Alhambra Vase thumbnail 1
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Alhambra Vase

Vase
ca 1862 (made)
Artist/Maker
Deck, Joseph-Théodore (maker)
Place of origin
Paris (made)

The Alhambra, the palace and fortress of the Moorish Kings of Granada, Spain, was founded in 1248 and largely completed by 1354. After three hundred years of neglect and destruction, restoration work began in 1828. Its sumptuous architecture excited a great deal of interest, dissemninated most notably by the Plans, Details and Sections of the Alhambra published by Owen Jones from 1836. Of the original furnishings of the Palace, some vases survive. The most famous was made before 1400 and is here copied relatively accurately by Deck. This vase was probably shown in the international exhibition, London, 1862

Delve deeper

Discover more about this object
watch Researching the Alhambra Palace The Alhambra Palace was home to Spain’s last Muslim rulers, the Nasrid dynasty (1238-1492), and remains one of the finest examples of Nasrid architecture and plasterwork in situ.

Object details

Categories
Ceramics
Earthenware
Vases
Object type
Vase
TitleAlhambra Vase (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Earthenware, inlaid with coloured clays and, possibly, painted
Earthenware
Inlaid
Painted
Brief description
'Alhambra Vase', earthenware, inlaid with coloured clays and painted, France (Paris); made by Joseph-Théodore Deck; 1862
Physical description
Two-handled earthenware vase, inlaid with coloured clays and, possibly, painted
Dimensions
  • Height: 107.0cm
  • Width: 51.0cm
  • Depth: 48.0cm
  • Weight: 28.5kg
Marks and inscriptions
"TH.DECK 1862" (Painted)
Gallery label
'American and European Art and Design 1800-1900'

The Alhambra, the palace and fortress of the Moorish Kings of Granada, Spain, was founded in 1248 and largely completed by 1354. After three hundred years of neglect and destruction, restoration work began in 1828. Its sumptuous architecture excited a great deal of interest, disseminated most notably by the Plans, Details and Sections of the Alhambra published by Owen Jones from 1836. Of the original furnishings of the Palace, some vases survive. The most famous was made before 1400 and is here copied relatively accurately by Deck.
Object history
Copy after the most famous vase from the original furnishings of the Alhambra Palace. The original was made before 1400.
Historical context
The Alhambra, the palace and fortress of the Moorish Kings of Granada, Spain, was founded in 1248 and largely completed by 1354. After three hundred years of neglect and destruction, restoration work began in 1828. Its sumptuous architecture excited a great deal of interest, disseminated most notably by the Plans, Details and Sections of the Alhambra published by Owen Jones from 1836. Of the original furnishings of the Palace, some vases survive.
Subject depicted
Geometric Patterns
Summary
The Alhambra, the palace and fortress of the Moorish Kings of Granada, Spain, was founded in 1248 and largely completed by 1354. After three hundred years of neglect and destruction, restoration work began in 1828. Its sumptuous architecture excited a great deal of interest, dissemninated most notably by the Plans, Details and Sections of the Alhambra published by Owen Jones from 1836. Of the original furnishings of the Palace, some vases survive. The most famous was made before 1400 and is here copied relatively accurately by Deck. This vase was probably shown in the international exhibition, London, 1862
Bibliographic references
  • Garnault P. and E. Garnier: French Pottery ; pt. II, London, South Kensington Museum Art Handbooks., London, p.172 Jervis,SS, ed. Art & Design in Europe and America 1800-1900, London: The Herbert Press/ V&A Publications, 1987, pp114-115, illus. ISBN 0-906969
  • Liefkes, Reino and Hilary Young (eds.) Masterpieces of World Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: V&A Publishing, 2008 pp.114-115, ill.
  • Baker, Malcolm, and Brenda Richardson (eds.), A Grand Design: The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London: V&A Publications, 1999.
  • Mariam Rosser-Owen, Islamic Arts from Spain, London, 2010, p.141.
Collection
Ceramics Collection
Accession number
18-1865

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdOctober 24, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O84929/alhambra-vase-vase-deck-joseph-théodore/
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest