Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ceramics, Room 139, The Curtain Foundation Gallery

Dish

ca. 1870-80 (made)
Artist/Maker
Mafra Workshop (made)
Place of origin
Caldas da Rainha (made)

Dish of glazed earthenware, decorated with modelled and applied figures of a grass snake and lizards in the style of Palissy.


Object details

Categories
Ceramics
Earthenware
Object type
Dish
Materials and techniques
Glazed earthenware with modelled decoration
Earthenware
Glazed
Modelled
Brief description
Dish of glazed earthenware, decorated with modelled reptiles and with moss effect, workshop of Manuel Mafra, Caldas da Rainha, ca. 1870-80.
Physical description
Dish of glazed earthenware, decorated with modelled and applied figures of a grass snake and lizards in the style of Palissy.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 23.8cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • A crown above 'M. MAFRA / CALDAO / PORTGAL' (Impressed. The crown mark indicates a date after 1870 when Mafra achieved royal patronage.)
  • '6'
Credit line
Bequeathed by Mrs. G. Cope
Object history
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).
Subjects depicted
Snake
Lizards
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
Collection
Ceramics Collection
Accession number
CIRC.435-1965

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O344439/dish-mafra-workshop/
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