A sauce boat, gravy boat, or saucière is a low jug or pitcher with a handle in which sauce or gravy is served.
The typical shape is considered boat-like, hence the name. It often sits on a matching saucer, sometimes attached to the pitcher, to catch dripping sauce.
Sometimes in porcelain but many times in silver we find some really great pieces so useful with Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner
This photo shows just some of the various silver sauce boats crafted over the years
Often in pairs we also find single pieces perfect for sauces.
Let’s start with an extra-large pair of very old sauce boats:
These sauce boats are almost 200 years old – by William Galloway they are hallmarked London 1824 and are 21cms from lip to handle and 10.5cms high and weigh 850 grams – big!
They are in the classic shape – standing on three cast feet with shell bases. The feet are attached to the body of the pieces with more shell motifs
The curly handle makes them easy to use. The chasing on the body of the boats is typical of that period
These extra large sauce boats would have been needed at all those large house parties
Do sauce boats change?
Maybe not so much- these sauce boats date from nearly 100 years later:
You still see the three feet – this time ending in the shape of a horse’s hoof. The curled handle that makes them easy to use is still there
Nothing like as big – 19cms from handle to spout and weighing 682 grams. Maybe dinner parties have got smaller …
What is different about these sauce boats is the whimsical chasing of birds, fruit and animals on the body of the pieces – very much in fashion in the late 19th century
Just a few years later and we find a completely different version of sauce boats
Still boat like in shape but altogether more modern – reflecting the art deco period. These sauce boats are by CS Harris and dated 1919
They are 19cms long and 11cms wide and 9cms high and weigh 700 grams – and would fit into every contemporary home
This single sauce boat is pure Art Deco in its form – the clean straight lines of the 1930’s and 1940’s
This small sauce boat has the so elegant ring handle and the simple round foot
These sauce boats are a mere 50 years old , hand crafted by Roberts & Dore and hallmarked 1972
They are in the Celtic style https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_knot
But with these pieces we have the addition of Celtic dragons that form the handles and heads form the ends of the feet
So not every dragon is a Chinese one!
Occasionally we find a sauce boat in Chinese silver
This single sauce boat is by Cumshing and given the shape probably dates from the early 1900’s
Chrysanthemums have been repousse worked on the body and the handle is made to look like a chrysanthemum stem. Chrysanthemums bloom through the frost.
Chinese Export silver motifs and more… – Esme Parish Silver
Do get in touch if you would like to see any of these fine examples of sauce boats