Glazed earthenware spill vase of a fisherman and his wife
Spill Vase
ca.1850
ca.1850
| Place of origin |
Staffordshire spill vases like this were popular mass-produced items in the mid 19th-century, made from moulds and based on contemporary prints. Intended to be kept on the mantelpiece against a wall there was rarely any detail or colouring on the backs, which gave rise to the soubriquet of some of them as 'flat-backs'. Commercially produced matches were still relatively expensive in the early to mid 19th century and vases like this were designed to hold the thin wax, rolled paper or wooden tapers or 'spills' that were used instead to transfer fire from the fireplace to candles, lamps, cigars and pipes.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Glazed earthenware spill vase of a fisherman and his wife |
| Materials and techniques | Glazed earthenware |
| Brief description | Glazed Staffordshire spill vase group of a fisherman and his wife by a tree, the lady with a basket of fish. Possibly representing an operatic subject |
| Physical description | Glazed earthenware spill vase representing a fisherman and his wife presumably, standing each side of a hollow tree trunk with an orange interior and gold rim that serves as the vase. She is wearing a yellow gown and holds a basket of fish in front of her with both hands, while he wears a turquoise jacket and holds a net over his right shoulder. The base is painted to represent vegetation. There is a single gold line painted around the white base. The back of the spill vase is uncoloured. |
| Credit line | Acquired with the support of the Friends of the V&A |
| Summary | Staffordshire spill vases like this were popular mass-produced items in the mid 19th-century, made from moulds and based on contemporary prints. Intended to be kept on the mantelpiece against a wall there was rarely any detail or colouring on the backs, which gave rise to the soubriquet of some of them as 'flat-backs'. Commercially produced matches were still relatively expensive in the early to mid 19th century and vases like this were designed to hold the thin wax, rolled paper or wooden tapers or 'spills' that were used instead to transfer fire from the fireplace to candles, lamps, cigars and pipes. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1661-2014 |
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| Record created | October 7, 2014 |
| Record URL |
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