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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
British Galleries, Room 125, Edwin and Susan Davies Gallery

Vase

1800-1875 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Japan (made)

This elegant cast and patinated bronze takes the shape of a double gourd. The sinuous shape may well have influenced the work of the designer Christopher Dresser and later those artists working in the Art Nouveau style who appreciated the 'natural' form. Dresser travelled to Japan in late 1876 on behalf of the V&A and wrote extensively about the art works he encountered on his visit. This is yet another object acquired from Siegfried Bing for the not inconsiderable sum of £11.00.


Object details

Categories
Images Online
Metalwork
Vases
SCRAN
Object type
Vase
Materials and techniques
Patinated copper alloy
Copper Alloy
Brief description
Vase, patinated copper alloy, Japanese, 19th century; Met, Japan, VESS/CONT/HOLDERS
Dimensions
  • Height: 40.6cm
  • Maximum width: 12.0cm
  • Diameter: 12.1cm
Style
Art Nouveau
Object history
Purchased from Siegfried Bing (Paris), accessioned in 1876. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Summary
This elegant cast and patinated bronze takes the shape of a double gourd. The sinuous shape may well have influenced the work of the designer Christopher Dresser and later those artists working in the Art Nouveau style who appreciated the 'natural' form. Dresser travelled to Japan in late 1876 on behalf of the V&A and wrote extensively about the art works he encountered on his visit. This is yet another object acquired from Siegfried Bing for the not inconsiderable sum of £11.00.
Bibliographic references
  • Greenhalgh, Paul (Ed.), Art Nouveau: 1890-1914 . London: V&A Publications, 2000
  • Rupert Faulkner & Anna Jackson. The Meiji Period in South Kensington: the Representation of Japan in the Victoria & Albert Museum, 1852-1912. In Meiji no Takara: Treasures of Imperial Japan, Volume 1, Kibo Foundation 1995. p.176-178
  • Michael Whiteway (Ed.). Christopher Dresser, a Design Revolution. V&A Publications 2004. p. 39-40
Collection
East Asia Collection
Accession number
148-1876

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Record createdOctober 30, 2001
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O63017/vase-unknown/
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