Not currently on display at the V&A

'THE MAJOLICA FOUNTAIN IN THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.'

Print
August 30 1862 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This print, from the Illustrated London News, depicts the Majolica Fountain at the centre of the International Exhibition held at South Kensington in 1862. It was hosted by the Royal Society of Arts, Manufacturers and Trade and paid for by the profits of the original South Kensington Great Exhibition (1851). The building was erected near the current site of the Natural History Museum and Science Museum and was intended to remain permanently; however, Parliament declined the Government's wish to buy it and it was deconstructed with the materials being used for the Crystal Palace.

The Majolica Fountain, designed by Minton, Hollins and Co., was a central tenet of the exhibition. It flaunted the company's premier status as an exponent of durable decorative finishes for walls and floors in churches, public buildings, grand palaces and domestic houses. The fountain itself was made up of 369 seperate parts and stood over 10 metres tall. After the exhibition closed it was displayed at the Bethnal Green Museum (now the Museum of Childhood) from 1872, when the museum opened, until 1962 when the fountain was sold off in parts. The statue of George slaying the dragon from the top is now held at the Potteries Museum in Stoke-on-Trent.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Title'THE MAJOLICA FOUNTAIN IN THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.' (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Chromolithography on paper
Brief description
Chromolithograph of the Majolica Fountain in the International Exhibition, from the Illustrated London News, August 30, 1862, by Robert Dudley.
Physical description
Chromolithograph on paper depicting a fountain with lions and St George spearing the dragon at the top, in a great hall with Victorian men, women and children around the edges.
Dimensions
  • Height: 40.6cm
  • Width: 56cm
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'SUPPLEMENT TO THE ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS AUGUST 30, 1862'
  • 'THE MAJOLICA FOUNTAIN IN THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.'
  • 'DESIGNED BY THE LATE JOHN THOMAS. / EXECUTED BY MINTON, HOLLINS AND CO.'
Subjects depicted
Place depicted
Association
Summary
This print, from the Illustrated London News, depicts the Majolica Fountain at the centre of the International Exhibition held at South Kensington in 1862. It was hosted by the Royal Society of Arts, Manufacturers and Trade and paid for by the profits of the original South Kensington Great Exhibition (1851). The building was erected near the current site of the Natural History Museum and Science Museum and was intended to remain permanently; however, Parliament declined the Government's wish to buy it and it was deconstructed with the materials being used for the Crystal Palace.

The Majolica Fountain, designed by Minton, Hollins and Co., was a central tenet of the exhibition. It flaunted the company's premier status as an exponent of durable decorative finishes for walls and floors in churches, public buildings, grand palaces and domestic houses. The fountain itself was made up of 369 seperate parts and stood over 10 metres tall. After the exhibition closed it was displayed at the Bethnal Green Museum (now the Museum of Childhood) from 1872, when the museum opened, until 1962 when the fountain was sold off in parts. The statue of George slaying the dragon from the top is now held at the Potteries Museum in Stoke-on-Trent.
Collection
Accession number
B.119-2011

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Record createdJanuary 11, 2012
Record URL
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