A compote, often called a comport in Britain, is a decorative bowl or dish raised on a stem and foot, traditionally used for serving fruit, desserts, sweetmeats and confectionery, and also functioning as an elegant table centrepiece. Antique examples were made in porcelain, earthenware, glass, cut crystal, silver and silver plate, and sometimes combine a glass bowl with a metal stand.
Raised dishes were used on the dessert table in the eighteenth century, but the comport became especially fashionable in the nineteenth century, when elaborate dessert services were made by English and Continental porcelain factories, including Coalport, Minton, Worcester, Derby and Sèvres. These services typically included several comports of different heights, sometimes with low, medium and tall examples, along with plates and serving dishes, often painted with fruit, flowers or landscapes. Glass comports in cut and pressed glass were made in great quantities in England and Bohemia, while silver and silver-plated examples were made with pierced bowls or glass liners, often supported by figures or foliate stems. Collectors look for good painting and gilding, complete sets, clear marks and an absence of cracks, chips and restoration, particularly to the stem and foot. Comports make a striking display on a sideboard or dining table, filled with fruit or flowers.
