Jelly Mould - 1781
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Jelly Mould
© Wedgwood Museum
Wedgwood made jelly moulds in the form that we know them today as well as decorative examples such as this, which were made to decorate fashionable dining tables in the 18th century. Made in two pieces, jelly would be poured into the outer part of the mould with the decorated inner core then positioned inside. When set, and the outer part removed, a thin layer would cover the hand-painted scene creating a centre-piece which would shimmer in the candlelight of the dining room.
The Wedgwood factory produced both functional, or useful, jelly and blancmange moulds, and ‘ornamental’ moulds which would be used purely as decorative table centre-pieces by fashionable hosts in the late-18th century. Ornamental moulds such as this example were made in either Queen’s ware or pearlware. They were made in two parts; a hollow mould that would be filled with a non-edible jelly, or coloured gelatine, and a decorated inner ‘core’, which was also hollow. When the outer mould was filled with the jelly the inner piece was inserted and the whole thing left to set. When the jelly was ready the outer mould would be removed, leaving the hand painted core surrounded with a thin layer of the opaque jelly that would shimmer in the light from the candles used to illuminate the dining table. The resulting scene would have been a feast for the senses.A contemporary diner, Parson Woodforde, having been the dinner guest of his local squire, remarked upon this extremely fashionable effect in his diary entry of 28 March 1782 - ‘…a very pretty pyramid of jelly in the centre [of the table], a landscape appearing thro’ the Jelly, a new device and brought from London.’
- Type of object: Ornamental ware/centre piece
- Mark: WEDGWOOD
- Year first produced: 1781
- Body: Queen's ware and cream-coloured earthenware
- Material: Ceramic
- Decoration: Hand-painted
- Accession number: 1434
- Dimensions: 130 mm (height), 224 mm (width), 123 mm (depth)
