Boar’s Head Tureen

What’s better than a boar’s head soup tureen? TWO boar’s head soup tureens. This is one of a pair of covered Chinese porcelain serving dishes owned by Atlanta architect Philip Trammell Shutze. Each is naturalistic in design, with fur picked out in gray, iron-red snout, and open mouth. If you look beyond its maw, you’ll see tiny, delicate white teeth and a rose-colored tongue. An already playful piece, it is made more charming when filled with hot liquid and covered—the holes in the boar’s snout allow steam to escape creating the illusion of life.

Swan House architect Philip Trammell Shutze was a collector of decorative arts, including silver, ceramics, rugs, paintings, Chinese and English porcelain, and a variety of period furnishings. As a collector, Shutze’s first concern was the scholarly pursuit of an object based on careful study, as an expression of taste, respect for the past, and as a way of living. Following his death in 1982, Shutze bequeathed almost all of his earthly possessions—including his extensive collection of imported porcelain—to Atlanta History Center. His only stipulation was that the decorative arts collection be displayed at Swan House—which he considered to be his masterwork.

To get the full Shutze experience, we invite you to visit Swan House and Mandarin Shutze: A Chinese Export Life exhibition on display in the Swan House Terrace Level gallery.