Framed by a floral border, this oval earthenware platter depicts a lifelike rural scene. On it, a shepherd stands beside a very sizeable ox, both of them depicted in shades of indigo against a white background. Normally displayed in a pine cupboard in Dalnavert’s kitchen, this platter serves a two-fold function: it is both an idyllic display of the countryside and a convenient kitchen appliance. The central image of a robust ox and shepherd was printed from a single-colour stipple engraving, allowing for fine details and various shades of deep blue. Slightly warping the image, five carved branches meet in the middle of the platter, where they travel toward a well or depression on the platter’s surface, ensuring drippings are carried and contained below the roasts that would be served and carved on platters of this kind. A border frames the agricultural scene; it includes a larger floral print that reaches from the flat bottom of the plate to its outermost edges. Running a finger along the platter’s diameter, one would discover this platter maintains a near-perfect oval shape that is interrupted by an indented bump in each of the platter’s four outermost corners. Preserved by its smooth exterior glaze, the image on this platter has kept its fine details, despite the platter’s use to serve roasted meat. Comfortably held in two hands, the balanced weight of this object reminds its holder of opening a textbook to its centerfold. By combining both beauty and usefulness, this marvellous platter provides insights into nineteenth-century ideals related to both visual appearance and functionality.

The ox on this platter isn’t just any ox. He is, or was, the Durham Ox, a shockingly large animal whose size made him a household name and altered societal perceptions of the potential of agricultural production. The image on the platter was produced from an engraving (created by J. Whessell) that was a replica of J. Boultbee’s 1802 painting titled: The Durham Ox.¹ Standing beside the ox, providing the viewer with a fantastic sense of scale, is a man, believed to be John Day, who acquired the ox in 1802 from its breeders, brothers Charles and Robert Colling of Ketton Farm, Darlington, England. At the time of purchase, the Durham Ox was said to weigh “27 hundredweight,” which equates to around 3,000 pounds.² With his astonishing weight came an astonishing purchase price of £250, roughly $25,000 in Canadian dollars today. The high price didn’t deter Day, who viewed the ox as a source of income. After acquiring the ox, Day had a carriage specially made to transport him, drawn by four horses. Having the means to transport the ox, John Day then toured the ox for five years, exhibiting him across England and Scotland. The large and handsome ox’s exhibition ultimately brought Durham cattle into high repute. An article written about the ox several years after his death claims, “the ox speaks volumes in favour of even a single cross of this blood.”³

Demonstrating the impact of this animal’s reputation, at mid-century, an American Agricultural article invited readers to examine an image of a standard ox from Durham, stating the animal “made many a tender dish” as the “crops, loin, buttocks, and barrel are capital.”⁴ The Durham Ox’s reputation endures even today. Several English pubs bear his name as their own, and a rural town in Victoria, Australia, is named Durham Ox. In addition to the power of his name, his striking image remains frozen in a range of dessert and dinnerware objects, such as this platter. Centuries later, the Durham Ox still captivates his audience.

While the Ox Platter’s manufacturer remains unconfirmed, it is likely that this platter was produced in Staffordshire, England. Both functional and decorative, the Ox Platter—while rare—was by no means a one-of-a-kind object. The detailed design on its surface is a result of a revolutionary mass-production printing technique known as underglaze transfer printing. Prior to the development of this technique, the decoration of an item was often limited to the skill of one’s set of hands. However, the Worcester porcelain factory in England simplified the production of decorative ceramics by discovering a process that allowed for a print to survive firing under a protective glaze.⁵ While this new technique was, for a while, carefully contained by a single factory (Worcester porcelain), the secret ultimately escaped. Ceramic manufacturers were then able to reduce the cost of production by printing on earthenware rather than porcelain. A digital exhibition dedicated to print-ware British Pottery notes, “the combination of good underglaze blue printing with a serviceable and cheap earthenware body was to create a large industry in Staffordshire and elsewhere.”⁶ By combining the highly efficient technique of underglaze transfer printing with an inexpensive earthenware vessel, ceramic-producing regions, such as Staffordshire, were able to meet high customer demand. As the dining room was a clearly defined space in the nineteenth century, displaying dessert and dinnerware, such as the Ox Platter, became a symbol of status.

Combining the beauty of detailed decoration with a practical material and design, the Ox Platter very likely impressed the nineteenth-century dinner guest who was served a roast upon it. An item that is useful and beautiful, that engages global histories such as the history of the Durham Ox and the process of transfer printing, this platter emphasizes the wealth and privilege enjoyed by the occupants of upper-middle-class homes in the nineteenth century. One of the most essential functions of inviting guests to dine was to display one’s wealth, power, and social status. Through its multifaceted allure, the Ox Platter provides insight into the pairing of the useful and the beautiful in nineteenth-century middle-class homes.