Ewer

Object Type
This electrotype ewer is a copy of a silver-gilt example of 1595. In the 16th and early 17th centuries, ewers and basins would be filled with sweet-scented water and ceremonially offered to guests during and after dining, for washing their hands.

Ownership & Use
Such vessels would also have played a prominent role on the sideboard or 'buffet', often being the largest items and frequently gilded and decorated in the latest fashion. The buffet display was designed to impress guests with the wealth and sophistication of the host. It is not surprising that ewers and basins became the standard diplomatic gift in Europe.

Materials & Making
The technique of reproducing objects by electrotyping was first developed by the manufacturing firm of Elkington & Co. of Birmingham in the 1840s. Henry Cole (1808-82), the first director of the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A), was quick to adopt this new technique to reproduce works of art. A plaster mould is made from an original object and used to make a cast in base metal. The model and an amount of plating metal are connected to electric terminals and placed in a container filled with a conductive solution. As it passes through, the electric current causes particles of the plating metal to be deposited on the surface of the model. The thickness of the plating can be regulated by the duration and voltage of the current. The plated object is then worked manually to erase imperfections.