With three legs formed as griffons, this dish gave butter a prominent place on the table. Inside, a pierced liner allowed ice in the bottom of the dish to keep the butter cool.

Until the middle of the 19th century, most butter in the United States was made in relatively small quantities on dairy farms. The first facility devoted to butter manufacture was established in 1856 in Orange County, New York. Advances in artificial refrigeration and mechanical separation of cream further industrialized butter production.