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Kettle
Christopher Dresser, born 1834 - died 1904 - Enlarge image
Kettle
- Place of origin:
London, England (made)
England, Great Britain (made) - Date:
ca. 1880 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Christopher Dresser, born 1834 - died 1904 (designer)
Benham and Froud (maker) - Materials and Techniques:
Spun copper and cast brass, with ebony handle
- Museum number:
M.30&A-1971
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 125e, case 1
Object Type
Dresser's copper tea kettle combines traditional European features drawn from sturdy brass cooking pots of the 16th and 17th centuries with elements typically associated with his personal style at its most inventive. Characteristic elements include the use of simple bold forms such as the three straight, spike legs and the straight handle, attached to the body by bridging struts rather than being shaped and attached directly to the body (a feature directed adapted from Japanese precedents).
Materials & Making
Dresser was inspired by the Japanese tradition of juxtaposing different metals and 'mokume' (a mixed metal sandwich forged to give the appearance of wood grain) but as the British hallmarking laws prohibited the mixing of gold and silver with base metals, experiments in combining metals were reserved for copper, brass and iron.
Design & Designing
Dresser's most innovative designs were for objects to be made in metal. Unlike his designs for ceramics and glass which often resemble plant forms in their shape, ornamentation or colouring, his metalwork designs tend to be fully abstracted from their organic source, frequently employing symmetrical, rectilinear shapes and undecorated surfaces.
