Flower Brick thumbnail 1
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Flower Brick

ca. 1760 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
Other than vases, so-called 'flower bricks' seem to have been the most common receptacle for flowers in the 18th century. There is no record of what they were called at the time. There has long been speculation that these objects might have been used as inkstands, with a removable bottle of ink, and space for quills. However, this is unlikely as often they lack a large enough central hole, and also would hold unnecessarily large numbers of quills - particularly as many pairs of bricks are known. Evidence for their use as holders for cut flowers can be found on a painted chimney-board in the V&A (museum no. W.35-1928) which shows similarly pierced containers being used in this way.

Decoration
The distinctive range of colours in which this flower brick is painted has come to be known as 'Fazackerly', in reference to a similarly painted jug which was known to have been presented to one Thomas Fazackerly and inscribed 'T.F. 1757'. Delftware objects (tin-glazed earthenware) decorated in these colours, comprising lemon yellow, orange, sage green, dark indigo blue, pale manganese purple and a strong red, can generally be attributed to Liverpool, although the same palette seems occasionally to have been employed at potteries in Bristol.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Tin-glazed earthenware, painted
Brief description
Flower brick decorated with flowers
Physical description
Flower sprays on all four sides in yellow, red, green, blue and manganese-purple.
Body colour: Buff.
Glaze: Greyish white pooling towards the upper edge.
Shape: One large cruciform hole and twenty-eight smaller round ones in the top. Recessed foot with a squared off slightly chamfered edge. (Alphabetic shape codes as used in appendix to Archer. Delftware. 1997)
Dimensions
  • Height: 8.3cm
  • Width: 15.9cm
  • Depth: 6.7cm
Height: Ht. 8.2 cms (3 1/4 ins).() Length: L. 16.3 cms (6 3/8 ins).() Width: W. 6.7 cms (2 5/8 ins) Dimensions checked: Registered Description; 31/01/1998 by MH
Marks and inscriptions
One large cruciform hole and twenty-eight smaller round holes in the top
Credit line
Given by Mr Stuart G. Davis
Object history
Probably made in Liverpool, England
Subject depicted
Summary
Object Type
Other than vases, so-called 'flower bricks' seem to have been the most common receptacle for flowers in the 18th century. There is no record of what they were called at the time. There has long been speculation that these objects might have been used as inkstands, with a removable bottle of ink, and space for quills. However, this is unlikely as often they lack a large enough central hole, and also would hold unnecessarily large numbers of quills - particularly as many pairs of bricks are known. Evidence for their use as holders for cut flowers can be found on a painted chimney-board in the V&A (museum no. W.35-1928) which shows similarly pierced containers being used in this way.

Decoration
The distinctive range of colours in which this flower brick is painted has come to be known as 'Fazackerly', in reference to a similarly painted jug which was known to have been presented to one Thomas Fazackerly and inscribed 'T.F. 1757'. Delftware objects (tin-glazed earthenware) decorated in these colours, comprising lemon yellow, orange, sage green, dark indigo blue, pale manganese purple and a strong red, can generally be attributed to Liverpool, although the same palette seems occasionally to have been employed at potteries in Bristol.
Bibliographic reference
Archer, Michael. Delftware: the tin-glazed earthenware of the British Isles. A catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: HMSO, in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1997. ISBN 0 11 290499 8
Other number
I12. - <u>Delftware</u> (1997) cat. no.
Collection
Accession number
C.754-1921

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Record createdJanuary 29, 2000
Record URL
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