8/12/2019 3 Mustard Pot Cafe Que

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Museums Sheffield

Cost Britannia Metal (made from mainly

tin and copper) sold for around athirtieth of the cost of equivalentsilverware.

Probably batch produced;moderate input of time andmetalwork expertise.

Aspirational good, most likely to

appeal to middleclass consumerswanting to emulate the silverwareused by the weal thy.

More expensive mustard pots couldbe purchased made from OldSheffield Plate, EPNS and solid silver.

Appearance Britannia Metal, early1800s. Could be

polished to resemble solid silver but wasaffordable to a wider market.

Fairly common design; squat liddedtankard.

Attractive pierced work body, made bypunching shapes through the metal.Blue glass liner can be seen through

the holes. This detail indicates thatappearance is fairly important tothe design.

Tarnished to a dull grey but could bepolished to a high shine.

Function Mustard could be served from the pot

with a small spoon at table or in thekitchen. Lid allowed the paste to bestored in the pot when not in use.

Glass liner prevents the metal surfacefrom reacting with the mustard paste.

Design responds to the problem of servingand storing perishable condiments with

maximum convenience.

An airtight seal and vacuum pumpattachment would improve storagefunction, helping to keep condimentsfresh.

Ergonomics Small so it can be passed around the

table and refilled with ease.

Thumbpiece means the pot can be held

and lid lifted with one hand, whilst theother hand uses the spoon.

Pierced work finish keeps the weightminimal even with glass lining.

Glass liner can be removed easilyand cleaned.

Comfort could be improved by addinga high grip material to the handle.

Quality Good quality pierced work produced by

a skilled hand.

Well-finished with no roughness,irregularities or flaws.

Hinge is well fitted allowing smoothmovement, so wear and tear has beenminimized. Still in working condition.

User Mustard pots were used frequently in

C19th homes. They appealed to a widemarket because mustard was popularamong all classes to liven up bland food.

A pot like this would be seen on a lowermiddle class table, aspiring to the customsand dining paraphernalia of wealthierhouseholds.

EnvironmentSubstituting a more sustainable material forall or parts of the design could improveenvironmental impact.

Pros

Long lasting piece functional 200 yearsafter manufacture. Longevity makes thedesign more sustainable.

As-new appearance of the piece canbe maintained through polishing ratherthan being disposed of and a newpiece manufactured.

Metals could be recycled.

Aspirational good, most likely to appealto middleclass consumers wantingto emulate the silverware used bythe wealthy.

More expensive mustard pots could bepurchased made from Old Sheffield Plate,EPNS and solid silver.

Cons

Mining and processing ores for metalproduction damages the environmentand has a high carbon footprint.

Antimony was used in production, which ishighly toxic.

Most C19th designers were not concernedabout environmental problems relatedto manufacture.

Objects in 3D