I have been checking out these bowls in the 'classifieds' sections of the interweb for some time now, but most of them are either quite expensive, have chips on them or are in a condition that is a bit worste for wear. Recently I have been lucky enough to find a few in good nick, and have decided to pair them up with brushware that has similar personalities. This bowl is paired with a Hardekool brush, textured on the top and bottom with a smooth base. Hardekool is well known in Afrikaner culture for the beauty it provides to the bushveld landscape, and its fantastic ability to provide flames for a campfire for a looooooong time. Hardekool is also much favoured by the African elly that chows its leaves, smaller branches and bark, they also 'do battle' with the medium sized trees often, mostly to get to the foilage, but sometimes just because they can!
This bowl was made by Crown Devon based in the UK, they closed down in 1982, and their stuff is somewhat collectable on account of them not being around anymore. This bowl was made for the inauguration of the Voortrekker monument in 1949, the monument provides an opportunity for the public to learn more about the Afrikaner’s story, from the Great Trek to the Anglo-Boer War and more. The monument tells a story of heroism, perseverance and a vision for the future, I am pretty sure the vision has not turned out exactly as planned, on account of political changes in the mid 90's, none the less, Afrikaners have stayed the course and their culture has pretty much remained on course as per the intention way back when.
The artwork on the bowl was designed around the theme of the Voortrekker lager at the Battle of Blood river. The bowl is nice and compact and has a top diameter of just over 11 cm, and a height of 6 cm, the bottom rim is also 6 cm, the porcelain sets the weight at 180 grams. The brush is fitted with a 24 mm Finest two band knot in a fan shape, It stands 106 mm tall, with a smallest handle diameter of 37 mm and a widest diameter of 45 mm. The knot is set at 56 mm