The Royal Ontario Museum was established on April 16, 1912, by the signing of the Royal Ontario Museum Act in the Ontario legislature and officially opened to the public on March 19, 1914. The first ROM director, Charles Currelly, through his intelligence, charm, powers of persuasion, and stamina, amassed content for the new Museum.

Celebrated potter Josiah Wedgwood I (1730–1795) took great interest in the latest science and technology. His enthusiasm for conchology, the study of shells, inspired designs for a dessert service introduced by Wedgwood around 1790, including the bowl on which this one is based. Periodically, the Wedgwood Factory has revived models from the original service. This version of the "Nautilus Footed Bowl," with its coral stem and shell foot, was redesigned for Wedgwood in the 1930s by architect Keith Murray.