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Rhinoceros vase
Steele, Edwin, born 1803 - died 1871 - Enlarge image
Rhinoceros vase
- Object:
Vase and cover
- Place of origin:
Swinton, England (made)
- Date:
ca. 1826 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Steele, Edwin, born 1803 - died 1871 (painter (artist))
Rockingham Ceramic Factory (manufacturer) - Materials and Techniques:
Porcelain, painted and gilded
- Museum number:
47&A-1869
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 120, case 18
Object Type
Though clearly made as an elaborate ornamental piece, the form nevertheless follows the basic conventions of a 'scent jar' with its perforated neck. Such vases, often small enough to place on the mantelpiece, were filled with potpourri to serve as room fresheners.
People
Thomas Brameld, designer of this piece, was proprietor of the Swinton Pottery on the estate of the wealthy Earl Fitzwilliam. From at least 1818, Brameld severely strained his resources by attempting to manufacture porcelain. His eventual bankruptcy in 1825 was, however, happily resolved by the intervention of the Earl, who thenceforward underwrote the factory's debts. Earl Fitzwilliam also allowed them to name the pottery works after his famous forebear, the Marquis of Rockingham, and to use his griffin crest as a mark.
Trading
In the 1820s, both the manufacture and use of luxury porcelain still carried considerable prestige. The collaboration between the Bramelds and Earl Fitzwilliam in Yorkshire should perhaps be seen in the context of royal appointments, for example George III's visit to the Worcester factory in 1788 and the Prince Regent's visit to Spode's in 1806.
This colossal show piece was much admired at the time of its manufacture in 1826, despite its bizarre combination of ill-matched elements. An even larger version of the vase, intended to amaze visitors to the factory, was eventually given to Earl Fitzwilliam when the factory closed in 1842.
