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Drawing

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 unmarked 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 and watercolour on paper
Brief description
Design drawing for plates by the Daniel Factory, Stoke on Trent, about 1840-46
Physical description
Design drawings in pen and ink and watercolour on two sides of the same sheet. On the front are designs for two plates. The top one is a sketch. The one beneath is fully coloured with a bird in the border decoration. These are numbered 8750 and 8751. On the back is a design for a plate, numbered 8753 and the words 'Landscape in centre' written across the middle. The pattern number 8752 is written above but there is no design for it.
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 unmarked 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.3850-2004

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Record createdSeptember 27, 2005
Record URL
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