John Harlow Pottery Stoneware Cheese Cloche with Foliage Motif

This is a charming example of a cheese cloche or cheese dome, produced by potter John Harlow, who was based in the South-West of 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 flattened, discoid knop at the apex, which has a central protrusion, and a waisted neck that attaches to the cloche. The interior and exterior have been glazed in a pale speckled grey. There are three sprigs of foliage motifs in brown, rust-red, and pale blue. There are two pale blue circumferential lines above the flared rim, which is unglazed.

The lower plate is broad with a flattened, 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. There are two concentric blue circles in the centre of the plate and two further foliage motifs in blue and rust-red.

The underside of the plate is also unglazed with a chamfered edge. It is impressed on the underside with the words ‘JOHN HARLOW SOMERSET’. John and Margaret Harlow were based in numerous parts of Somerset over their long potting career, including Chedzoy, Whitnell, Evercreech, and Little Pennard.

The cloche portion has a maximum height (excluding the plate) of 11.0cm and a maximum diameter of 16.2cm. The plate has a diameter across the rim of 20.2cm.

It has an unwrapped weight of 840g.

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