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Design

ca. 1840-1846 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This sheet shows designs for ceramics in pen and ink and watercolour annotated with reference numbers. It was produced by a designer at H & R Daniel, a Stoke-on-Trent ceramics factory that was in business between 1822 and 1846. The designer produced numerous sheets of variant designs and these were bound together in a pattern book.

Pattern books were kept in factories for staff to consult, including directors looking for new and attractive designs to put into production, and the painters employed to decorate the ceramics. Today, pattern books are of interest to designers, students and collectors, for the important role they play in identifying ceramics and for the fascinating variety of patterns they contain, most of which never made it into production.

At some stage in its history, the Daniel factory pattern book was broken up and the sheets became separated. However, 12 sheets did stay together and these were acquired by the V&A in 2004. This particular sheet is thought to date from about 1840–46.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Pen and ink, pencil and watercolour on paper
Brief description
Design drawing for plates by the Daniel Factory, Stoke on Trent, about 1840-46.
Physical description
Design drawing in pencil, pen and ink and watercolour on two sides of the same sheet. On the front are designs for two plates. One is decorated with naturalistic floral motif and border. The other has geometric decoration.These are numbered 8115 and 8116. On the back are a further two plates with floral decoration. These are numbered 8117 and 8119.
Dimensions
  • Height: 31.5cm
  • Width: 26cm
Object history
Part of a complete pattern book sold at Sothebys Chester (as Davenport) in 1990. Purchased by an Ameriocan interior decorator who broke the book up.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This sheet shows designs for ceramics in pen and ink and watercolour annotated with reference numbers. It was produced by a designer at H & R Daniel, a Stoke-on-Trent ceramics factory that was in business between 1822 and 1846. The designer produced numerous sheets of variant designs and these were bound together in a pattern book.

Pattern books were kept in factories for staff to consult, including directors looking for new and attractive designs to put into production, and the painters employed to decorate the ceramics. Today, pattern books are of interest to designers, students and collectors, for the important role they play in identifying ceramics and for the fascinating variety of patterns they contain, most of which never made it into production.

At some stage in its history, the Daniel factory pattern book was broken up and the sheets became separated. However, 12 sheets did stay together and these were acquired by the V&A in 2004. This particular sheet is thought to date from about 1840–46.
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • Young, Hilary. Daniel pattern book drawings acquired by the V&A. Northern Ceramic Society Newsletter. June 2005, no.18. pp.19-25.
  • M. Berthoud, Daniel Ornamental Wares, privately published, 2002
Collection
Accession number
E.3843-2004

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Record createdSeptember 27, 2005
Record URL
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