Aller Pottery (Bryan and Julia Newman) Stoneware Cheese Cloche

This is a charming example of a cheese cloche or cheese dome, produced at the Aller Pottery in Langport, Somerset, which was founded by Bryan and Julia Newman in 1966.

The cheese cloche comes in two parts. The upper dome is hemispherical, with a flared knop drawn out from the apex. There are holes on either side of this to allow for the aeration of the contents. I believe the knop may be shaped this way to allow the lid to be inverted and sit on it, like a foot, rather than roll around on its side. It is decorated with a pale grey glaze on the interior and exterior, and has random spots of brown throughout. There is a band of abstract motifs hand-painted in blue, bordered above and below with a pair of circumferential lines also in blue. The rim of the cloche is unglazed.

The lower plate is broad with a slightly everted rim. This allows the cloche portion to sit centrally. It is glazed in the same grey and brown flecked finish, which extends to the underside of the rim. There is a broad unglazed portion on the upper surface of the plate that allows the cloche to sit in place and not slide about.

The underside of the plate is also unglazed with a chamfered edge. On this edge, it is impressed with a rectangle containing the capital letter ‘A’. This is one of the marks attributed to the Aller Pottery in Langport, Somerset.

The cloche portion has a maximum height (excluding the plate) of 10.4cm and a maximum diameter of 17.9cm. The plate has a diameter across the rim of 22.5cm.

It has an unwrapped weight of 1150g.

It is in excellent condition, with no chips or cracks.