Dr Sarah Hayes describes the extensive range of dinnerware sets discovered at Viewbank Homestead, and explains how these reflected the affluence of the Martin family.

Click Here to to listen to Susanna Collis, a conservator talk about conservation of the dinnerware.

Further Information

TRANSCRIPT

SARAH HAYES: The dinner service at Viewbank is particularly unique, in terms of archaeological sites. I suppose most of the archaeological sites we look at in Australia, for various reasons, are working-class sites. So the variety of ceramics are slightly different to what we've found at Viewbank.

Viewbank has an extensive range, quite a large number, of matching sets of ceramics, which tend to be associated with high wealth. High status. Particularly notable is the summer flowers service, which is about 17 vessels. And some of them are very use-specific.

The pattern is this quite elaborate Victorian pattern. It's got a black transfer print. And then it's decorated on top with enameled colors. People seem to either love it or hate it. Some people think it's quite attractive. Other people think it's disgusting.

And as a whole, the set on a table would have been very over the top. There were large serving vessels that went with it. A soup tureen. There was also a large serving platter, which sat over hot water to keep meat warm. And it had little recesses in it to drain the liquids out of meat.

And this isn't the only matching set of tableware. There was another one called Queen's pattern, which is your more traditional blue and white pattern. But that, also, was quite large, and again, had very use-specific items. And there are a range of other matching sets, as well. So they had an extensive range.

The purpose of these for a wealthier family was they would use a different set for lunch. They'd use a different set for dinner. They'd use a different set when their friends were coming over. Even their servants would have a matching set of vessels. So they required quite a large number of these sets. And the Martins at Viewbank certainly had them.