Tray
ca. 1850 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Trays decorated with copies of oil paintings of old buildings were quite popular. The original painting belonged to the Duke of Devonshire.
Historical Association
The display of 'False Principles of Decoration', held at Marlborough House, London, in 1852, included a tray, no. 79, which may have been this one. The catalogue explained that the tray had been selected because of the incongruous combination of the copy of the painting with the gilt border and mother-of-pearl decoration. Charles Dickens also described 'that tray with a bit of one of Landseer's pictures on it' in his satirical description of the display, 'A House Full of Horrors', which appeared in his magazine Household Words in December 1852.
People
Jennens & Bettridge, the firm run by Theodore Hyla Jennens and John Bettridge between 1816 and 1864, were famous for the range of papier-mƒch‚ goods manufactured in their factory at 99 Constitution Hill, Birmingham. They also had premises at 6 Halkin Street West, Belgrave Square, London. The company produced a range of products, including writing boxes, trays, fans and larger pieces of furniture such as chairs, tables and sofas. This tray is signed indistinctly with the firm's name.
Trays decorated with copies of oil paintings of old buildings were quite popular. The original painting belonged to the Duke of Devonshire.
Historical Association
The display of 'False Principles of Decoration', held at Marlborough House, London, in 1852, included a tray, no. 79, which may have been this one. The catalogue explained that the tray had been selected because of the incongruous combination of the copy of the painting with the gilt border and mother-of-pearl decoration. Charles Dickens also described 'that tray with a bit of one of Landseer's pictures on it' in his satirical description of the display, 'A House Full of Horrors', which appeared in his magazine Household Words in December 1852.
People
Jennens & Bettridge, the firm run by Theodore Hyla Jennens and John Bettridge between 1816 and 1864, were famous for the range of papier-mƒch‚ goods manufactured in their factory at 99 Constitution Hill, Birmingham. They also had premises at 6 Halkin Street West, Belgrave Square, London. The company produced a range of products, including writing boxes, trays, fans and larger pieces of furniture such as chairs, tables and sofas. This tray is signed indistinctly with the firm's name.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Papier mâché, painted, gilded and inlaid with mother-of-pearl |
| Brief description | tray with picture of huntsman returning and cook with fish |
| Physical description | A large tray with shaped edges of the form known by the manufacturers as 'king-gothic', of papier-mâché, the ground black, with a frame of gilded rococo motifs highlighted with inlaid mother-of-pearl, the centre painted in polychrome with a detail from Sir Edwin Landseer's painting Bolton Castle in Olden Time, which was painted in 1834 |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Marked with an indistinct signature, in script, for Jennens & Bettridge
|
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
This tray fits the description of one included in the False Principles display as 'An example of popular taste, presenting numerous features which the student should carefully avoid'. These included a copy of the painting 'Bolton Abbey in the Olden Times' by Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-1873), that would be hidden when the tray was in use, and the glittering mother-of-pearl scattered around the edge.(27/03/2003) |
| Object history | Manufactured by the firm of Jennens & Bettridge, Birmingham |
| Summary | Object Type Trays decorated with copies of oil paintings of old buildings were quite popular. The original painting belonged to the Duke of Devonshire. Historical Association The display of 'False Principles of Decoration', held at Marlborough House, London, in 1852, included a tray, no. 79, which may have been this one. The catalogue explained that the tray had been selected because of the incongruous combination of the copy of the painting with the gilt border and mother-of-pearl decoration. Charles Dickens also described 'that tray with a bit of one of Landseer's pictures on it' in his satirical description of the display, 'A House Full of Horrors', which appeared in his magazine Household Words in December 1852. People Jennens & Bettridge, the firm run by Theodore Hyla Jennens and John Bettridge between 1816 and 1864, were famous for the range of papier-mƒch‚ goods manufactured in their factory at 99 Constitution Hill, Birmingham. They also had premises at 6 Halkin Street West, Belgrave Square, London. The company produced a range of products, including writing boxes, trays, fans and larger pieces of furniture such as chairs, tables and sofas. This tray is signed indistinctly with the firm's name. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.6-1920 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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