Here we have an extremely rare and exceptional butter dish dating to circa 1840.  This is stunning and one of the most beautiful pieces of cane ware I’ve had the pleasure to own.  This is a very elaborately ornamented and functional item crafted by a master potter.  This butter dish is a testament to the skill, care and pride taken by the potter to produce a usable item of exceptional visual appearance.  The butter dish is composed of three parts, the lid, a base and an under plate.  The domed lid is decorated with a melon finial and delicate flowers on a lattice.  This flowers and lattice design continues along the side of the base and under plate.  The melon was molded individually and the potter intended to press it onto the lid while the clay was still damp.  The clay had already dried to the point where the melon wouldn’t adhere, so the potter mechanically fastened it to the lid.  This yellow ware butter dish form is referred to as cane with the outer surface not being glazed.  This allows for the great molded detail that would not be as prominent if the surface was glazed.  Measuring 4 ½” high to the top of the melon finial, 6” across the base and 7 ¾” across the under plate, the butter dish survives in remarkably good condition with a small chip to the edge of the lid, no damage to the base and flat chips to the edge of the under plate.  The underside of the base has an applied Minton cartouche impressed “PORUS No. 178”.  This butter dish is in remarkable condition considering its age and for most of this time has been admired rather than used.  Any advanced collector would cherish, appreciate and be proud to own this very rare and spectacular piece of early cane ware.