A large William and Mary lignum vitae wassail bowl

A large William and Mary lignum vitae wassail bowl, the raised lip above a ring turned body, applied with a brass plaque engraved with a coat of arms, the date '1694' and inscribed 'Bibi Potum et non Defundo' and 'Thomas White', on a ring turned foot, 38.7cm high, 35.5cm diameter.

Wassail bowls of this size are comparatively rare, Owen Evan-Thomas in his book Domestic Utensils of Wood p.19 pl.6 features 'Two of the largest know Wassail bowls' both measuring 13 1/2in high and diameter, so slightly smaller than this lot, with capacities of 4-4 1/2 gallons. It is also very unusual for them to be dated albeit this one the date is on an applied plaque. Edward Pinto suggests that the later bowls have a diameter greater to depth and this corresponds to the date on this bowl. The Latin inscription could be translated as 'Drink and do not spill' and the coat of arms possibly correspond to the White family of Weymouth whose shield was charged with three crosslets diagonally and featured a crest of a curlew standing on a mount of grass.