David Carew Studio Pottery Stoneware Cheese Cloche with Sgraffito Design

This is a charming example of a cheese cloche or cheese dome, produced by David Carew, who was based in Cornwall, England.

The cheese cloche comes in two parts. The upper dome is hemispherical, with a hole positioned off-centre to allow for the aeration of the contents. There is a thick, strap-like handle attached to the top. The interior and exterior have been glazed in a pale grey, over which has been applied a reddish-brown shade on the exterior. This has then been incised circumferentially below the handle, with the resulting band being divided into four quarters by four sets of four vertical lines. Each quarter is crudely incised with three abstract groups of lines, revealing the grey glaze underneath. This decorating technique is known as ‘sgraffito‘. 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 glaze, which extends to the underside of the rim.

The underside of the plate is also unglazed with a chamfered edge. On this edge, it is impressed with a rectangle containing the intertwined letters ‘DC’. This monogram belongs to potter David Carew.

The cloche portion has a maximum height (excluding the plate) of 11.2cm and a maximum diameter of 18.8cm. The plate has a diameter across the rim of 23.0cm.

It has an unwrapped weight of 1420g.

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