The Temptation of Adam and Eve
Dish
1635 (made)
1635 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Large dishes of this type, often known by the quaint biblical name 'charger', were made primarily for decoration. When inscribed and dated, they also served a commemorative and sentimental purpose, which accounts for their high survival rate.
Materials & Making
Technical and artistic advances made by the Netherlandish potters working in Southwark in London made possible the series of polychrome, specially commissioned wares that began in the 1620s. These were comparatively cheap to make. As the identified initials of many of them confirm, they were largely aimed at prosperous tradesmen in the City of London.
Design & Designing
Immigrant craftsmen from The Netherlands who settled in Southwark maintained their links with their homeland. Owners of the potteries found jobs for their fellow countrymen. When sources for painted decoration were required, the latest engravings from the Low Countries were almost invariably used. Sometimes, as here, elements from other prints were used as well. Some of these rectangular prints were more easily adapted to the round dish format than others. One of the most successful was the Temptation of Adam and Eve, of which this V&A dish of 1635 is the earliest example. It is unclear whether dishes painted with this subject were intended to have a deep moral message, or whether it was simply considered an appealing and decorative theme. Certainly it was popular enough for these Adam and Eve chargers to be made in London, and later in Bristol, for about a hundred years.
Large dishes of this type, often known by the quaint biblical name 'charger', were made primarily for decoration. When inscribed and dated, they also served a commemorative and sentimental purpose, which accounts for their high survival rate.
Materials & Making
Technical and artistic advances made by the Netherlandish potters working in Southwark in London made possible the series of polychrome, specially commissioned wares that began in the 1620s. These were comparatively cheap to make. As the identified initials of many of them confirm, they were largely aimed at prosperous tradesmen in the City of London.
Design & Designing
Immigrant craftsmen from The Netherlands who settled in Southwark maintained their links with their homeland. Owners of the potteries found jobs for their fellow countrymen. When sources for painted decoration were required, the latest engravings from the Low Countries were almost invariably used. Sometimes, as here, elements from other prints were used as well. Some of these rectangular prints were more easily adapted to the round dish format than others. One of the most successful was the Temptation of Adam and Eve, of which this V&A dish of 1635 is the earliest example. It is unclear whether dishes painted with this subject were intended to have a deep moral message, or whether it was simply considered an appealing and decorative theme. Certainly it was popular enough for these Adam and Eve chargers to be made in London, and later in Bristol, for about a hundred years.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Temptation of Adam and Eve (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Tin-glazed earthenware, painted in oxide colours |
| Brief description | Dish decorated with 'The Temptation of Adam & Eve' and an inscription |
| Physical description | The Temptation of Adam and Eve, inscribed T/T M/ 1635. Adam receives the forbidden fruit from Eve. They stand on either side of the Tree of Life in the branches of which is the Serpent of Evil. The figures are flanked by schematic vines and trees, all painted in blue mid-green, manganese-purple and two shades of ochre. The border has bosses in relief painted in ochre with darker spots, forming the centre of Tudor roses in blue with green leaves. At the lower edge a scar shows that a glazed object fell on the dish during firing and was subsequently broken off. No obvious stilt marks. There are at least three small pale areas on the front edge of the rim. A partial circle of glaze removed at the centre of the dish may have been caused by the foot of a dish resting on it before or during firing. Body colour: Reddish buff with dark red streaks. Glaze: Dull white. A lead-glaze with grey streaks of tin-glaze over a pale slip covers the entire back. The foot-rim has been almost entirely wiped clean of glaze. Shape: Shape A. Foot pierced with two holes close together. Shallow groove at the rim on the underside only. Flange has bosses pushed up from behind and the rim sharply serrated. (Alphabetic shape codes as used in appendix to Archer. Delftware. 1997) |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Inscribed T/T M/ 1635. 'TTM' is probably the initials of the couple |
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
This dish was probably a marriage gift. According to the Church, marriage was 'instituted of God in Paradise' before the Fall of Adam and Eve. It was widely accepted that Eve's sin condemned women to be governed by their husbands. However, the ideal of marriage as a partnership was also celebrated. Writers of marital advice pointed out that Eve was created from Adam's side, not his foot.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Given by the executors of the late B.T. Harland |
| Object history | F. Leverton Harris, 1914. B.T. Harland, London. Sotheby's, 11:2:1931. Lot 117. Purchased, 1931. Exhibited: Burlington Fine Arts Club (1914), No. D 6. Pl: XXIV. Fair as China Dishes, p.22. Probably made in London at the Pickleherring pottery |
| Production | London (Southwark: Pickleherring or Montague Close) Dated 1635 |
| Summary | Object Type Large dishes of this type, often known by the quaint biblical name 'charger', were made primarily for decoration. When inscribed and dated, they also served a commemorative and sentimental purpose, which accounts for their high survival rate. Materials & Making Technical and artistic advances made by the Netherlandish potters working in Southwark in London made possible the series of polychrome, specially commissioned wares that began in the 1620s. These were comparatively cheap to make. As the identified initials of many of them confirm, they were largely aimed at prosperous tradesmen in the City of London. Design & Designing Immigrant craftsmen from The Netherlands who settled in Southwark maintained their links with their homeland. Owners of the potteries found jobs for their fellow countrymen. When sources for painted decoration were required, the latest engravings from the Low Countries were almost invariably used. Sometimes, as here, elements from other prints were used as well. Some of these rectangular prints were more easily adapted to the round dish format than others. One of the most successful was the Temptation of Adam and Eve, of which this V&A dish of 1635 is the earliest example. It is unclear whether dishes painted with this subject were intended to have a deep moral message, or whether it was simply considered an appealing and decorative theme. Certainly it was popular enough for these Adam and Eve chargers to be made in London, and later in Bristol, for about a hundred years. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Other number | A13. - <u>Delftware</u> (1997) cat. no. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.26-1931 |
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| Record created | July 14, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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