Not currently on display at the V&A

Mould for a cast-iron fender front

Mould
ca. 1850 - ca. 1857 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is a model for a portion of a cast-iron fender front so far unidentified. A plaster cast version of it is in the Museum's collection, inv.no. 1907-8.

A sculptor, designer and painter, Alfred Stevens rejected contemporary distinctions between fine art and design. From 1850 to 1857 he was chief designer to Hoole & Co., Sheffield, where he produced award-winning designs for metalwork, majolica, terracotta ornaments and chimney-pieces. Perhaps his two greatest works were the decorations for the dining-room at Dorchester House, London (about 1856), for which he made countless drawings inspired by the Italian High Renaissance style, in particular the work of Michelangelo and the monument to the Duke of Wellington for St Paul's Cathedral, London, which was completed after his death. The two allegorical groups from this monument made a lasting impact on the New Sculpture movement. The influence of the Italian Renaissance is evident in much of Steven's work, and is perhaps best reflected in the Wellington monument.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleMould for a cast-iron fender front (named collection)
Materials and techniques
Plaster
Brief description
Mould or Sketch-model, for a portion of a cast-iron fender front, plaster, by Alfred Stevens, England, probably ca. 1850-57
Physical description
Fret with leaf and other ornament.
Dimensions
  • Length: 35.4cm
  • Weight: 2.45kg
Object history
Bought from Hugh Stannus, 64 Larkhall Rise, Clapham, London, together with range of other objects by Stevens, for £35. This model was included in a large purchase of material by Stevens in the possession of Stannus, a former pupil of Stevens who wrote a monograph on the sculptor in 1891.
Historical context
This is a model for a portion of a cast-iron fender front so far unidentified. A plaster cast version of it is in the Museum's collection, inv.no. 1907-8.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This is a model for a portion of a cast-iron fender front so far unidentified. A plaster cast version of it is in the Museum's collection, inv.no. 1907-8.

A sculptor, designer and painter, Alfred Stevens rejected contemporary distinctions between fine art and design. From 1850 to 1857 he was chief designer to Hoole & Co., Sheffield, where he produced award-winning designs for metalwork, majolica, terracotta ornaments and chimney-pieces. Perhaps his two greatest works were the decorations for the dining-room at Dorchester House, London (about 1856), for which he made countless drawings inspired by the Italian High Renaissance style, in particular the work of Michelangelo and the monument to the Duke of Wellington for St Paul's Cathedral, London, which was completed after his death. The two allegorical groups from this monument made a lasting impact on the New Sculpture movement. The influence of the Italian Renaissance is evident in much of Steven's work, and is perhaps best reflected in the Wellington monument.
Bibliographic references
  • Bilbey, Diane and Trusted, Marjorie. British Sculpture 1470-2000. A Concise Catalogue of the Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2002, p. 372, cat. no. 568
  • Inventory of Works of Art Acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in the Years 1903 - 1904. In: List of Works of Art Acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum, During the Year 1903, Arranged According to the Dates of Acquisition with Appendix and Indices. London: Printed for His Majesty's Stationery Office, by Wyman and Sons, Limited, 1907, p. 167
Collection
Accession number
969-1903

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Record createdNovember 20, 2008
Record URL
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