Tray
1865 (made), 1847 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Shaped trays were popular with the Victorians as they combined new designs with a practical function. This wine tray was designed to hold two decanters and glasses so that wine or sherry could be served more easily to groups of people.
People
Henry Cole (1808-1882) and his friend the artist Richard Redgrave (1804-1888) collaborated over several products for Summerley's Art Manufactures in 1847. They visited Jennens & Bettridge and another papier-mâché manufacturer, Frederick Walton of Wolverhampton, to discuss designs. Redgrave's design for tray, decanters and glasses was approved by Cole in September 1847 and John Bettridge, who had agreed to make the tray, produced the first example in January 1848. Cole bought this tray from Bettridge in 1865 for £3 4s (£3.20) for the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A).
Trading
Cole optimistically advertised this 'supper tray', as he called it, with decanters and glasses in October 1847, although the first example was not ready until January 1848. He continued to promote this new design by including it in an exhibition that he organised at the Royal Society of Arts, London, in 1848. Jennens & Bettridge showed the tray on their stand at the Exposition of Arts and Manufactures, Birmingham, in 1849, which was praised by Cole in the Journal of Design.
Shaped trays were popular with the Victorians as they combined new designs with a practical function. This wine tray was designed to hold two decanters and glasses so that wine or sherry could be served more easily to groups of people.
People
Henry Cole (1808-1882) and his friend the artist Richard Redgrave (1804-1888) collaborated over several products for Summerley's Art Manufactures in 1847. They visited Jennens & Bettridge and another papier-mâché manufacturer, Frederick Walton of Wolverhampton, to discuss designs. Redgrave's design for tray, decanters and glasses was approved by Cole in September 1847 and John Bettridge, who had agreed to make the tray, produced the first example in January 1848. Cole bought this tray from Bettridge in 1865 for £3 4s (£3.20) for the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A).
Trading
Cole optimistically advertised this 'supper tray', as he called it, with decanters and glasses in October 1847, although the first example was not ready until January 1848. He continued to promote this new design by including it in an exhibition that he organised at the Royal Society of Arts, London, in 1848. Jennens & Bettridge showed the tray on their stand at the Exposition of Arts and Manufactures, Birmingham, in 1849, which was praised by Cole in the Journal of Design.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Papier-mâché, japanned and gilded, with appliqué of mother-of-pearl |
| Brief description | Wine tray |
| Physical description | Wine tray made of japanned and gilded papier-mâché with appliqué of mother-of-pearl. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | British Galleries:
WINE TRAY AND DECANTER This tray was specifically described as being designed 'on the new principle of fixing decanters and preventing their shifting among the glasses'. The idea of a tray shaped for ease of handling may have been jointly conceived by Henry Cole and Richard Redgrave. The decoration of bunches of grapes on the decanter was deemed appropriate to its use as a container for sherry.(27/03/2003) |
| Object history | Designed by Richard Redgrave CB, RA (born in London, 1804, died there in 1888) for Felix Summerly's Art Manufactures; made by the firm of Jennens & Bettridge, Birmingham |
| Historical context | Other examples of the wine tray survive. One, of the same design, stamped by Jennens & Bettridge but with different floral decoration, was sold for £190 by Mallams Salerooms, Oxford, 25th July 2007. |
| Summary | Object Type Shaped trays were popular with the Victorians as they combined new designs with a practical function. This wine tray was designed to hold two decanters and glasses so that wine or sherry could be served more easily to groups of people. People Henry Cole (1808-1882) and his friend the artist Richard Redgrave (1804-1888) collaborated over several products for Summerley's Art Manufactures in 1847. They visited Jennens & Bettridge and another papier-mâché manufacturer, Frederick Walton of Wolverhampton, to discuss designs. Redgrave's design for tray, decanters and glasses was approved by Cole in September 1847 and John Bettridge, who had agreed to make the tray, produced the first example in January 1848. Cole bought this tray from Bettridge in 1865 for £3 4s (£3.20) for the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A). Trading Cole optimistically advertised this 'supper tray', as he called it, with decanters and glasses in October 1847, although the first example was not ready until January 1848. He continued to promote this new design by including it in an exhibition that he organised at the Royal Society of Arts, London, in 1848. Jennens & Bettridge showed the tray on their stand at the Exposition of Arts and Manufactures, Birmingham, in 1849, which was praised by Cole in the Journal of Design. |
| Bibliographic reference | Jones, Yvonne, Japanned Papier-Mâché and Tinware c. 1740-1940. Woodbridge, Antique Collectors' Club, 2012 (ISBN 978 1 85149 686 0), p. 154, fig. 148 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 132-1865 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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