Not currently on display at the V&A

Cherub head

Relief
ca. 1800 - ca. 1849 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This terracotta relief representing a cherub head was made by Jonathan Harmer in Sussex, England, in about 1800-1849. This relief would originally have been set into a tombstone or memorial. Harmer lived in Heathfield and made many small terracotta plaques of this kind for East Sussex Churches.

Jonathan Harmer (1762-1849) was the son of Jonathan Harmer Senior (d. 1800) who bequeathed to his two sons Jonathan Jr and John 'all such Portland and other stone, together with my working Tools and utensils belonging to the Trade of a Stone Mason and Bricklayer, and Land Surveying Books.' In 1796 Jonathan Jr. left for America, settling in New York, where he worked with a mason and painter, returning to Heathfield in May 1800. His younger brother John had previously settled in New York, but also later returned to Heathfield. Jonathan Harmer Junior was working at Heathfield, Sussex, from 1800 till about the middle of the 19th century. He made reliefs by pressing a local terracotta into moulds. The squeezes were then touched up by hand and baked in a wood oven. A complete set of Harmer's terracotta reliefs is in the possession of the Sussex Archaeological Society at Lewes.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleCherub head (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Terracotta
Brief description
Relief, terracotta, cherub's head and wings, by Jonathan Harmer, England, ca. 1800-1849
Physical description
Relief of a cherub's head and wings, terracotta.
Dimensions
  • Height: 53.5cm
  • Width: 41.5cm
Object history
Given by Miss W.T. Lister in 1919. William Cleverly Alexander J.P. of Heathfield Park; Heathfield purchased pottery and notebooks remaining at Portland Square, Heathfield (the family home of the Harmer family) sometime after September 1897. According to Lucas, "The stock consisted of a great number of the vases and paterae, two of the angel...., but with crown and rays, also the crown by itself, and one new pattern - a small coat-of-arms, those of the second Duke of Newcastle, Clinton, with Pelham in pretence'. These were inherited by Miss W.T. Lister, Heathfield Park, from her father, and she subsequently (in 1919) gave the present piece, together with cat. nos. 447 to 459, to the Museum, from this stock. Miss Lister also gave three examples of Harmer's pottery to the Department of Ceramics and Glass. A complete set of the pottery reliefs produced by Harmer was given in 1908 by Mr Alexander to the Archeological Museum of Sussex, now Sussex Archeological Society, located at Barbican/Anne of Cleves House, Lewes.

Subjects depicted
Summary
This terracotta relief representing a cherub head was made by Jonathan Harmer in Sussex, England, in about 1800-1849. This relief would originally have been set into a tombstone or memorial. Harmer lived in Heathfield and made many small terracotta plaques of this kind for East Sussex Churches.

Jonathan Harmer (1762-1849) was the son of Jonathan Harmer Senior (d. 1800) who bequeathed to his two sons Jonathan Jr and John 'all such Portland and other stone, together with my working Tools and utensils belonging to the Trade of a Stone Mason and Bricklayer, and Land Surveying Books.' In 1796 Jonathan Jr. left for America, settling in New York, where he worked with a mason and painter, returning to Heathfield in May 1800. His younger brother John had previously settled in New York, but also later returned to Heathfield. Jonathan Harmer Junior was working at Heathfield, Sussex, from 1800 till about the middle of the 19th century. He made reliefs by pressing a local terracotta into moulds. The squeezes were then touched up by hand and baked in a wood oven. A complete set of Harmer's terracotta reliefs is in the possession of the Sussex Archaeological Society at Lewes.
Bibliographic references
  • Bilbey, Diane and Trusted Marjorie, British Sculpture 1470 to 2000. A Concise Catalogue of the Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2002, p. 292, cat. no. 448
  • Lucas, P., Heathfield Memorials. Collected from the Parish Records and other unpublished manuscripts, London, 1910, p. 104-108
Collection
Accession number
A.9-1919

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Record createdMay 17, 2005
Record URL
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