Chinese Playing Badminton On A Chamber Pot!!!

[55th Massachusetts]

Man, who thought out this design for a transferware chamber pot? Let's see, have Chinese men playing Badminton on one side of the pot, and riding a see-saw on the other side....oh.....and put a cork in the hole in the bottom to keep the pot functional........

History is where you find it, and where you see it portrayed on a 1850's Chamber Pot! It was dug in a downtown Charleston, SC privy.


They had a sense of humor all the way to the end.......so to speak..
REB

 

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[SGVALLEYMAN]

wow..I'd say that is unique ! Not everyday you see that !!
Nice Find.

Continued success !
Scott

 

[Mackaydon]

Interesting, for sure, though I was thinking 'catching butterflies' versus badminton in the absence of a court net. Then again, maybe they didn't need or have a net.
Don.....

 

[55th Massachusetts]

Thanks guys!

D

Interesting, for sure, though I was thinking 'catching butterflies' versus badminton in the absence of a court net. Then again, maybe they didn't need or have a net.

Don, it's definately Badminton, you can see the shuttlecock in the air between the two guys.

Here is a engraving from 1804 showing basically the same playing of Badminton minus the net.
REB

 

[umrgolf]

now that's a pretty awesome find, REB I miss that area went to school in Goose Creek for a year

 

[Erik in NJ]

Interesting item -- very nice! Are you sure they are not Japanese?

 

[55th Massachusetts]

I had Ivor Noel-Hume look at it...and he said Chinese because of the cases of tea in the back ground.
Thanks!
REB

 

[Steve in PA]

You've been coming up with a lot of chamber pots lately, you're a roll

 

[Mackaydon]

Interesting; I saw the object between the two as butterflies.

 

[Eric Willoughby]

What an excellent find! I really like the fact that it still has a cork in it where it broke. I do have to wonder what made the pot's maker think to do artistry work of a Chinese Badminton scene and playing on a see-saw, it's an odd fit for such an item. It seems to suggest that when one is using pot, one thinks of Badminton and see-saws!

 

[55th Massachusetts]

Sorry they're shuttlecocks.

Mr. Ivor Noel-Hume is the foremost expert on 18th and 19th ceramics in at LEAST this country if not the world. He was the director of Archaeology for Colonial Williamsburg for thirty years and the author of over a dozen books. One book in particular is "If These Pots Could Talk, Collecting 2000 Years of British Household Pottery."

He said Badminton/Battledore and Shuttlecock as it was referred to in the 18th and 19th Century was portrayed on the Chamber Pot.

His article in "Ceramics in America" Volume 2003 for your edification.
http://www.chipstone.org/framesetCiAintro.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badminton#History_and_development

Mr. Humes credentials if you like; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivor_Noel_Hume

Robert Bohrn

 

[oldmaps]

That's a great find , the Chinese pattern is a very desireable pattern for staffordshire collectors. They made a few different scenes of chinese children playing games or sports.

 

[advegas1]

fantastic! great looking pot.

 

[SC Keith]

Fantastic piece there REB! I enjoy the ceramics from CHS., keep them coming!
I hope you got the pics I sent you!
Keith

 

[Potter Poker]

That is just amazing

 

[Syrena Hunter]

Very cool ,

 

[MaineRelic]

Thats a Corker 55th ! and thanx for showing me that VMM plate the other day ! Best of luck ! MaineRelic

 

[Steve in PA]

Are you digging all these nice chamber pots and other fine privy dug ceramics that you've been posting, or obtaining them from other diggers? You typically only say they were "dug in a Charleston privy".
If you're the one digging these privies, would you please share what else is coming out of them? We like glass too

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Now that's a gorgeous piece, love the original cork!
I feel that this pot was most certainly made for the North American
market as none of the figures pictured actually look to be Chinese.

 

[55th Massachusetts]

Are you digging all these nice chamber pots and other fine privy dug ceramics that you've been posting, or obtaining them from other diggers? You typically only say they were "dug in a Charleston privy".
If you're the one digging these privies, would you please share what else is coming out of them? We like glass too

God Steve, you got me.... I walk the streets of Charleston with a cart and yell "Privy Pots, I need some Privy pots!"

You know sonny, I've dug my own relics, from privies to 19 soldiers from the 55th Massachusetts.

http://follycurrent.com/2009/11/04/folly’s-forgotten-sons-of-the-union/
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/03/nation/la-na-soldiers-bones3-2010jan03


I dug these pots, period. I love to be accused of faking a post. Google my name,and you will get your answers.
You want more stuff. How much more do you want. I hope these make you happy.
The first pic is of the cover of the North South Trader from 1994, with an article I wrote on privy digging.
The last is a display that I made for the National Bottle show, that depicts how a privy looks like from the bottom up so to speak...I won most Educational for that...
Now what else do you want. Oh BTW, I already posted bottles on the bottle forum...you should take a look.
Robert Bohrn