Condiment Vase
1749-1750 (hallmarked)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This object is part of a set of condiment vases and spoons used for serving mustard, sugar and pepper. The vessels are formed like classical vases. Italian excavations of ancient Roman sites had inspired a new interest in Neo-classical shapes such as these. The scallop-shell ornament on the vases matches the accompanying spoons. The set later belonged to the distinguished American collector and financier, J. Pierpont Morgan.
When the Catholic King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685, Huguenots (French Protestants) were forced to leave the country. Many were craftsmen who settled in London. Their technical skills and fashionable French style ensured the luxury silver, furniture, watches and jewellery they made were highly sought after. Huguenot specialists transformed English silver by introducing higher standards of craftsmanship. They promoted new forms, such as the soup tureen and sauceboat, and introduced a new repertoire of ornament, with cast sculptural details and exquisite engraving.
Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
When the Catholic King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685, Huguenots (French Protestants) were forced to leave the country. Many were craftsmen who settled in London. Their technical skills and fashionable French style ensured the luxury silver, furniture, watches and jewellery they made were highly sought after. Huguenot specialists transformed English silver by introducing higher standards of craftsmanship. They promoted new forms, such as the soup tureen and sauceboat, and introduced a new repertoire of ornament, with cast sculptural details and exquisite engraving.
Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
Object details
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Object type | |
Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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Materials and techniques | Silver, raised, cast, applied, pierced, chased, engraved |
Brief description | Silver condiment vase, London hallmarks for 1749-50, mark of Paul de Lamerie |
Physical description | Silver vase-shaped urn standing on a spreading circular foot chased with a narrow band of gadroons and leaves. The lower body is chased with a calyx of fluting and leaves and engraved with an unidentified crest. At the shoulders are four scroll handles that issue from scallop shells within a flat-chased and punched matted surround. The shallow, waisted neck has a gadroon and leaf border. The domed cover is chased around the border with a band of shell ornament and has a gadroon and foliage calyx beneath the vase-shaped finial. |
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Marks and inscriptions |
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Gallery label | 11. Condiment vases and spoons
1749–50
London, England; Paul de Lamerie (1688–1751)
Silver
Engraved with unidentified crest
Museum nos. Loan:Gilbert.706 to 711-2008(16/11/2016) |
Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
Object history | Provenance: J. Pierpont Morgan. The Morgan family. Sale, Christie's New York, lot 34, October 26 1982. |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | This object is part of a set of condiment vases and spoons used for serving mustard, sugar and pepper. The vessels are formed like classical vases. Italian excavations of ancient Roman sites had inspired a new interest in Neo-classical shapes such as these. The scallop-shell ornament on the vases matches the accompanying spoons. The set later belonged to the distinguished American collector and financier, J. Pierpont Morgan. When the Catholic King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685, Huguenots (French Protestants) were forced to leave the country. Many were craftsmen who settled in London. Their technical skills and fashionable French style ensured the luxury silver, furniture, watches and jewellery they made were highly sought after. Huguenot specialists transformed English silver by introducing higher standards of craftsmanship. They promoted new forms, such as the soup tureen and sauceboat, and introduced a new repertoire of ornament, with cast sculptural details and exquisite engraving. Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996. |
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Collection | |
Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.708:1,2-2008 |
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Record created | June 26, 2008 |
Record URL |
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