A pedestal bowl is a bowl raised on a stem or foot, lifting its contents above the surface of the table for display and ease of serving. The form is made in glass, porcelain, pottery, silver and other metals, and ranges from small sweetmeat dishes to large centrepieces for fruit, flowers or punch.
Raised bowls have a long history, from classical footed vessels to the Renaissance tazza, but they became especially fashionable on the Georgian and Victorian dining table, where the display of dessert was an important part of formal entertaining. Anglo-Irish cut glass pedestal bowls of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, often with turnover rims and square lemon-squeezer feet, are among the most admired. Victorian makers produced them in pressed glass, coloured glass and electroplate, and potteries such as Wedgwood and Minton made ceramic versions. When buying, check the joint between bowl and stem, which is a common point of weakness and repair, and examine rims for chips or grinding. A good pedestal bowl remains a practical piece, serving equally well as a centrepiece on a dining table or a display piece on a hall console.
