RARE ENGLISH DELFTWARE BLUE AND WHITE FUDDLING CUP FIRST HALF 17TH CENTURY

Probably London or Lambeth, modelled as three entwined vessels, each inscribed ALL, BOYSE or DRINCK.

Louis L. Lipski Collection;
The Collection of Sheila Slann Saul;
Sotheby's, London, November 17, 1981, lot 231;
Northeast Auction, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, November 3, 2000, lot 706.

Antiques and Fine Arts Weekly, February 1, 2002, p. 85.

There is overall some crazing and glaze losses or abrasions to the edges of the handles and the rims. There is an approximate 1-inch chip to the rim edge of one cup.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Various other inscribed three- or four-part fuddling cups are illustrated in Leslie B. Grigsby, The Longridge Collection of English Slipware and Delftware, pp. 316-318, where the author cites the present fuddling cup on p. 316 as an example that "associates vessels of this type with communal drinking." Amanda E. Lange refers to the present example in Delftware at Historic Deerfield, 1600-1800, p. 37 as well as a three-part cup in the Taunton Museum, dated 1697, bearing the inscription 'Three Mery Boys', possibly suggesting that each individual cup was called a boy, which may be a derivation of the verb bois in French for 'to drink'.