Bleeding-Cup

Bleeding-Cup

Object name: Bleeding-Cup
Date: 1849
Dimensions:
45 x 130 mm
Medium: Pewter
Object number: C02852
DescriptionBleeding cup. Round basin decorated with incised lines around the inside of the basin with an oval stamp of a camel and the name "maw". Horizontal openwork handle with symmetrical design and central ribbed leaf motif.

Blood letting used to be a common form of treatment for various illnesses. A cut would be made into the patient and the blood allowed to pour into a bowl such as this one. This particular basin can hold up to 1 pint of blood. Bleeding bowls were also made of ceramic, mainly delftware. This one was found in the Thames in 1849.