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foliage terminating in animal heads

Table
1857 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is a model for the upright side of a cast-iron table designed by Stevens, and produced by Messrs Henry E. Hoole & Co Ltd. Several of these tables were used in the former refreshment room (now the Gamble and Morris rooms) in the South Kensington Museum.

A sculptor, designer and painter, Alfred Stevens (1817/18- 1875) 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

Categories
Object type
Titlefoliage terminating in animal heads (named collection)
Materials and techniques
Plaster cast
Brief description
Sketch model, plaster cast, for upright side of a table, foliage terminating in animal heads, from a sketch designed by Alfred Stevens, produced by Messrs Hoole & Co Ltd., English, ca. 1857
Physical description
From a moulded base springs conventional foliage terminating in animal's heads and supporting a plain top.
Dimensions
  • Height: 78.5cm
  • Width: 36.8cm
Object history
Purchased from Mrs Ada Gamble, 12 Stanlake Villas, Shepherd's Bush, London, together with a range of other objects by Stevens, for £175. Mrs Gamble was the widow of James Gamble, a pupil of Stevens, who had a large collection of designs and drawings by his former master.
Historical context
This is a model for the upright side of a cast-iron table designed by Stevens, and produced by Messrs Henry E. Hoole & Co Ltd. Several of these tables were used in the former refreshment room (now the Gamble and Morris rooms) in the South Kensington Museum.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This is a model for the upright side of a cast-iron table designed by Stevens, and produced by Messrs Henry E. Hoole & Co Ltd. Several of these tables were used in the former refreshment room (now the Gamble and Morris rooms) in the South Kensington Museum.

A sculptor, designer and painter, Alfred Stevens (1817/18- 1875) 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. 370, cat.no. 562
  • Review of the Principal Acquisitions during the year 1911, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, published under the Authority of his Majesty's Stationery Office, pp. 6-7
Collection
Accession number
A.34-1911

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
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