Decanter

Object Type
This decanter was designed by the painter and writer Richard Redgrave (1804-1888), later Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures, for Felix Summerly's Art Manufactures. It is an example of early Victorian design especially promoted by Henry Cole (1808-1882), in which the decoration reflects the function of the object. Although designed to be made and sold together with the tray, and probably with drinking glasses also, the necessary co-ordination of manufacturers and retailers was never fully achieved.

Historical Associations
In response to the Society of Arts' offer, made in 1845, of a prize for designs for a tea service, Henry Cole, using the pseudonym Felix Summerly, produced a design that was executed by Minton. This won a silver medal in the competition held in 1846 and the experience led Cole to believe that it would 'promote public taste' if well-known painters and sculptors could be persuaded to produce designs for similar functional objects. Accordingly, in 1847 he founded 'Summerly's Art Manufactures', which lasted for about three years, until his preoccupation with the Great Exhibition of 1851 brought it to an end. However, for some years afterwards individual firms continued to produce objects originally made for Summerly's.

Design
In 1847 Henry Cole noted that 'RR [Richard Redgrave] and Bell [John Bell] thought Artists ought not to design for Manufacturers: apart from Art Manufactures'. But later, Redgrave himself observed that fine artists were actually to blame for committing the prime error, which was 'rather to construct ornament than ornament construction'. However, this decanter is an unremarkable and successful combination of bottle shape and appropriate ornament. The decanter was made with a choice of stoppers, ranging from 'gilt Enamel, Parian and coloured Porcelain'. According to the Art Manufactures catalogues, the gilt enamel stoppers were the most expensive, at £3 3s (£3.15). Cole was evasive about the others. The accompanying tray came in two versions also.