Cistern and Stopper thumbnail 1
Cistern and Stopper thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Cistern and Stopper

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

Earthenware figure of a bull painted under a clear glaze. He stands on an integral plinth. A stopper fits into a hole immediately behind the bull's horns. On the left side is a spout.


Object details

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

  • Cistern
  • Stopper
Materials and techniques
Earthenware, painted and glazed
Earthenware
Brief description
Earthenware, modelled in the form of a bull standing on an integral plinth and painted under a clear glaze. Manuel Mafra, Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, 1870. A stopper fits into a hole immediately behind the bull's horns. On the left side is a spout.
Physical description
Earthenware figure of a bull painted under a clear glaze. He stands on an integral plinth. A stopper fits into a hole immediately behind the bull's horns. On the left side is a spout.
Dimensions
  • Height: 36cm
  • Length: 38.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • An anchor above 'M. MAFRA CALDAS / PORTUGAL', impressed
  • Transliteration
    .
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.26 - H.M.C. Loan no.
Collection
Ceramics Collection
Accession number
C.622&A-1921

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O343164/cistern-and-stopper-mafra/
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