Ewenny pottery slipware wassail bowl and cover, estimated at £3000-5000 at Rogers Jones.
The sgraffito decoration of figures and animals is accompanied by the inscriptions WIM Clay Pits 1833 and William James Tonyrevil Jany 12th 1832. It comes from the collection of Gwyneth and the late Ieuan R Evans, authors of Ewenny – Potteries, Potters and Pots.
Wassail bowls such as this one, measuring 15in (39cm) high, were used at communal events and normally made for the village as a whole. William James, in this case, was probably the donor of the bowl rather than a custodian or owner.
In the South Wales News of April 30, 1892, a report refers to William Williams, a potter at Claypits who made wassail bowls in the 1820s for parishes at a cost of one guinea each.
