Cistern and Stopper thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Cistern and Stopper

1870 (made)
Artist/Maker
Mafra Workshop (made)
Place of origin
Caldas da Rainha (made)

Earthenware cistern in the form of a man seated on a barrel and playing a stringed instrument.


Object details

Categories
Ceramics
Earthenware
Figures & Decorative Ceramics
Object type
Cistern and stopper
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Cistern
  • Cistern Stopper
Materials and techniques
Painted in colours under a clear glaze
Earthenware
Brief description
Earthenware, painted in colours under a clear glaze, Manuel Mafra, Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, 1870
Physical description
Earthenware cistern in the form of a man seated on a barrel and playing a stringed instrument.
Dimensions
  • Height: 27cm
  • Length: 20cm
Marks and inscriptions
An anchor above 'M. Mafra. Caldas / PORTUGAL', impressed
Credit line
Given by H. M. Commissioners for the Exhibition of 1851
Object history
Exhibited at the London International Exhibition, 1871.

Manuel Cipriano Gomes (1831-1905) was born in a village near Mafra. In 1850, he moved to Caldas da Rainha, a spa town in central west Portugal known for ceramic making. He adopted the name Mafra and set up his workshop in 1853, having purchased the existing workshop of Maria dos Cacos, for whom he had at first worked. In about 1870, he gained royal patronage. In 1887, his son Edouardo Augusto joined the business for a time but left for a political career. Mafra died in 1905. The artisanal workshop specialised in zoomorphic vessels and wares inspired by the work of Palissy (France, 16th century).
Bibliographic references
  • José Quieros, Ceramica Portuguesa, Lisbon, 1948
  • Katz, Marshall P., 'Portuguese Palissy Ware', New York, 1999
  • Cristina Ramos e Horta, 'Manuel Mafra 1829-1905' in 'Manuel Mafra: Mestre na Cerâmica das Caldas', Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, 2009
  • Cristina Ramos e Horta, 'Manuel Mafra Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum', in 'Artis: Revista de História da Arte e Ciências do Património', no.1, Portugal, 2013
  • Cristina Ramos e Horta, 'Portuguese Ceramicist Manuel Mafra: Nature, Exoticism and Luxury' in Journal of the Decorative Arts Society, no.37, 2013
Other number
HMC.30 - H.M.C. Loan no.
Collection
Ceramics Collection
Accession number
C.623-1921

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O308321/cistern-and-stopper-mafra-workshop/
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