Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Silver, Room 67, The Whiteley Galleries

Claret Jug

1877-1878 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The jug demonstrates the interest in medieval art and design among British artists and craftworkers at the end of the 19th century, and the way designs were transferred to different materials.

Its form is believed to have come from a porcelain chocolate pot made in Vienna between 1744 and 1749 (Museum no. C.7&A-1968). This in turn was derived from a 12th-century metal aquamanile – a vessel used for washing hands, named from the Latin 'aqua' (water) and 'manus' (hand) – in the Kunstshistorisches Museum in Vienna. A closely related aquamanile in the form of a griffin is in the V&A (Museum no. 1471-1870).


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silver, parcel gilt, ruby glass, traces of gilding, hinged lid, cast feet, cast handle; inside gilt
Brief description
Claret jug, silver, parcel-gilt, ruby glass, London hallmarks for 1877-8, mark of George Fox
Physical description
Jug in shape of a griffin, traces of gilding, glass eyes, hinged lid (head), two cast feet, cast handle, the inside gilt
Dimensions
  • Body diameter: 14cm
  • Height: 21cm
  • Length: 18.2cm
Marks and inscriptions
Base: maker's mark: GF for George Fox, sterling, leopard, duty, date letter B (1877-78); On head: maker, sterling, date letter
Object history
The griffin form of this jug is ultimately derived a 12th-century aquamanile, or water vessel, probably made in the Meuse Valley region. Its immediate predecessor is a porcelain chocolate pot, made in Vienna between 1744 and 1749. Like the crocodile teapot in this case (no. 16), it illustrates the way designs were copied in different materials. It also demonstrates the recurring interest in medieval art and design.
Form derived from a Vienna porcelain chocolate pot of the mid 18th century that was in turn derived from a medieval aquamanile in the Kunst-historisches Museum, Vienna
Subject depicted
Summary
The jug demonstrates the interest in medieval art and design among British artists and craftworkers at the end of the 19th century, and the way designs were transferred to different materials.

Its form is believed to have come from a porcelain chocolate pot made in Vienna between 1744 and 1749 (Museum no. C.7&A-1968). This in turn was derived from a 12th-century metal aquamanile – a vessel used for washing hands, named from the Latin 'aqua' (water) and 'manus' (hand) – in the Kunstshistorisches Museum in Vienna. A closely related aquamanile in the form of a griffin is in the V&A (Museum no. 1471-1870).
Bibliographic references
  • E J G Smith, The Fox Family: Victorian Silversmiths, The Antique Dealer & Collector's Guide September 1974,
  • J.V.G. Mallet, Romanesque into Rococo; the odd case of a Vienna porcelain chocolate pot, Connoisseur , August 1969, pp.233-236
Collection
Accession number
M.20-1986

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Record createdMarch 3, 2004
Record URL
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