Late Victorian
Circa late 19th to early 20th century | England
An exceptional antique wooden butter stamp of a rose with intricate and detailed carving. These beautiful antique stamps were used in Victorian times to decorate butter once it had been churned and helped identify the farm it came from (see The Gen).
DIMENSIONS: Diameter of stamp face 10.8 cm, Height 10 cm.
CONDITION: In very good condition, wear consistent with an antique age and use. There are some signs of treated old woodworm, but these do not detract at all from the stamp.
REFERENCES: For examples of similar antique butter stamps, see The Crown Series Collector’s Companion, Ken Arnold, Crown Castleton Publishers, 1995, pp 109–110. See also the antique rose butter stamp at the Victoria & Albert Museum collection, Accession Number CIRC.179-1914.
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THE GEN
“Butter moulds have been used for centuries to decorate butter for the table or for competition at the local agricultural show. Carved from cherry, sycamore or box wood the motif usually suggests what type of farm or its area. The mould on the opposite page with the elongated cow suggests it’s a very long standing farm whilst the mould with the swan was probably a farm situated on a river whilst the squirrel mould farm was probably near a forest.” (The Crown Series Collector’s Companion, Ken Arnold, Crown Castleton Publishers, 1995, p. 109)
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