A fruit bowl is a bowl or dish used to display and serve fresh fruit, whether on the dining table, a sideboard or a side table. Antique fruit bowls come in many materials and forms, including silver and plated baskets, cut and pressed glass bowls, porcelain and pottery dishes and footed comports, as well as turned wooden bowls and woven baskets.
The display of fruit at the end of a meal was an important part of formal dining from the eighteenth century, when the dessert course was served with its own porcelain services, glass and silver. Pierced silver and Sheffield plate baskets with swing handles, glass bowls on stands and porcelain comports from factories such as Derby, Worcester and Coalport all served this purpose, while elaborate epergnes combined several fruit and sweetmeat dishes in one centrepiece. The Victorians and Edwardians produced fruit bowls in great quantity, from cut crystal to electroplate with glass liners. Collectors look for good quality of cutting, piercing or painting, intact rims and feet, and original liners where appropriate. A handsome antique fruit bowl remains one of the simplest ways to bring colour and life to a kitchen table or dining room.
