Object number
86/198/1-2
Collection
Creator
Description
This Royal Worcester Porcelain Company coffee pot is part of the ‘corn dolly’ range designed by Elizabeth Fraser and introduced circa 1962. It is decorated with corn designs in gold. A full range of tea, coffee and dinnerware was produced, but the designed failed to sell and the pattern went out of production very quickly, with perhaps no more than 300 of each item produced.
Physical description
1 coffee pot with lid: fine bone china; good condition
Archival history
MERL miscellaneous note Greta Bertram, 20 August 2013 – The 'Coker Collection' of corn dollies was bequeathed to the Museum by Alec Coker, who devoted his retirement from 1965 until his death in 1986 to spreading knowledge of and teaching the craft of corn dolly making. He first became interested in the craft when working at the BBC when he encountered dollies as props on the set of ‘Lorna Doone’ in the 1930s. ‘Corn’ is a term for the family of grains which includes barley, oats, wheat and rye. ‘Corn dolly’ is a wide-ranging term which includes figures, love tokens, crosses, Scandinavian star designs, and Far Eastern shrine dolls made from ‘corn’ straw. Techniques used in the craft include tying, plaiting, weaving and marquetry. The corn dolly was originally an object used in rites and rituals, and in many parts of the world it was believed that the ‘Corn Goddess’ lived in the crop and died when it was harvested. Images of the Goddess, or other talismans, were woven from the last sheaf to be reaped and carefully preserved to ensure an abundant crop the following year. By the twentieth century, corn dollies had lost their ritual associations, and from the 1950s there was a concerted effort to preserve the craft of corn dolly making., MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Institute of Agricultural History) – ‘Description: Royal Worcester coffee pot // A white Royal Worcester porcelain pot with corn designs in gold as decoration. // Dimensions: 110cm x 20cm // Associated information: It was designed by Elizabeth Fraser and is from a pattern ‘out of production’ before it was ever in. This pot is from a Corn Dolly set of Royal Worcester porcelain. // References: E. Fraser, ‘Corn Dolly’ // A. Coker’s Collection List, no.118’
Production place
, Potteries, The
Production date
1962 - 1962
Object name
Material
Technique
Associated subject
Associated person/institution
External document
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_15847.tif - High resolution image