief that art should provide refined sensuous pleasure, rather than convey moral or sentimental messages.  They believed that art did not have any didactic purpose; it need only be beautiful.  Japanese art had a great influence on Aestheticism. Aesthetic interiors were often decorated with Japanese prints, screens, fans and other objects. An appreciation of the art of Japan is seen in the work of many Aesthetic artists and designers such as James McNeill Whistler and E.W. Godwin. photo credit Country Living The Aesthetes developed the cult of beauty, which they considered the basic factor in art. They ascertained that life should copy art and considered nature as crude and lacking in design

Decorating with Blue Transferware and a GIVEAWAY!

   If you haven't already been over to Enchanted Home , you'll want to go over after you finish this post because the wonderful Tina, who authors the incredibly gorgeous blog,  has a great post up about decorating with dishes plus she's hosting a giveaway to my online shop, English Transferware !  Details at the end of the post! I know Tina loves blue and white (just look at her header and you'll know!) and has a collection of her own. In honor of Tina, I've decided to share some of my favorite images of rooms decorated with and often around blue transferware collections.  You can see more rooms decorated with blue transferware on my Pinterest board . To me, Charles Faudree is just about as synonymous with English transferware as he his with French Country Decorating...he seemed to always find a use for it in his incredibly detailed decorating schemes.  Isn't this bedroom charming? I love this next image from Decor Magazine.  Look how the blu